BM to be casualty of language switch: national laureate

comments     Yusof Ghani     Published     Updated

Despite being one of the leading languages in the world, the Malay language will eventually lose out if it is not utilised in the field of science and technology.

According to national laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Salleh, the presence of intellectuals who used the language in their pursuit for knowledge is clear evidence that Bahasa Melayu is capable of being employed for communication and the pursuit of knowledge.

"I don't see why Bahasa cannot be associated with development and knowledge as claimed by certain quarters because it has sufficient terminology in every field, including science and technology," Muhammad told malaysiakini today.

He stressed Bahasa Melayu, which has been in existence for thousands of years and once a lingua franca, has currently a lexicon of 800,000 words.

Therefore, he said, it was surprising to learn that the Malays themselves are not convinced with the capacity of their mother-tongue.

"It is ironic that the foreigners who are studying Bahasa Melayu are praising the strength of the world's fourth largest language, which has potential to grow further," said the internationally known laureate.

The 60-year-old laureate this in response to the government's move to use English as a medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics in schools beginning next year.

"A language is not just a medium of communication but rather reflects how the society thinks," said Muhammad, who was awarded with the Malaysia's highest literature award in 1991.

Consider other alternatives

Having a background in English literature, Muhammad said he agreed that English proficiency among Malaysians should be improved, but the government should consider other alternatives.

"In reality, there is no need for every single citizen to be proficient in English as this depends on needs," he said.

"For instance, if the person represents the nation at the international level, then certainly there is a need for him to be proficient in English in contrast to someone who choose to become a farmer," he added.

"All we need is a few people from different fields who are capable of expressing their thoughts in English well."

Nevertheless, he urged Malaysians to acquire the skill to speak other languages, such as Mandarin, Spanish, French and Arabic, as they are among the world's leading languages other than English.

Muhammad said after 45 years of independence, Malaysia has made tremendous progress compared to other nations although most of its citizens speak their own mother-tongue.

"Today, Malaysia has produced doctors and engineers who graduated from local universities where the medium of instruction is Bahasa Malaysia," said Muhammad, who have been lecturing for more than 30 years, including the United States.

'Knock-out' blow

He questioned the politicians' eagerness to switch the medium of instruction from Bahasa Malaysia into English without considering the opinions of experts.

Describing the government's move as a "knock-out" blow to the Malay language, Muhammad said it was not right for any party to thwart its progress.

On the usage of English as a medium of instruction for the two critical subjects, Muhammad was skeptical that the approach would be beneficial among students in rural areas.

"I believe the system will only victimised them, especially when they do not have good English teachers and proper facilities unlike those in the urban areas," said Muhammad.

He lamented the fact that the Malay language is currently being sidelined by its own native speakers.



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