Bahasa

A friend was fussing about which International school to send her daughter to as she thinks learning Bahasa in her current kebangsaan school is a waste of time, doesnt get her anywhere and will not help her in her future job endeavours. I believe many share the same sentiment. I do too but only half heartedly.

I still remember what I have learnt in Uni in Sociolinguistic 401; that no one language is more superior than the other and that the pure purpose of a language is to convey messages.

I have always spoken Bahasa, Cantonese, English and Cantonese with ease. Some jokes I think when told in Cantonese sound funnier. And cussing in Hokkien is a lot of fun. I like telling stories in Bahasa. So in my daily conversations, I switch from one language to another language with minimal problem.

I guess my point is its beneficial when one learns another language just for the pleasure of learning it, without thinking if it will help in the career or Uni entrance. If I could, I would want to learn Mandarin and some French. The latter is so that I wouldn't embarrass myself when ordering Hors de ourves.

So yes, I will be teaching Gooly Bahasa because I grew up speaking it and if he is not going to use it in his working days, he shall use it while speaking to me. : )