Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Hi again

If you are not aware there is a brouhaha in our media over who speaks well who do not speak eloquently and who belasah saja. Well this is about speaking English. So many join the foray.

I remember being the victim to ridicules when trying to put foward my point in English.

Looking back I think it served me right because I have the habit of adding English words in my sentence when arguing over some hot topics and when trying to emphasize. When you are hot less blood goes to the brain and you cannot think out the correct words. As they say words don't come easy . . .

You belasah saja ha haa as long as the message is through. The other person can understand that's what matters.

If the language is not our mother tongue surely there must be flaws in usage and pronounciation and our tone do not sound natural. Unless we start learning the language from a very young age and have been living among speakers of that language then it is a different story.

Or if you are from the high class society and studied in some elite schools then your English both oral and written should be awesome.

To learn and be proficient in foreign language at advanced age is quite difficult. Thats my experience. I have tried with Tamil and and Cantonese. Not successful. I easily forget.

Old people like me have tongues already stiff. It is hard to pronounce anything foreign like Arabics which is the language of the Quran.

Once I joined a reading group. But I could not stand the frequent reproach from the preacher at my pronounciation. She kept on asking me to repeat the way she wanted. I was perplexed at her insistence because I just couldn't. I was"made" in Malaysia ha haa.

I only can read the way of my mother. She taught me reading the Quran a long time ago. That has embeded in me permenantly.

I quit the class.

I think not everybody can easily be fluent in a non mother tongue language. It is just natural. The way we think and speak are influenced by our enviroment. But nevertheless we should strive to learn to be better understood.

When things go wrong don't quit 

That's all for now happy chitchatting . . .

Bye . . .