Opinions on English

English in Malaysia has been very much in the media recently. I find the discussions interesting, but also frustrating. It has come to the point where I feel the urge to put my oar into this seemingly murky waters.

I have said over and over again that our biggest problem with English in Malaysia is not that we don't KNOW it, its that we don't USE it.

Consider the following:

1. Even the average kampung person in Peninsular Malaysia would know the meaning of "Hello", "Hi", "How are you", "How much" etc. Anyone who finished primary school would know how to say the above. A higher majority would be able to say "I love you" just like an inordinate number of Malaysians know what "pyaar", "divana", "maaji" means, and even "ochaiyuk".
2. Anyone who did not cut school continuously half the time, for 6 years in Primary School and 5 years in Secondary School would be able to understand simple English. They might not understand native speakers who speak with strong accents, or too quickly, but they would be able to understand the general meaning of what they hear and read, provided they are common, simple English words, i.e. Queen's English.
3. University students in Malaysia, especially those in technical fields, use English references in the form of books and online references. They understand what they read and are even able to translate it into Malay for their assignments and academic papers (for those of you who still don't know, this is a common "trick" used by students so that can reproduce entire pages of those reference in their papers without being caught plagiarizing)
4. English movies are watched, understood and enjoyed at home and in the cinemas, even when the subtitles are absolutely atrocious, as still happens from time to time, though not as frequently as before.

So what IS this big drama about English?

The complaint from employers is that they can't employ fresh graduates because their English is bad, or they can't speak English. What do you want to bet that those same graduates, if given an objective English test, would be able to answer correctly on simple grammar? What do you want to bet that they can say "Yo man, wazzup" or "I'm gonna go home now" perfectly well, and even with an accent?

The problem is NOT grammar. We have gone through 11 years of grammar classes in school. The problem is usage. I am from Terengganu. That means that I have studied in classes where the students are 90 to 100% Malay throughout my mainstream education. I have never studied overseas. I am not a "mixed blood". I don't have high IQ. But I have scored in English throughout my secondary school and beyond. When I applied to local universities, I was met with blank disbelief when I showed that I achieved A1 in my English 1119, which I sat for when I was in Form 4, instead of Form 5 like everybody else. What made me different from everyone else around me? I have been asked "Jalini, why is your English so good", "Jalini, how can I speak English like you" and similar questions so many times I've lost count. I've had a lot of time to ponder, and come up with answers. The key is in some of the things I did differently:

1. I read English books voraciously, since Primary School. I cannot to this day live a single day of my life without a book. I still read English story books.
2. I was curious and made friends with the non-Malays in my class, with whom I spoke English.
3. I watch English movies on television, and I watch the actors' lips and listen carefully when they form the words, instead of reading the subtitle. My friends have discovered that I can't hear anything else when I'm watching TV, that's how much I concentrate.
4. I was active in debates, speech competitions, drama etc.
5. I wrote my diary in English since I was 8 years old. I sought out pen pals through Big Blue Marble. To this day, I chat and correspond with native speakers, and find channels (like this blog) to write.
6. When I had the opportunity to encounter native speakers, I actually sought out their friendship, and managed to copy their accents, learnt more about common usage and the finer points of etiquette, expressions and pronunciation.

I didn't do all of this with any clear objective in mind. It was almost accidental. There were also several things that I did NOT do:

1. I did NOT pay attention to those foolish people who laugh at me and call me names because I spoke English instead of Malay.
2. I did NOT put on airs just because my English is good. I just kept on learning and improving through the years.
3. I did NOT feel ashamed to speak English. I almost never consciously think about it, I just speak it every chance I get, read it at every opportunity, watch it, listen to it, write it, every chance I get.
4. I did NOT improve my English so that I can pass any exam. I aced the exams because I improved my English.

The reason for this minor obsession is the subject of a different blog. The net result of all this is that:

1. I read very fast -- I've had a lot of practice. This means I can study faster, absorb written information faster, and therefore don't need as much time for research as others.
2. I don't know much grammar. Perfect tenses confuse me no end. I just know when something sounds right, or when it sounds wrong, whether written or spoken. I speak and write English without thinking about the words, just the message. They come out right because I just "know" how its supposed to be expressed.
3. I can understand native speakers perfectly. More importantly, they can understand me. I can automatically mirror any English accent well enough that I usually impress the native speaker.
4. I can guess the spelling of most English words, and their meaning, because I would have encountered most of them in different contexts.
5. I was more valuable than others in any company I've worked with, I could contribute more in an area that is essential in all organizations, and therefore I had a secure job and could demand higher pay throughout the times I was interested in being employed.
6. I now make money from this skill. It is something I share that never diminishes, but improves with every sharing. It has become my life's work, and a lucrative one.

So, whats the point in writing all this? None of the things I did are difficult to do or costly. Books can be borrowed from the library, newspapers cost little, we all have television and radio. Even Internet access is so cheap and common now. The reason I'm writing this is to broadcast to all who might want to know that it is EASY to improve your English. You are the ultimate author of your destiny. All you have to do is create the environment. All you have to do is decide to take a few actions, do certain things a bit differently, and you can see tremendous improvement within 6 months.

Don't believe me? I can prove it. In fact, I AM the proof.