I refer to the letter But Jawi is BM! by Nora Ahmad.

The writer has responded well to an earlier letter by Tzuo Hann Law. I would, however, disagree that Bahasa Malaysia in its original form is in Arabic script or Jawi. By saying so the writer is implying that BM had no writing system before the Arabs made contact with the Malays. Scripts used before the introduction of the Arabic script include Pallava and Kawi.

The mechanisms by which languages evolve mean that historically, verbal and gestural communication mostly came before written communication. I, therefore, have doubts regarding the writer's claim that BM is better pronounced in Jawi.

The written script merely lets us recognise what the other party means when we are not able to speak directly. How it is pronounced depends on the way we have been taught to pronounce it, regardless of the actual script used.

For example, for those who have not been taught 'bahasa baku', a simple word like 'air' is pronounced differently depending on whether a 'pakcik' from Perak or a 'makcik' from Kelantan says it. You can write the word in Rumi, Jawi, Kawi or Pallava and provided readers can understand the script, they will pronounce the word the way they have been taught to pronounce it.

While we should preserve the Jawi script, it would be very inconvenient to abandon Rumi for Jawi since Rumi is now in broad use not only in Malaysia but also in other countries where Malay and its local variants are spoken.

I, however, agree with the writer that Jawi should be guarded as part of our heritage, but she should be assured that Jawi script (with its links to Arabic) and BM (with its millions of speakers) are far from being endangered. There will always be people around who will be able to read classic Malay texts and appreciate Malay history.

Since the goal of language is communication, one way to ensure it best achieves what it sets out to do is to reach the widest possible audience. Jawi and Rumi are both equally valid ways of expressing BM in writing, and since Rumi will reach a wider audience, our embassy in Washington, DC should consider taking a cue from our coat of arms and banknotes (which feature BM scripts in both) and include 'Kedutaan Besar Malaysia' in Rumi as well as the current Jawi at its premises.