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.
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