Yesterday was my final meeting with my language partner, Melisa, so I wanted to touch upon some of the topics we covered within the past week as well as reflect upon how we wrapped up the semester. In terms of substantive material, I learned a series of conjunctions and connectors that help with sentence construction, from samba ("while") to supaya ("in order to"). Something I immediately noticed upon completing a worksheet that Melisa made that included these terms was the usage of sungguhpan...tetapi... ("although...but") in sentence formation. While Melisa indicated that the tetapi was optional, this structure mimicked that found in Chinese (虽然...可是...), and served as yet another reminder of the numerous grammatical similarities between Malay and Chinese. Malay itself has so many different cultural-linguistic influences, be them loanwords, sentence structure, etc. Another one I recently learned was the word dunia ("world"), which is apparently a Hindi loanword. This has by and large been one of the most fascinating aspects of learning Malay for me.

Moving on to the last meeting, Melisa once again baked food and brought it in to incorporate into the lesson plan. The first food I tried was called Bubur Pulut Hitam, which is a black sticky-rice based congee that is sweet (manis) and mixed/diluted (cair) with coconut milk. After that, I also tried Agar-Agar Pandan, which is a type of gelatin dessert made from agar and coconut milk, having both a sweet (manis) and salty (masin) taste as well as a hard (keras) consistency. Learning words to describe my opinion (pendapat) of these foods or how I felt (rasa) was a really great way to practice my vocabulary and self-expression while also taking part in the preparation of the food and learning in that way as well. Food can be an incredibly insightful window into a culture; I was surprised with how much I learned from Melisa just talking about Pandan leaves, coconut milk, and other otherwise typical ingredients in Malaysian cuisine. I hope that next semester I can continue to learn through cultural activities such as these and to foster a better understanding of my target language and culture.

Following the meeting, Melisa and I recorded our podcast and discussed the general trajectory of the past semester and some things that we could try differently or implement regularly. This was overall a great way to sum up what we had done and to get me to start thinking about learning next semester. There are many new ideas that both of us had for the following semester that drew upon the lessons of the past several months. That said, I realize that it is also important that I continue to practice Malay and keep up with language learning as much as I can over the winter break. This is something we discussed as well, and certainly an area that will for the first time task me with doing this for two languages (Mandarin and Malay) somewhat simultaneously. This past semester has taught me a lot about language learning at an individual level and has given me new ideas for how best to keep this momentum as I progress and take a deeper dive into the language next semester.

This semester has been insightful to me on several fronts. Most of all, I understand the importance of having both a strong foundation in elementary linguistics, grammar, etc. (from the 105 class) as well as previous language learning experience prior to going the Self-Directed route. This offers the dual benefit of on one hand knowing the abstract rules of languages and contributing to learning that way, as well as knowing my own personal style, tendencies, etc. and tweaking (or even compensating) accordingly. I have noticed that, in my study of language, I constantly have a desire to relate this to something larger and to aid a larger understanding of culture as a whole, which I believe can be attributed to my previous experience studying abroad and learning Mandarin Chinese. In addition, I noticed that the very way that I am learning Malay is drastically different than how I learned Malay, not in the obvious self-directed and less classroom-oriented regard, but rather in how I came to internalize and familiarize myself with the two languages. In Chinese, so much of my foundational study depended on rote memorization and, frankly, regurgitation, which in retrospect I realize was completely necessary because of the difference in orthography and the fact that the language is tonal. Malay, on the other hand, does not have these two components, and the sentence structure was already quite familiar to me as an interesting mix of Chinese and English styles. I am learning Malay through far more numerous mediums and outlets than in Chinese, and have gained different insights because of it. 

As straightforward as it may seem, I found it difficult to not get too caught up or grounded in my learning styles. Some of the questions consistently posed in the bi-weekly language learning journal prompt are how I have revised my task list, built upon what I learned, and evaluated the effectiveness of my strategy. These are difficult questions to answer, and some weeks felt like I was not sure whether making these adjustments would effectively hasten or hamper my language learning. That said, this is one of the aspects I have enjoyed the most in my SDLAP experience thus far, as well as the cultural exposure to my language partner and the innumerable insights that has yielded for me. I recognize that I will not always have Melisa to guide me as I continue my Malay journey, however I am confident that I have amassed a strong enough foundation to carry me through over the break and into next semester quite fluidly.

Among my favorite learning activities from this semester were the small-group presentations because I was able to both convey my interests, insights, and developments to classmates as well as hear their own respective ones. I particularly enjoyed reading about the Hinga tribe and delving into the intersections between language and culture more broadly. I was also really interested in the New York Times article on the tribe that revived the previously "dead" or extinct language. The discussions in class that we had on hegemonic languages versus smaller ones, the necessity of preservation, and some different approaches or methodologies to preserving was one of my favorite ones of the semester. Looking back, I would have liked to learn more about some of the more neuro-science related linguistic topics (e.g. psycholinguistics), as well as exploring somewhat less Euro-centric figures and models that have contributed to our understanding of languages writ large. Overall, my first semester in the SDLAP program learning Malay was not exactly what I had expected going in (to this point refer back to my earlier posts and reflection), though I have learned a lot about myself and about languages writ large in the interim, even with the previous language learning experience and linguistics coursework in my college career. I am excited to continue learning over the winter break in a (hopefully) less jam-packed and stress-induced environment, as well as to continue with this pursuit next semester and beyond.

These past two weeks have largely focused on the new topic of family, or keluarga, as well as a substantive review of past content I have learned because of the Thanksgiving break. While family structure and conventions in Malay are roughly similar to English, I was surprised to learn that Malay follows a Muslim convention in naming that indicates that one is the son or daughter of their father using the words bin or binti, respectively. In this sense, a typical name would read [Personal name] bin/binti [Father's name. Melisa informed me that this convention surprisingly also carries over to non-Muslims in the form of [Name] Anak Lelaki/Permpuan (Son/Daughter) [Father's name], though this is changing and the government is allowing non-Muslims to change this name officially if wanted (as it would go on your birth certificate). To learn the names for family members, Melisa provided me with a worksheet that depicted a family tree with characters from the Simpsons. It was really interesting engaging in foreign language learning using a familiar, American cultural icon. Overall, the terminology is somewhat more specific than English, with specific words for older brother and older sister, but not as specific as Chinese. 

The indicating words for 'boy' and 'girl' are, as alluded to above, lelaki and perempuan, respectively. These are used after the noun (as all adjectives in Malay are) to modify it, but can also be nouns themselves, as in the case of permpuan tua (old woman). This is something that takes a little getting used to and has only been a little confusing in oral Malay. I was surprised to learn that 'girlfriend' has its own form that does not use perempuan, but instead wanita (woman) to form the word teman wanita. Funnily enough, 'boyfriend' does use the standard lelaki in teman lelaki rather than the word for 'man' or the like. This might have some cultural connotations, e.g. that a girlfriend should be of a certain older age since it is spoken as 'woman.' These subtle linguistic notes are often not recognized by native speakers, but can carry some significance nonetheless.

My language learning goals for this period were somewhat more modest because of both the break (my first one home all semester) and the fact that I have been inundated with schoolwork as of late. The experience taught me that it is important to remain consistent in language learning, and that, whether I like it or not, some concepts or lessons take drilling and rote memorization to master (especially names). I realized that, over the break, I did not take the time to practice my spoken Malay and, as such, struggled with pronunciation more than I would have anticipated upon returning. This is something that I absolutely will need to keep in mind as I wrap up the semester and head into the extended winter break - I cannot merely practice reading in the language when on my own, but have to take the extra effort to speak and recite words, phrases, and sentences orally as well, since this is where I will be able to challenge myself and improve my understandings the most.

While deforestation in the Amazon, particularly in Brazil, has gotten a lot of attention in recent months, much of the world has overlooked how the process is happening in another one of the planet's most biodiverse rainforests: Borneo. This is not a uniquely Malaysian phenomenon (given that a good portion of the island is a part of Indonesia as well as, to a far smaller extent, Brunei), however logging is a major industry in both Sabah and Sarawak and has contributed to this destruction. I wanted to use my final cultural artifact to reaffirm the allure and importance of East Malaysia and attempt to connect this oft-forgotten bastion of bio-ecological, cultural, and linguistic diversity to a larger global context.

(Image source: Borneo, ravaged by deforestation, loses nearly 150,000 ...)

Borneo has reportedly lost upwards of half of its entire rainforest coverage over the past century, with most of this loss occurring in the past three decades and due to the rampant practice of logging and the pursuit of palm oil, a major industry on the island. In Malaysian Borneo, this impact is far larger, with an estimated 80% of the rainforest "degraded" by such logging practices. Sarawak in particular had the "fastest rate of deforestation" in the entire Asian continent as of 2012, which, accordingly, amounts to a real and grave problem for the people and wildlife living there. The gif below comes from a video recording of a local orangoutang in Borneo - one of the island's most prized possessions - confronting a bulldozer razing this entire section of forest.

Loss of land has also greatly effected indigenous peoples and has disproportionately rewarded a small circle of wealthy business moguls. The administrative government at the state level has been slow to implement laws to protect the environment or regulate these practices. The effects on a local level are catastrophic, and the unsustainable logging industry has purportedly been financed, at least in part, by large global banks such as HBSC.

(Image Source: New forest map for Sarawak reveals large-scale deforestation ...) 

Despite all of this, deforestation has slightly declined in recent years. This can likely be attributed to a combination of different factors at both the local and global levels effecting industries reliant on logging, e.g. local outcry, pressure from the U.N., and changing global commercial flows. Sabah alone is home to upwards of 96 different languages, and its extremely rich and biodiverse rainforest is something I had the fortune to witness firsthand in my visit there last Fall. My Malay instructor this year, Melisa, is from Sarawak, and she has relayed anecdotes about the detrimental effects of logging and the land loss that has followed, as well as the complicity of some local officials and companies. When most people think of Malaysia, they think of the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur or the white-sand beaches and savory food of Penang, however there is another part of Malaysia beyond 'Malaya' that demands equal attention and admiration. The people were among the friendliest I have met in the world, and I think that this looming problem of deforestation is a global one, just as it is with Brazil.  I hope this post has offered a modicum of insight into this issue. All things considered, the world cannot afford to lose such a natural habitat, just as the local Malaysians cannot either.

Sources:

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2012/11/03/log-tale ;

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130717173002.htm

https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/forests/deforestation_fronts2/deforestation_in_borneo_and_sumatra/

I have been learning about more abstract and complicated topics lately, which has been challenging yet rewarding in pushing me to improve my Bahasa Melayu confidence and capabilities. I started off learning about feelings and emotions, first in basic forms from the workbook and then with additional guidance from Melisa. I was surprised to learn that, for one, the Malay word for 'to feel' - "rasa" - is also the word for 'to taste,' and can be used in a number of different contexts. As part of my independent learning, I wrote a paragraph that told a story of me losing my car keys and the emotions that I felt during this struggle. It was useful to see the holes in my knowledge, given storytelling can be difficult, and the act of writing this out and going over it with Melisa allowed me to understand the sentence structures of the language and how to use connectors and conjunctions better. I even recorded my voice when reading the passage and noted which spots I struggled with or pronounced incorrectly in order to improve my oral language skills as well.

Another topic I delved into was location and direction. In addition to avocet, besides, under, etc., I learned how to change my sentence depending on which noun I wanted to place emphasis on, e.g. saya kehilangan buku saya vs. buku saya hilang (I lost the book vs. the book of mine was lost). This aspect of my lessons was especially conducive to using my prior knowledge to build upon my foundations and understandings and, simply put, offered many opportunities to test out new sentences. I am learning how to express myself more easily and even smaller things such as knowing how to use passive voice can be immensely beneficial to this end. Certain longer words can still be confusing to pronounce and I am still trying to get a more solid grip on affixes (especially the circumfix), however these two topics have been some of the most interesting and immediately enriching ones thus far. 

This is undoubtedly an exceptionally busy time in the semester, so it is important that I stay on track with my language learning efforts and goals. This could be the perfect opportunity to try completely new approaches that keep learning fresh and engaging for me, especially video and audio ones that can be entertaining as well. My strategies are only effective if I am fully invested in them and willing to make the changes necessary to continue to see improvements - I will work with Melisa to build new strategies for busier times like these. One idea that seems worthwhile and intriguing that came up in class on Friday is asking Melisa to connect me with a digital 'pen pal' of sorts who I can speak with in Malay or exchange short messages (or perhaps even a physical letter). I have had the opportunity to experiment with this in Chinese, and it always yields fascinating insights into the host culture. Modifying my existing strategies will ultimately allow me to fine-tune my learning style and approaches in different ways, depending on a number of factors, and can benefit my independent study of the language immensely.

I thought for my third cultural artifact, I would introduce a fascinating subject that relates to Borneo and East Malaysia (both of which I have yet to touch upon in these cultural artifact posts): the Bajau/Samo-Bajau tribe. The Bajau are an ethnic group that come from the Philippines (with a large portion of the community still living there) that have settled in and around the eastern side of Malaysian Borneo in Sabah, as well as in Indonesia. I first learned about the Bajau, sometimes colloquially (and perhaps disparagingly) referred to as the "Sea Gypsies," from my language partner, Melisa after I told her I had visited Borneo before in Kota Kinabalu and the neighboring region. 

The most immediately intriguing distinction of the Bajau living on the water is the design of their homes and the interconnectedness of their communities. Each home is built on stilts above the shallow water and is connected to other homes via bridges. The water is truly part and parcel of these communities, and as such many Bajau have become skilled in spearfishing and can hold their breath for upwards of five minutes at a time - a possibility that is made possible from larger spleen sizes, as studies suggest. They also rely heavily on small sailboats called teba-teba (I am not sure if this is an instance of reduplication in their native language) to get around and to go on fishing trips. This adaptation to and control over the environment in which they live yields many positive results, but also places them in a precarious position elsewhere. It is important to shed light on this other side of the story as well to more fully understand their place in Malaysian society. 

Living under the aforementioned conditions in water presents serious problems for the Bajau in terms of interacting with the modern Malaysian state. Some villages have been referred to as "water slums" because of the presence of trash and the cramming of homes into tight quarters within them. Moreover, not every village has access to schoolteachers, healthcare, or other basic amenities and as such disadvantage the communities tremendously in their development and possibilities. Those that interact with the communities in-shore, especially Kota Kinabalu, are often exploited for cheap later or, worse yet, at risk of facing legal issues purely based on their citizenship (or complete lack thereof in the case of many stateless Bajau). Poverty is rampant and incidents of crime involving Bajau are not unheard of. That said, centuries of living in isolation in such a distinct environment cannot be undone overnight, and local and state governments in Malaysia are trying to create policies to accommodate and integrate these populations into Malaysian society more fluidly. Though the numbers of those living in water is decreasing, there are still hundreds of thousands of Bajau living across the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines and into East Malaysia and Indonesia.

(Image: https://loveandroad.com/bajo-tribe-sea-gypsy-wakatobi-indonesia/)

While I have focused mostly on those Bajau living in communities in the sea offshore coastal cities and towns, there are also several communities that live on land in Sabah. These communities are renowned for having extraordinary skill on horseback and for dressing horses in traditional cultural attire. They also live in homes raised by stilts, but will often build two floors - one for their horses, and the above one for them to live in. It appears as if this community is more integrated with surrounding communities (Malaysian and indigenous alike), which is likely due to increased exposure and proximity.

All things considered, I really enjoyed delving into Malaysian culture more deeply through this cultural artifact and focusing on Borneo. The Bajau raise many interesting questions regarding the place of indigenous groups in the modern nation state. To learn more about them, see this interesting Youtube video and refer to the sources listed below. 

(Image: https://hiveminer.com/Tags/bajau%2Ctamubesar) 

Sources (and Further Reading Material):

https://www.atlasofhumanity.com/bajau

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/12/11/bajau-people/

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/sabahs-water-villages-living-on-the-fringe

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3436939/Fascinating-images-reveal-nomadic-life-water-Borneo-s-disappearing-sea-gypsies.html

https://loveandroad.com/bajo-tribe-sea-gypsy-wakatobi-indonesia/

If I were given a research grant to study Malaysia's language and culture, I would likely focus my efforts on studying either 1) the heavy dialects of Northwestern Malaysia on the border with Thailand or 2) how indigenous groups on Borneo are using their Malay and how this gets infused with native language and culture. Both of these dialects have come up in my conversations with Melissa, since the former is very difficult for a speaker of 'standard' or 'Kuala Lumpur' Bahasa Melayu to understand (think us listening to a very thick Scottish or Irish accent), and the latter speaks more akin to Indonesian and pronounces words as they are spelled ("boku") rather than with the standard colloquialisms of West Malaysia. In many senses these two distinct foci could not be more different, and if I had to choose I would likely pick the latter and conduct linguistic study in Borneo because it is still far less known and documented than the Malay-Thai one.

It would certainly be difficult to get started, and from the beginning I would make sure that I have a fairly strong handling of Bahasa Melayu before going, in the event that it could be used as a common language. The more organic form of language learning, or learning directly from native speakers and not going off of translation from a mutual language, would likely be too time consuming and difficult for a grant, so having Malay as a mutual language would be very beneficial. I would try to get a contact in the host community to help introduce me and the purpose of my study, as it would make very little sense to go in blind. During all of this, I would also be sure to have a solid grip of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and the act of transcribing, as well as recording equipment to perhaps create a digital dictionary as well. 

In terms of what I would investigate, it would most likely focus on grasping concepts of time, place, directionality, etc. in the language in the abstract, as well as discovering which words are used to describe more day-to-day activities such as hunting and the like. I am thinking back to the Namibian Himbas and how this tribe saw colors differently, shedding light on the sheer difference in worldview that can occur. Perhaps living in the rainforest of Borneo could have some sort of sizable effect on worldview that has not yet been recorded. Beyond this larger component, it would be important to uncover the basic structure of the language and determine if it is Austronesian, how it uses lexical and grammatical categories, etc. This is of course a lot of work and I would need to pick one tribe and hone in on their language as well as gain acceptance in shadowing them (as this is a common problem for cultural anthropologists), but the tradeoff could be documenting an endangered language and contributing to the larger scale, worldwide knowledge of linguistic structure and efforts in language preservation as well. 

While it is true that I would like to focus more on speaking than writing, the latter is nonetheless an important metric of my progress and understanding of the language and one that I have not ignored. The process of writing itself in Malay is fairly straightforward, given the romanization of Malay orthography and the relatively few outliers in spelling ('c' pronounced as 'ch', e.g.). One consistent writing piece has come in the form of my assignments from Melisa, typically in the form of a 5-7 sentence paragraph detailing a certain topic or set of topics. This has been a great way not only for me to grasp my understanding of the concepts, vocabulary, and structures that I am learning, but also to connect older grammar points or vocabulary and be adventurous in trying to link everything together. Malay is a language that does not have a lot of diphthongs or the like, so writing actually helps me gain a better understanding of if I am pronouncing it correctly in spoken form (funnily enough). Writing by hand has been very effective and I have heard that it allows for a better grasp of material compared with typing, so I will keep this up. 

In terms of creating both simple and complex sentences, one word has been particularly useful: yang. This words means "which/who/that is" and can easily be included in sentences to add detail and complexity (e.g. "under the tree is a bird that is red"). I have also been learning conjunctions and words to more fluidly link two sentences or clauses together so I am not writing in short and blunt sentences, making my handle of the language stronger as well. My Malay textbook is essentially a workbook, so I write all over it and can often learn new words, patterns, or usages from simply reading the instructions preceding the exercises. In addition, Melisa and I often try to make use of typing Malay during our meetings so I can practice my listening skills and see this translates in the act of typing. Much of this use of the computer includes searching for certain words, concepts, or ideas, typically in image or video form, to further my understanding of the language.

Handwriting was a very important aspect of learning Chinese, which included a lot of memorizing and learning radicals and stroke order, but handwriting in Malay has a different function because its orthography is romanized. I will continue to use it as an effective counterbalance to my spoken language skills and as a way of gauging my grasp and understanding of key terms and concepts. 

Over the past two weeks, I have continued to work on the expression of emotions in Malay and linking this back to other concepts I have learned in the past to build upon them. In addition, I have had the interactive children's nursery rhyme songbook and have been using that to record my voice and practice my pronunciation of Malay words as well as my rhythm. Singing can be one of the best ways to improve these skills, and it is also a lighthearted and fun way of practicing and sharing my experience with my language partner, Melisa. One of the most fun meetings with Melisa was this past Friday morning before our SDLC105 class meeting. She made kuih (tiny snacks) and coffee, and provided traditional Malay attire for me and Mehreen (who joined us that day) to wear. We then watched three very interesting Indie films in Malay that discussed problems facing Malaysia today.

The first film involved two travelers meeting on a northbound train and turned into a discussion of the Malaysia outside of Kuala Lumpur and the importance of preservation of the national language of Bahasa Melayu (very timely with our SDLC105 concurrent discussions). English or "Manglish" is more and more influential and widely spoken in Kuala Lumpur and West Malaysia more broadly, and some fear that this has negatively impacted the country and Malaysian people. This also raised the concern that teachers of the national language were less common or appreciated, which was an interesting insight. It was filmed in the very beautiful landscape of Northern Malaysia on the border with Thailand, where Bahasa Melayu is still widely spoken, albeit with a distinct regional accent. The second film focused on the issue of substance addiction and how it is handled or seen in certain communities. The film introduced a group of young Muslim men living together under the direction of a peer who was studying the Quran and seemingly wanted to become an Imam. One of the men was an alcoholic, and the film offered a perspective that, instead of lambasting or ostracizing him on religious grounds for something he may not be able to control or stop right away, there should be a little more open-mindedness about him and his situation by the religious leader. This is of course controversial in the country, as Muslims there are not permitted to drink alcohol, and raises very interesting points on society over the medium of film. The last film we watched centered upon a biracial boy who was half Chinese and half Malay. The boy struggled to understand his identity alongside his peers, who were either all Chinese or all Malay (though there is of course more diversity in Malaysia than this). Seeing the issue of defining race and subsequently adopting certain identities related to this through the eyes of a child was an effective way of raising the issue - and in the end he made friends as well! This issue is of course not limited to Malaysia, though it is interesting to parallel it to the situation in the United States and see where commonalities and differences occur.

All in all, each of the three films offered a perspective on issues society is grappling with in Malaysia and ultimately improved my understanding of the country and its culture more than I had initially expected.

Our readings and class discussion on the life and death of languages is fascinating  - not least of all because documenting a language and preserving not just its vocabulary, but the distinct perspectives and worldview it carries is essentially a race against the clock. Linguists armed with the ability to transcribe using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can, much like anthropologists doing fieldwork, gather a wide array of information on the language, but also necessarily must start from ground zero and rely on learning through a common language, a local teacher, etc. in a situation that is ultimately difficult to coordinate and even more difficult to carry through. The clip we watched in class on the Himba people in northern Namibia who see and describe color differently because of their environment is only one of many facets that could be found in other, less commonly spoken languages worldwide that are quickly dying. Globalization and the importance of a Lingua Franca such as English has severely endangered less commonly spoken languages, given that it is no longer necessary or convenient for younger generations to continue to speak these languages and pass them on. Linguists can try their hardest to preserve a language, but they cannot force a generation to continue to speak it or learn it (though this might follow naturally). 

When a language dies, so, too, do its unique cultural insights and legacy more broadly. Though it can be resurrected, so to speak, it also may have lost some of the distinct impressions that it left on the speakers and their outlooks, and could also have some more functional vocabulary holes as well. That said, it certainly can be brought back to life, at least in some sense of the word. The so-called Rosetta Stone, found in 1799, allowed linguists to decipher hieroglyphs and bring back some of this ancient language based on the translations of its script. Though not every language is as fortunate to have an archeological relic such as this, it showcases that clues can be found and pieced together to make larger insights for a language, much like finding disparate pieces of a puzzle and piecing it together to form some image of a completed whole. 

Preserving languages and documenting the sheer linguistic diversity of humans is absolutely essential because it can provide so many insights into how we think, speak, and operate in the world. It was very interesting to learn in class that the Basque language, for instance, is largely unrelated to neighboring languages and closer to what Neanderthals may have spoken. The presence of linguistic "islands" that are outliers in Hungary, Estonia, and Finland is another example of the ways in which language and linguistic diversity can deeply impact a country and its culture. Programs currently in existence, such as the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme and a similar one by National Geographic, draw from endowments equip linguists with funding and give them the ability to undertake these documenting projects, which are themselves of monumental significance to humanity and, as previously mentioned, more and more urgent.

This past weekend was Diwali (it is a multi-day event), and I would be really missing out on a unique cultural artifact if I did not write about it. Also known as Deepavali or simply the Festival of Lights (and known as Hari Diwali in Malay), this is a traditional Hindu festival that marks the end of the monsoon season and holds deep religious significance for practicers of this faith. In Malaysia, it is a public holiday in 16 of the federated states and is a testament to the multiethnic culture of the country. It is celebrated across Southeast and South Asia.

During Diwali, members of Hindu communities will decorate their homes with paper lanterns, which are not unlike those in the Chinese Lantern Festival during the Lunar New Year (though they are white instead of red), as well as "kolam," or a textile floor design made of dyed rice and colored powder. These artistic pieces vary significantly from home to home, and many Hindu practitioners will invite those from other religions in to showcase their home and celebrate one of the most important days of the year for them. There are fireworks, and, also similar to the small red pouches I the Chinese New Year, there will be small purple or yellow packages prepared for children. Food, of course, is a major part of this holiday, and one Malaysian variation is "murukku"(see below), which are deep fried rice noodles. In Malaysia in particular, there are multiple places where this holiday is celebrated publicly. Kuala Lumpur's "Little India" is one of the most famous ethnic neighborhoods in the city (there are actually multiple areas). In addition, Hindu temples are of course a popular venue during Diwali, where Hindu practitioners can celebrate and practice their faith. 

It is fascinating how festivals and traditions in the form of public holidays in Malaysia can encompass everything from Diwali to Chinese New Year to Muhammad's Birthday to Christmas. While the United States is also a multiethnic society, it does not have the same public memorializing or openness of citizens or members of different religions to holidays as Malaysia. This is not to say that Malaysian society is perfect or without its own issues (e.g. government-led closure of Hindu temples for hosting squatters), but the willingness of people from other faiths to get excited and celebrate something as a public good is very interesting. 

Diwali is a major cultural tradition of a minority group in Malaysia, particularly in the western, peninsular part. I was really surprised to learn that there are some parallels to Chinese New Year (though with different characteristics), as I had never heard about this before. The University of Richmond will host its own Festival of Lights as part of its Asia Week celebration, and I am excited to see how it goes (along with Asia Week as a whole). For my next cultural artifact, I will certainly focus on East Malaysia and native culture in Borneo and see what insights Melissa can provide.

Sources:

https://publicholidays.com.my/deepavali/

https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/10-facts-about-diwali-1412067946-1

It is admittedly quite surprising that it is already midway through the semester and that I recorded my Panopto video so long ago. Regardless, it is quite insightful to look back now (and not at the end of the semester), gauge my progress, and reevaluate where needed. So, this is how I held up:

According to the survey I took at the beginning of the semester, I fell into the "musical, language, and social" learner, and was also slightly more of a visual one than auditory (45% vs. 40%). Funnily enough, I had not incorporated music until last week, where Melissa and I went over the Malay songbook (and Mehreen's singing recordings in it!) and now it's my turn to give it a try. Music is a fascinating gateway into culture, and this in particular will help with one of the goals that I listed in my recording: feeling comfortable speaking and pronouncing. This is something that I have kept up with and constantly tried to improve during my time learning Malay. To this end, my reciprocal exchanges with Melissa have been really helpful and I have already improved so much just in this small regard. The word "tengan" that was so hard for me to pronounce earlier in the semester suddenly does not seem as bad. I also noted that I would practice prefixes/suffixes in Malay, which I have not done much of and would like to focus more on (with the exception of the "me"/"mem" one). The last challenging aspect that I wanted to improve upon earlier on was surrounding compound words, and I actually also went over some with Melissa last week. This is a process and I wouldn't have expected to reach complete perfection by this time, but at least I am still working towards conquering similar challenges linguistically and have not lost sight of that original vision too much.

In terms of my original goals, one of the first ones I mentioned was gaining insights into Malaysian culture and gain a different worldview. While in hindsight this seems somewhat simplistic, I also remember where I was going with this: it is my third language, and with each one you gain so much perspective and insight. To this end, my conversations with Melissa have been wonderful and I am excited to continue working towards this. We are watching a movie this week, which will be my first exposure to a film in this language. I also watched a cooking video in Malay and got to dissect words and learn recipes with Melissa in my target language, which was a lot of fun. Another goal was incorporating my language study into my academic work and gaining some geopolitical insights. My Politics of Asia class has been really helpful in this regard, and I wrote my Political Leader Profile on Mahathir Mohammad so that I could talk further with Melissa about this key figure in Malaysian politics and learn more about the domestic political situation in Malaysia at the same time. I also wanted to be able to describe myself and my background comfortably, and discuss culture and tradition, and to this end I think I have made substantial progress. 

Overall, my process of individual learning so far has been going well, but there are of course a lot of areas where I can improve. To improve my communicative competence, I need to continue trying new and unknown methods and seeing what sticks, so to speak. I really want to start listening to music in Malay, and I already have a lot of options lined up. I have downloaded a Malay keyboard on my phone to help me be able to go online and learn that way too. I want to engage more deeply with Malay pop culture, and also meet more Malay people. To this latter point, there is an event at the Malay embassy in Washington, D.C. that I told Melissa about and am really hoping I can go (though it falls right before Thanksgiving and I may not be able to). Regardless, I am starting to learn what works and what does not, and this has been helpful to me because soon enough I will need to independently keep up with my Chinese as well and it is important to have this experience and exposure. 

While Fall Break meant that I missed some of my one-on-one meetings with my language partner, I worked on and learned some interesting topics nonetheless. One thing I am happy to say that I've made progress in is writing - I have been able to write short yet cohesive paragraphs and dialogues for homework, which has allowed me to piece together disparate aspects of my language learning thus far and strengthen my linguistic foundation and understanding of Malay. To this end, learning how to denote tense/condition of verbs has been incredibly beneficial. Rather than having to conjugate it as in other languages, verb tense can be implied through adverbial indicators and context. This has not been too difficult for me to grasp, likely because of the fact that Chinese has the same characteristic and sentence structure (S-V-O). The word "telah" means "already" and indicates past tense, whereas the word "akan" means "will" and indicates future tense; simply affixing these in front of a verb will denote tense, however other indicators (i.e. time) should be included to make sense of the sentence. There is also the prefixes "me" and "mem" that can be affixed to the front of verbs to indicate present tense and what is happening now rather than a declarative statement. Melissa has been very helpful with explaining to me some of the ways in which Malay does or does not reflect English grammar, which makes forming new sentences and retaining this information much easier for me. 

It was particularly interesting to learn how Malay describes seasons. The word "musim" means season and is, like Chinese, attached to each of the words for the specific season (unlike the one-word "spring" or "summer" in English). The descriptor for the season comes, as adjectives do in Malay, after the "musim" noun. The word for fall/autumn is "musim luruh" ("luruh" meaning "shed," as in trees shedding their leaves), winter is ""musim sejuk" ("sejuk" meaning "cold"), spring is "Musim burga" ("burga" meaning "flower"), and summer is "musim pasas" ("pasas" meaning "hot"). The conceptualization behind the descriptors for these seasons is fascinating because it mirrors many of American culture's own associations (e.g. flowers blooming with spring), yet goes the extra step of incorporating them into the official name. This topic came up as I described what I did for fall break ("cuti" meaning holiday would be added to "musim luruh" meaning fall to create "cuti musim luruh"). 

I am now in the process of learning to describe what I did in the past and will do in the future in terms of school (e.g. attended a class in the International Center yesterday), which will help Melissa and I to have real conversations describing my routine each time we meet that will not sound rehearsed or scripted and aid with commanding a more natural grip of the language for me. As I have noted in many of my previous posts, pronunciation remains an important milestone for me, and I will continue to incorporate what I have learned about the International Phonetic Alphabet and sounds in Bahasa Melayu into my study of the language. 

For centuries, Malaysia has been home to a significant amount of cross-cultural societal interaction and influence. As a result, its official language, Bahasa Melayu, retains a great deal of linguistic borrowings from other languages outside of its own language family. Malay is a member of the Austronesian language family, found throughout Southeast Asia as well as in native languages of present-day Taiwan. Perhaps the most sustained influence comes from its neighboring Sino-Tibetan language Chinese simply due to proximity, and one area where I saw this influence almost immediately was in Malay's number structure (i.e. "25" is said as the equivalent of two-ten-five). Beyond this, however, the Chinese influence is somewhat limited and not as present as two other languages are: Arabic and English. This is because modern Malay's origins lie most closely in the Malaccan Sultanate.

Arabic's influence on Malay began in the 15th century following contact with Arab traders in Malacca, an early and very prominent trade hub at the time that featured a Sultanate. This Arabic influence ended up altering Malay's orthography, introducing the Jawi script. Many words and several sounds exist in Malay because of Arabic's influence, e.g. "Salamat" as a greeting term in both Arabic and Malay. The next major linguistic influence, English, came from British colonialism between the 18th and 20th centuries in the region. As a colony, Malaysia became introduced to linguistic loanwords and structures, and, most notably, changed its orthography to a romanization using the same alphabetic script as English. To date, Malay uses a great deal of English terminology (e.g. the name for non-native instruments such as piano and guitar remaining the same in Malay as they are in English), and its linguistic structure is S-V-O like English (and Chinese). 

It is important to recognize these major cultural influences on Malay not just to increase my vocabulary, but also to more deeply understand the processes behind how the language changed and developed over time. Languages are dynamic, and major historical events and cultural developments can have an indelible impact on them. Linguists have to track these changes by being aware of the surrounding historical and cultural influences, which is no small task. Aspects of language such as slang can be difficult to predict or, conversely, come with preexisting cultural connotations, so it is important for linguists to try to remove as many of their own personal biases as possible in assessing neologisms in any given language. English as a lingua franca and the United States as a cultural hegemon have profound reach globally and are contributing to rapid changes in languages everywhere. 

My language learning over the past two weeks has largely focused on familiarizing myself with the vocabulary surrounding time in Bahasa Melayu, certain topics on food, and, as always, pronunciation. One of my primary goals was to be able to tell time. Luckily, this is very similar to the way time is said aloud in English (five o'clock in the morning, e.g.), and I was able to catch on fairly quickly. The useful thing about learning time is that I am gradually able to build upon my language foundations in other areas and convey more complicated messages that go beyond generalities and basic statements. Similar to Chinese, verbs are not conjugated in Malay, meaning that a great emphasis is placed on context and verbal indicators to glean meaning about past, present, or future statements. Because of my experience learning Mandarin, this idea was fairly easy to grasp early-on and not particularly unusual to me. Whether it is adverbs (already, always, never, etc.) or specific times (everyday, yesterday, tomorrow, next week, etc.), forming sentences in this way has proved easier than I had anticipated, especially given the similar grammar structures that exist between Malay and English. In many ways, Malay has proven to be a great middle-of-the-road language for me as both an English and a Mandarin speaker, with notable elements and influences from both. Melissa has been very helpful and patient in helping me form new sentences or in providing me with coherent examples and phrases. In our meetings, much of the learning is done through conversation and oral repetition, which allows me to practice both new components of the language and pronunciation at the same time.

I also explored food culture in Malaysia more deeply, using the textbook as the basis and expanding further after that. Melissa showed me a video in Malay on how to make fish head curry (Kari Kepala Ikan), a very popular dish in Malaysia -- I am even contemplating making it on my own. We talked about measure words in Malay (which are present in Mandarin, though perhaps as more specific quantifiers than Malay), and how some of the most prevalent ones are used. I am more and more excited for Asia Week next month, given that the chefs at D-Hall are going to be serving some Malaysian cuisine (and likely Chinese as well). I loved the food when I visited Malaysia, and the vocabulary surrounding food is perhaps one of the most useful bits of language one can learn to engage with the host culture. Of course, I will continue to learn different topics of food throughout my language learning journey, but I enjoyed learning about a popular dish and the ingredients used to make it.

Overall, the past two weeks have admittedly been a slower period in language learning because I was out for one week at a conference and did not have the regular exposure to and contact with Melissa, which is always immensely beneficial to me and my learning. Though I had homework and a clear list of material to review, I want to find other ways that I can continue to engage independently with my language when meeting with a language partner is not always an option, especially considering that this is something that I struggle with even today in learning Mandarin. Maybe this means using a new app or website, or maybe it simply means trying a less traditional approach to studying (e.g. watching Malaysian TV or listening to Malaysian Music). I am still working on the best way to handle this.

There are scores of Malaysian cultural insights that I would like to delve into more deeply, though I am perhaps most interested in learning more about the Sultanate. The Sultanate has a rich history in Malaysia and, given it still exists today, also has a lasting legacy and impact on the culture. Few places can boast a constitutional monarchy with nine separate monarchs. Exploring the Sultanate more deeply yields insights not just into the role that this system plays in society, but also sheds light on the presence of Islam in Malaysia and how the monarchs, with dual roles of ceremonial heads of state and Islamic leaders, contribute to religious culture. Islam in Malaysia has been garnering increasing amounts of my attention and interest during my study of Bahasa Melayu, as has the multicultural and multi-religious societal framework. Though I have made clear from the beginning that I want to focus more on Borneo than Peninsular Malaysia (which has, by contrast, a large Christian population), learning more about the Sultanate and Islam in Malaysia can paint a clearer picture of the present state of the country writ large and will offer new and valuable understandings into the mindsets and worldviews of the large Muslim subset of the population. If given the chance, I would also like to learn more about the broad range of indigenous tribal cultures and customs in Sabah and Sarawak this semester as well, particularly the Kadazan ethnic group in Sabah and the Kaamatan festival.

With clear cultural interests in mind, I now have to figure out the best way to incorporate these into my lesson plans in language learning and formulate goals around learning them. This will undoubtedly require learning a more specialized set of vocabulary, which will likely focus on the most common cultural and religious icons related to the Sultanate and the practice of Islam. I would like to frame it in a more generalized learning plan, but also include, if possible, some additional learning material on the history of Malacca, e.g., or stories surrounding different sultans. In other words, this can take on a range of different approaches, including cultural, religious, historical, and political. I want to be able to describe what the Sultanate is, where it originated, how it developed, and where it is today and the role it (but also Islam more broadly) plays in people's lives. This will give me enough room to learn a wider variety of vocabulary without over-complicating it or making it beyond my learning level. To this end, I hope I can work with Melissa to ensure that I am learning the correct material with the proper terminology.

While I would love to write about Nasi Goreng or Kari (hopefully in my next post), I have been studying Malaysian politics lately and feel obliged to address the 1MDB scandal and the groundbreaking 2018 elections in the country. Though not entirely contemporary since this happened over a year ago, my first artifact, seen below, is a good encapsulation of how the Malaysian public mobilized and voiced their discontent with the corruption their country was facing following this scandal. Its importance should not be underscored. 

(Photo Credit: Strait Times https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/signs-malaysians-are-shrugging-off-1mdb-saga)

The above sign, which reads "Save Malaysia, Catch the Thief," is referring to the Malaysian financier and current international fugitive Jho Low. He is alleged to have taken, with members of the government's consent or active participation and with the help of Goldman Sachs, upwards of $3.5 billion USD from the Malaysian taxpayers in a front that was housed under the Ministry of Finance. When news of this monumentous scandal and breach of trust broke out and developments in the story that included Prime Minister Najib Razak's alleged involvement and profit were made, the Malaysian public took to the streets in protest and, through the general elections in 2018, overturned the ruling party (UMNO) for the first time in the country's history. The elections not only signified the ability of the Malaysian voter base to overturn a corrupt regime democratically, but also resulted in this turnover in political power to the country's previous 4th Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who, in addition to being 93 years old at the time, left the UMNO and ran under an opposition coalition. The return to the country's longest serving prime minister (1981-2003), while resurrecting a contentious legacy, displayed how formative and impactful he was in the creation of modern Malaysia. 

While the above protester is unnamed, the significance is that largely symbolic: the effectiveness of the Malaysian populace voicing discontent and taking to the streets in a democratic way. Malaysia is a true multiethnic society in many senses, and the aforementioned demonstrations penetrated people from all different cultural backgrounds and walks of life in the country. This scandal not only impacted the Malaysian economy and put the taxpayers' money into the pocket of a few corrupt officials, but it also embarrassed many Malaysians on the world stage. Regardless of who exactly was culpable, keeping the ruling regime in office posed too unlikely of a risk to Malaysia's future. Mahathir has signaled his intention to only serve as prime minister for another year or so, after at least some attempts have been made to clean up the political mess that he and his party inherited. Trials both in Malaysia and by the United States Department of Justice are currently underway, with Najib Razak claiming no responsibility and Jho Low hiding in a currently unknown location avoiding trial. Anyone attempting to understand contemporary Malaysian affairs should familiarize themselves with the details of this scandal, and this cultural artifact is an effective way of witnessing the protests and their reach in the aftermath of the scandal's unearthing.

I have mentioned some of the phonetic inventory of Bahasa Melayu in previous posts, but it is helpful to go over it again. Malay has a host of loan-words from (British) English and Arabic (as well as from other languages like Mandarin and Hindi), meaning some sounds are quite familiar while others are not. Orthography-wise, there are some distinctions, e.g.  /ʃ/ (voiceless palato-alveolar fricative) written 'sy' instead of English's 'sh', /tʃ/ (voiceless postalveolar affricate) written as 'c' instead of 'ch', and /ð/ (voiced dental fricative) written 'z' instead of "th" as in "father." Apart from these, the sounds that are distinct from American English or less common in it are listed below:

- voiceless velar fricative of /x/: e.g. the Malay word "akhar" (often found in Arabic loanwords)

- voiced velar fricative of /ɣ/: e.g. the word "loghat"(also often found in Arabic loanwords, and pronounced differently in several different dialects)

- velar nasal of /ŋ/:  e.g. the word "ngarai" (found in English in the word "sing", but otherwise somewhat unusual)

- glottal stop of /ʔ/: e.g. "tidak" (seldom found in English, apart from "uh-oh")

- alveolar trill of /r/: e.g. "dari" (found in Scottish English and several Romance languages)

For my study of Malay, it is most important for me to be comfortable with these distinctions and practice the non-English sounds as much as possible. From my study of Mandarin, I know it can be difficult for me to master sounds not found in English and I admittedly still make some mistakes, however if I know from the start that these sounds exist and do my best to address them on my own and with Melissa, I think I can avoid this mistake. Orthography of other phones is simply an adjustment I'll have to make, such as remembering that 'c' in Malay has a 'ch' sound. Ideally, I would like to work with my language partner and make recordings of these difficult sounds for myself to listen to and go over. The more I practice and the more I hear a native speaker using these sounds, the easer it will be for me to master them. 

My most recent Malay lessons have focused on the topics of activities and food, along with my continued study of numbers. A goal I had set for myself - to gain a stronger foundation in the number system and less hesitation saying them - is still being worked towards , however I am nonetheless quite happy with the speed with which I am progressing with regard to numbers and, loosely, pronunciation (though I still struggle with certain words, such as "dengan"). As I have expanded my vocabulary related to activities I like to do and food I like (or do not like) to eat, I have recognized that sentence structure is quite similar to English and even Mandarin, Loan words from both languages also exist, e.g. "epal" for apple and "mihun" for noodle (面, miàn, in Mandarin). A new goal of mine related to this is to learn to what extent loanwords from English and Mandarin exist in the language, something that was mentioned in the article by Tim Ferriss to more easily expand vocabulary in the target language. In addition, I have benefitted from learning some basic adverbs, such as "telah" to indicate that something has already happened (since, similar to Mandarin, no verb modifications for tenses exist in Malay) and "sangat" to indicate an extreme degree. 

My conversations with Melissa have yielded some interesting and unexpected cultural insights. When I travelled to Malaysia last Fall, I realized that, anytime I ordered coffee, it automatically came with cream and sugar. According to Melissa, simply ordering "kopi" or "teh" implies that it will come with milk and sugar added unless you explicitly say one of the following: saying "O" after to forgo milk but keep the sugar, or "O kosong (zero)" to forgo both milk and sugar. Another interesting concept was related to the word for 'love' in Malay. The language has two separate words for this ("saya" for love of family and "cinta" for a lover and your nation). Additionally, you cannot say that you 'love' a certain food with either of these words, but instead have to opt for 'really liking' that food. I would be interested in exploring more deeply how this connects to nationalism and what nationalism means in Malay and to Malaysians. Melissa has been very good about offering insights such as these throughout our lessons and, even more so, indicating when something I have learned is too formal or seldom used. This is one of the most salient advantages of having a dedicated language partner assist me in my language learning endeavors and something for which I am quite grateful already.

Last Wednesday, I got to take a quiz that Melissa put together that tested my knowledge of existing material and assessed my ability to fuse together disparate parts and form new sentences or meanings. This went well and, following my completion, I got to review the content with Melissa and see how I fared. The last part of the quiz comprised of a simple dialogue that I had to complete. After reviewing my responses, Melissa and I recorded this dialogue out loud and I got to fill in both roles to practice my pronunciation, speed, etc. I would like to continue to use these types of recording methods and see how I can improve my speaking by listening to myself and noticing my slip-ups or general areas of difficulties. 

So far in my study of Bahasa Melayu, I have noticed many of the same linguistic structures as English, particularly with regard to syntax. While Malay is romanized and for the most part lacks special characters, accent marks, etc., phonologically speaking the pronunciation of certain consonants and vowels can vary (e.g. ‘c’ is pronounced ‘ʧ’ like the ‘ch’ in “church”). This has not been too difficult of a transition for me as a language learner, however I am still getting accustomed to the sound and rhythm of the language, as well as the two nasal sounds (‘ɲ’, written ‘ng’, and ‘ŋ’, written ‘ny’) that are less common in English and harder for me to pronounce correctly at this point in time. This is a table on the Malay alphabet:

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I greatly value strong and accurate pronunciation from an early stage so I do not have to relearn it later or risk not being understood because of this rocky foundation. As such, I have yet to delve too deeply into semantics or pragmatics in Malay.

In terms of combining different, interdisciplinary perspectives in this process of language learning, I have become interested in possibly incorporating basic poetry in my learning plan. I liked the idea from class of learning the cadence of a language through this means, and culturally speaking it can be a fascinating gateway into fostering deeper understandings of another culture. In addition, I would like to incorporate music as a way of increasing my listening skills and, again, finding a different approach to penetrate Malaysian culture. All this being said, I do not necessarily plan to prioritize one approach over another, given I am still formulating my plan and seeing what works best for me overall. In the end, I  am positive that being cognizant of the existing methodologies from these disciplines and structures of language writ large will help me be more efficient and successful in my language learning endeavors.