At a workshop in KL recently, I befriended a young lady who wanted to know what I thought of the view that Malays who think in English (and speak English) are less Malay. I was floored, not altogether by the opinion, but that it should still prevail to this day. Such a perception, I think, has its roots in the populist sentiment that one should not glorify one's former colonial masters, and that speaking their language is seen as doing so. An emotionally-charged issue, no doubt. And, somehow, the natural deduction is that if you speak in English, then you must also think in English. That's almost bordering on blasphemy, no? Anyway, this is what I think:
Language, or speech as the case may be, is a vehicle of expression or communication. In any language, it has to be appropriate to the subject matter and to the audience in order to convey the message or to make yourself understood. Your ability to articulate your thoughts, no matter in what language, would also determine its clarity and coherence.
How you think, i.e. your thinking process (the cerebral function?), is another thing altogether, and it can be in English, Mandarin, Urdu or Greek. Undoubtedly, this process of forming your thoughts is influenced and moulded by many factors - family, economic and social background, education, peers, even books you read and films you watch. I believe that a person is a by-product of his upbringing and the culture that he has assimilated. So, how does thinking in English make you less Malay when you were born Malay, raised in a Malay family with all its accompanying Malay values, and grew up as a Malay?
Are you less Malay if you choose to replace all these influences with elements un-Malay? Like having kippers for breakfast instead of nasi lemak? Wearing the hat instead of the selendang? Does one have to think in English to wear a dress? Or, does wearing a dress means one is less a Malay? Which begs the question: what makes a Malay? Is it the clothes you wear, the language you speak, the food you eat? Are these not just the forms - the external manifestations? What about values that you uphold? What matters surely is not what language you use to think in or speak, but the values that you represent. And sound universal values can come in any language.
What of the person who thinks in English and then express his/her thoughts in Malay? Does that make him/her more Malay? Thinking in English does not equal thinking like an English. Nor does wearing a hat, dress or shoes in the house make you any more English than saying 'How do you do?'
What about me? Not only do I think in English, speak in English (albeit, when the occasion calls for it) but also write in English! Oh dear (how English of me), that makes me less a Malay thrice over.
Think about it. Whatever your language. As long as you THINK.
Language, or speech as the case may be, is a vehicle of expression or communication. In any language, it has to be appropriate to the subject matter and to the audience in order to convey the message or to make yourself understood. Your ability to articulate your thoughts, no matter in what language, would also determine its clarity and coherence.
How you think, i.e. your thinking process (the cerebral function?), is another thing altogether, and it can be in English, Mandarin, Urdu or Greek. Undoubtedly, this process of forming your thoughts is influenced and moulded by many factors - family, economic and social background, education, peers, even books you read and films you watch. I believe that a person is a by-product of his upbringing and the culture that he has assimilated. So, how does thinking in English make you less Malay when you were born Malay, raised in a Malay family with all its accompanying Malay values, and grew up as a Malay?
Are you less Malay if you choose to replace all these influences with elements un-Malay? Like having kippers for breakfast instead of nasi lemak? Wearing the hat instead of the selendang? Does one have to think in English to wear a dress? Or, does wearing a dress means one is less a Malay? Which begs the question: what makes a Malay? Is it the clothes you wear, the language you speak, the food you eat? Are these not just the forms - the external manifestations? What about values that you uphold? What matters surely is not what language you use to think in or speak, but the values that you represent. And sound universal values can come in any language.
What of the person who thinks in English and then express his/her thoughts in Malay? Does that make him/her more Malay? Thinking in English does not equal thinking like an English. Nor does wearing a hat, dress or shoes in the house make you any more English than saying 'How do you do?'
What about me? Not only do I think in English, speak in English (albeit, when the occasion calls for it) but also write in English! Oh dear (how English of me), that makes me less a Malay thrice over.
Think about it. Whatever your language. As long as you THINK.
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