The spread of Mandarin in a Malaysian Hakka community: Focus on religious domain

This paper investigates the spread of Mandarin in a Hakka community in Balik Pulau, Penang, focusing on religious domain. Data on language usage in Catholic families and at church were collected through interviews and observations. In total, ten Catholic Hakka families (one parent and one child from each family) were interviewed at their homes. Four senior church members and the priest from the Church ofthe Holy Name of Jesus, Balik Pulau were also interviewed with regard to language practices in the church in the past and at present. The data indicates that the Hakka dialect is undergoing decline in these Catholic families as well as in the church. Mandarin is spreading its usage in religious domain in this Catholic community. The change of language use in religious domain is echoing the spread of Mandarin in the Chinese community in Malaysia, which may also be an impact of China on the Chinese overseas