Learning Mandarin again from a young friend
‘One of the best things about friendship is that age doesn’t matter.’ – Anonymous I have a young friend in my neighbourhood. He lives with his parents in a single-storey terrace house opposite mine. He is only nine years old. I can’t recall how our friendship began. Maybe it began with me giving him gifts […]
Fluent in Tamil, Cik Din encourages youth to learn new languages
By Mohamad Harith Mohamad Nizar IPOH: Septuagenarian Tajuddin Mohd Sharif is always thrilled to meet his Indian friends as he can effortlessly engage in Tamil conversations with them. Fondly known as Cik Din, the 70-year-old former postman residing in Tanjung Rambutan has no difficulty communicating with them as he has been accustomed to mingling with […]
Malay studies still going strong in China
KUNMING (China): The writer was taken aback when a tall and bespectacled man greeted her in Bahasa Melayu. “Apa khabar (How are you)?” he asked as soon as the writer stepped into Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, the capital city of China’s Yunnan province. Initially, the writer thought he was not a Chinese citizen but […]
DBP to continue documenting state’s indigenous languages
KUCHING: The Sarawak Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) will continue to collaborate with stakeholders in documenting Sarawak’s indigenous languages for registration in the language database system. Its director Abang Haliman Abang Julai said that this effort is necessary to prevent ethnic languages in the state from becoming extinct. He noted that so far, four indigenous […]
Empower Iban language right up to university: Sikie
BY NEVILLE TIMOTHY SANDERS & ABIDGAIL MERTA GANGGANG KUCHING: The Iban language needs to be empowered, beginning from primary and secondary school level right up to higher education institutions. Minister in Premier’s Office, Datuk John Sikie Tayai said this is important so that the language can be fully mastered and synchronised. “We all know the […]
Never too old to learn a new tongue
KUCHING: There is a saying that age is not a barrier when it comes to learning new things. It resonates well in 78-year-old Matsumoto Tatsuo, who despite being Japanese, is a linguaphile. Not only does he know the Japanese language, but can understand and converse in many other languages namely, Polish, Romania, Spanish, Italian, as […]
Strive to be multilingual
KUCHING: People must not be adverse to learning other languages but instead endeavour to be multilingual. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the locals should take the example of a group of Japanese students who are learning Bahasa Melayu. “We are proud to see that […]
Don’t underestimate importance of English
Language is important in our lives. It helps to create cultural ties, friendships, and relationships. Most importantly, it allows people to communicate. It is reported that there are more than 7,000 languages spoken around the world, with the topmost spoken languages being English and Mandarin. As emphasised many times, English is an important language to […]
Important to master multiple languages
KUCHING: Sarawakians who have mastered Bahasa Malaysia, English, and Mandarin already have an added advantage, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg. “These languages are very important — Bahasa Malaysia is our national language which is mandatory for us learn. Secondly, you must know English because it is an international language. “Mandarin is […]
Not hard to master national language
BY SOON LI WEI I can still recall a Chinese youth I met at a clinic two years ago who could hardly communicate in Bahasa Melayu. I was waiting for my turn to see the doctor when the young man who was probably in his 20s asked me in Mandarin if I could help him […]
