Singapore - Learning a language is often the key to inter-cultural communication, and many university students at National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have picked up languages like Japanese, French, Spanish and German.
Malay, though not as popular, is also seeing some interest from students.
Danielle Hong is a first-year NUS student from the arts and social sciences faculty.
Her interest in Malay started from her parents, who spoke the language within the extended family, but not to her when she was a child.
And as the years grew, so too was her interest in Malay.
"I‘m interested in sub cultures like skate boarding and punk rock, and I have a few friends who are in that same scene. They always speak Malay to each other and I can‘t really understand them. So it‘s a good reason for me to pick up Malay," said Hong.
"I plan to do sociology, especially in the Southeast Asian region, so it will be very useful for me to learn Malay, so that I can do field work in neighbouring countries," she added.
Also hoping to use the language for work is first-year NTU student Titus Yong Jiarong.
China may be the latest buzzword, but to 21-year-old Yong, learning Malay has its advantages.
Yong said: "It‘s true that China is coming up and there are a lot of people going into the China market right now. But I‘m also considering for the event whereby I do not go into China and I go into the region. After all, Malaysia and Indonesia are also developing.
"If I were to learn Malay, it is an added incentive because there are more markets and fields for me to go into. So I think it‘s a wise choice to pick up Malay."
Since NTU introduced Malay as an elective in 1995, some 250 students have taken it up annually.
The university said intake in the upcoming years will depend on students‘ demand.
At NUS, 150 students took up the elective last year.
With the number increasing over the past few years, the university is looking at offering higher levels in the Malay Language programme to students whose mother tongue is not Malay in the next two to three years.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com (22 Oktober 2007)
