… that is the question, asked Hamlet.I’m sure many of us have heard the quote and a lot of us know where it came from. Some even know when and by whom it was written. But does that group of people in the know include our current batch of youngsters?
I’m not saying knowing about William Shakespeare is crucial in ensuring a better life, all I’m saying is English as a communication tool is crucial if we want to continue to develop ourselves, as individuals as well as a nation.
Why is English (the language, not the people) so important? It is the second most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin. The fact that Mandarin is number one has nothing to do with its importance; it is up there solely due to the huge number of Chinese people on this planet, whereas English is spoken even by the Chinese!
English is the international language for diplomacy, business, education, science, technology, tourism, the list goes on. Most academic text can be found in English and as a result the English language has the most diversified vocabulary of any language.
English is the global lingua franca; have English, will travel,* never leave home without it.**
There are two parts in English proficiency, written and spoken. I have met a lot of people who can write excellent English but couldn’t string a simple sentence. I know of a few brilliant students who despite their string of A’s in their SPM, failed to get into good UK universities because they failed to obtain the minimum English standards in the IELTS.
I recently read some employment application cover letters, the quality of English was quite sad, it made me shudder to think that it was written by university graduates, from both local and foreign universities.
Some of us seem to think English is about the accent. It is so nauseating to hear somebody speak with a fake American/English/Scottish/Australian accent filled with elementary grammatical errors!
Being good in English doesn’t mean we will neglect our mother tongue. Speaking English doesn’t mean we are showing off. I’m not saying my English is great; I’m still learning and trying to improve my English everyday. If I can, everyone can too (and should).
So, please-lah, let improves our English, can-or-not? So difficult ah to do that? Sure can one. Malaysia Boleh!
*please don’t tell me you haven’t heard the “have [insert word], will travel” maxim!
**never leave home without it – American Express’ ad campaign coined by O&M in the 70’s
I am not sure that English is as widespread or useful as people claim. I would like to argue the case for Esperanto as the international language. It is a planned language which belongs to no one country or group of states.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at www.esperanto.net
Esperanto works! I've used it in speech and writing in about fifteen countries over recent years.