Joan Margaret Marbeck and Malaccan Creole Identity

Abstract This article recontextualises the work on Malaccan Portuguese Creole (henceforth: MPC) by belletrist author and language activist Joan Margaret Marbeck, evaluating her impact on the speech community, in light of acquisition planning, language ideologies, and (post)colonial politics. I argue that her work was central to raising awareness about MPC and restoring its prestige in politics, even beyond Malaysia. Due to a lack of communal engagement in language revitalisation, however, alternatives to Marbeck’s approach were proposed by other activists.