I received another comment last night delivered through my friend. Again the comment is why I write my blog in English, why don't I write it in Bahasa Malaysia. My friend defended me and next he said that if I want to improve English, blogging is not the way, I should improve through my thoughts and other way I don't remember. He said I should promote Bahasa Malaysia, not bring down the language by using English. It's a bit to much I think.
Here is what I would like to say to him, blogging to me is my media to express my thought. I only use English in two occasion, one when I am teaching and the other is when I am blogging. I converse in Bahasa Malaysia all the time, at home, at the market and many other times. To me blogging really help my English as you see my English is not so good with grammar mistake here and there but when blogging I am forcing my self to practice my language. I even have to check the dictionary when I didn't know the words because I am thinking in BM but writing in English. When I write, my brain have more time to process the word, it give me time to checked. It is different in conversation you must process the words very fast and you cannot take back what you have said.
When I write my blog in English I am not bringing down Bahasa Malaysia, in english more people can read my thought, I can reach to more people because more people understand English than Bahasa Malaysia. The blog I read and refer especially in education is not only from Malaysia but from all over the world so if I write my blog in Bahasa Malaysia they will not understand what I am trying to deliver.
In the paper today, many politician wanted the government to change Math and science medium from to english back to Bahasa malaysia. To me why do we need to change the language, just because some students cannot understand english, it doesn't means that we have to stop using english for math and science. Try look at the students who learn math and science in english started from standard one, most of them can understand what the teacher is teaching because they started from the very beginning even those who lived in the rural area.
Malaysia is a developing nation, I think there is nothing wrong if the students learn math and science in english because as we can see how many math and science books are in Bahasa Malaysia. Not many isn't it. How can we tap the knowledge if there is language barrier. What more the students still learn other subjects in Bahasa Malaysia, we are not whipping of Bahasa Malaysia in school. I think we should try to helped the rural students who can't cope with English to improve it, rather than abolishing english from math and science.
What is your comment?
Do people like your friend expect that the whole world can understand us in bahasa malaysia?Please stop being an ignorant.Please wake up.LET US ALL COME OUT FROM THE KAMPUNG.
ReplyDeleteAnd why must the members from the Kongress Permuafakatan Melayu force our government to allow Science and English to be taught in Bahasa Malaysia again???
It's ridiculous, nonsense.
I'll avoid commenting on the topic of English or Bahasa Malaysia, except to say that I live in Wales, where science and maths lessons are delivered in Welsh in Welsh-medium schools. The students don't seem to suffer from that.
ReplyDeleteOn the wider issue of language, haver you looked at Esperanto? This is a planned international language for people interested in the wider world.
Take a look at www.esperanto.net Then tell us what you think
I am so impressed that you did not listen to your friend and will continue to blog in English! I only know one language so when someone can think, speak, write and read two languages its something to be proud of. I am glad you will keep this blog in English so I can read it!
ReplyDeletehi sis...first of all, thank u for dropping by my blog.
ReplyDeletei work at the univ, and we have many malaysian students here. most faculties conduct intensive english course for students who need the help. malaysian education authority shouldn't abolish the english usage in schools. malaysia has many gifted and potential students. their capabilities and intelligence have brought them to universities in different parts of the world. one of my friends, also a malaysian student here, explained to me how difficult it was when she started the semester. she (a chinese lady) had to bring three different types of dictionaries (english, translation malay to english and translation chinese to english)to all classes and lectures because she couldn't understand most words in her notes and books. it is my opinion that malaysia government should try to make things easier for her people. because abolishing english cannot help improve her future generations.
...just my two cents worth.
It's again more of anti-colonialism sense which is outdated and brings no good for our future generation. Do all the Dewan Bahasa people ever think of the students when they suddenly want to change things again? The Malay language has not been strong because they fail to produce good products and material that attracts young people nowadays..it's dying not because Science and Maths are thought in English..
ReplyDeleteSome people do criticize me for not blogging in Malay..and for speaking less Malay now. I'm born a Malay, will that change if I speak Latin, French, Chinese or Indian? Puhleeeze..
Thanks for all your support. Some are quite strong
ReplyDeleteYes aizan everybody is entitled for their own opinion.
Yuki that is what I am trying to say not everybody can understand Bahasa Malaysia
Bill I've read about esperanto. Interesting, a universal language, not genealogically related to any ethnic language.May be some day we all can use such language.
Barbara, that is the reason I am sticking to english, to widen my world.
Zanas I am very much agree with you. during my varsity years, the reference books are all in english. It was hard for me trying to understand the content.
Nani, BM keep changing, the words the grammar. The things we learn during our period is no longer valid. Now I don't know which is correct and which is wrong. very confusing.
Be it Bahasa Malaysia or English, as long as the language in used can enable us easy access to information and improve on what ever we do its shall be used. Reverting the teaching of maths and science back to using Bahasa Malaysia, I do wish whoever suggest the idea to think carefully does it benefit the next generation, the Malaysian and the development? Do not use it to gain any political place. This is a serious matters which have a big impact not now but in few years time.
ReplyDeletejust tell your friend to buzz off...a narrow minded person....and i am a malay too
ReplyDeletethanks for dropping by
You write pretty well in English, Yes, you make a few errors, but that is to be expected, whereas i, who grew up speaking english... I can still make errors.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't write at all in Bahasa Malaysian.
You are communicating with the world, And to do that in a language not your own is an achievement to be proud of.
Many Malays will be able to read your words, in english, but so also will people from far away, in countries all over the world, to hear what you say, to see another piece of the world through your eyes.
That's what I love about blogs, that people of all backgrounds and faiths get a chance to see out of each other's eyes.
Esperanto?
No, I think it is a dead language. Why invent a new one when there are already so many languages.
Latin was also a language of imperial colonists, but latin long outlasted the roman empire, as english has outlasted the british empire. Latin remained, for 1500 years a universal language whereby people of all nations could communicate. English has its faults, but it also is universal.
A student graduating in Malaysia with good english skills can work anywhere in the world. Teach only in Bahasa Malay, then that student's opportunities are so much smaller.
I taught English, in Finland, to Finns who were going to work in China, in India, in Brazil.. they have not abandoned their own langguage, nor their culture, they just know that in the middle of china, their chance of finding anyone who can understand Finnish is rather less than that of finding an english speaker.
Thank you for the blog, I like it.