I read a post on FB last night and I can't help but agree. " Where else in the world can you use 4 languages to form a perfectly acceptable sentence like ~ Wei macha, you want to makan here or tapau? " It got me thinking.....and hungry......
As a Malaysian, how many languages or dialects do you speak? Aren't we lucky? I love the fact that we are exposed to so many and I find it an asset if one is able to converse in several. After all, communication is vital for one to relay a message and for another to be able to comprehend exactly what was being said. I don't get offended when someone speaks a language that I am not familiar with neither do I feel left out in a group when I don't understand what was being said. In fact, it intrigues me more. I love listening to the sound and tune of it and if I need answers, I'll ask questions. Don't blame others when you do not understand and no, they were not being selfish by not including you in the conversation. It is most likely that, like you & I, we tend to get excited and sometimes it easier to express ourselves in a manner in which we are comfortable in. The flow of the sentence would then sound better and it becomes more meaningful. Same goes with dialects or 'loghats'. It creates a sense of belonging. I tend to speak like an Anak Mami from Penang, a Kedahan or a Perakian depending on where I am that day. I'll switch back to what's norm when I am not there. When you have many friends who are from Sabah or Sarawak, you will tend to speak like them after a while too! Isn't that lovely? Malaysians are awesome!
I learnt how to speak from listening to others talk. Some languages I learnt from school while others I picked up from watching tv. Growing up, I was a huge fan of Hindi films, Chinese, Korean & Japanese drama serials. When I started work and travelled the world, I began to pick up foreign words as I go along. It makes life easier when you are able to do so. This is something you must want to do for yourself. There are plenty of ways to learn it. Either by enrolling into a class, doing it online, getting close to a native and learning from them or watch more tv. It is all about interests and how well do you want to be able to express yourself or understand others better.
In our country, most are able to converse in English well especially the older folks & practically every young M'sian speaks in Bahasa Malaysia. Of course there are exceptions to the rule but that gives us a reason to learn something new, don't you think? I remember at one stage of not being able to talk to my boyfriend's mom at all. She didn't understand English neither does she speaks BM. It was extremely awkward. So, rather than expecting an old lady to learn something new, I decided to polish up my grasp of the dialect instead. I might have not ended up with her son years later but I gain something better. I also find it very funny when I see two Chinese women speaking in BM. That's how my mom was with our neighbour but as the years go by, she is now able to start a decent conversation in her neighbour's dialect. Language is something that needs practice. Don't just think it..You got to say it :)
" If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart. " Nelson Mandela <3
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