Speak the common language

I ATTENDED my class reunion after 36 years last Saturday. This reunion was made possible due to the hard work of some of the ladies in our group. We had also to rely on social media to coordinate the plans until it materialised on June 14.

We managed to contact 23 out of 42 former classmates and 21 ladies managed to attend the reunion. Our group is what you call a truly 1Malaysia group as we are a combination of Malay, Chinese and Indian ladies.

We formed a group via Whatsapp and started texting each other. Messages were exchanged continuously and soon enough we were comfortably texting in Bahasa Melayu and English as we were able to converse fluently and both these languages.

Everything went on fine until Tuesday, when one of the ladies started texting in her own mother tongue (a romanised version of course ) and this was followed by other ladies who also chose to use the same language. Those of us who could not understand what was being said stopped texting. I was a bit upset and ended my text with a “Good night” wish as I too was lost to what was being discussed.

The chairman of our group realised what was happening and quickly put an end to it. She advised the group to not use a language which was not known to others and soon enough we were back on track again.

The situation I mentioned above fortunately ended well as there was someone who understood what was happening and took measures to address the problem.

Sad to say, the situation that I mentioned earlier is prevalent in our society.

I have attended various dinners and social gatherings where the host has taken the time and effort to seat the guests and make sure they were comfortable with each other and were able to communicate with each other.

What usually happens at these functions is that one guest will start speaking in his or her mother tongue and soon after that, a group conversation progresses in their own language.

The other guests at the table are left out and refrain from taking part in the conversation as they have no idea as to what is being discussed.

This is a very unhealthy practice but unfortunately, is one that happens all the time. In a country like Malaysia, most of us can speak at least one language that is understood by all. It may not be perfect in pronunciation and grammar, but it is still understood by all.

In fact, some of us have been able to maintain decades of friendship with friends of different ethnic groups by just speaking Bahasa Melayu or English.

I have friends of different ethnic groups and social backgrounds and we always make it a point to speak either in Bahasa Melayu or in English during get-togethers so that everyone understands what is being said.

We want all present to feel like a part of the group and to be able to participate in the conversation. There were times when someone inadvertently said something in their own language, but they would translate to make sure that what was said would be understood by all.

Speaking a common language unites people of all races irrespective of their social standing and beliefs. When we converse in a language understood by all, it is a sign of respect to the others in the group as it shows that we recognise their presence.

I am not against people conversing in their mother tongue or ethnic dialect. Do so by all means, but please make sure it is in a group where all present are able to understand and participate as well.

SUMATHI SIVAMANY

Ipoh