malaysianness  

Posted by Hyllma

the saying goes that 'bahasa mencerminkan bangsa' . i geddit. having a language to call your mother tongue is a blessing, an integral part that defines your identity.

i've gotten my fair share of tongue lashing from a lot of people, simply because i am more comfortable speaking in English than in Bahasa Malaysia. so does that make me less of a Malay? or less Malaysian that a person who speaks 100% Malay, all the time?

cos to me, speaking in English is simply a better mode of communication. simply because, i am more comfortable speaking in English, and my flow of thought is smoother in English. oftentimes, when i am teaching in class, i'd have to stop explaining a concept since i don't know the malay equivalent of that particular word/ concept. I don't speak English because I feel more American or more British. or that I avidly idolise 'bahasa penjajah'. I speak English because i'm surer of what i'm saying.

the only thing that's not very malay about me is the fact that i speak english more than malay. my value system is still very much malay. having been brought up in the states for a few years does not necessarily make me condone premarital sex or other things that aren't accepted in the malay culture. as i always tell my students, when you go abroad, learn and emulate the good values. leave the bad ones behind.

so does that make me any less malaysian?

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 08, 2009 . You can leave a response and follow any responses to this entry through the Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) .

2 comments

Apa2 pn kita bantah PPSMI !!! hehe...