Write properly?

It is an interesting fact to note that different cultures adopt different writing styles. The English, as linear and direct and the orientals as circular and therefore not to the point.

But I wonder... What makes one culture writes differently from another? In the Arabic writing for example, Kaplan and Ostler suggested that the Arabic writing style is mainly influenced by the forms of classical Arabic that was found in the Quran. They gave me this impression that culture plays a very significant role in determining how one writes. But is this really the case? I am not an expert in Arabic so I can't really say much on this.

Nevertheless, I did studied classical , pre world war and post world war up to modern Malay texts back in my JC days. I even have to translate classical Malay to modern Malay during exams. Haha...

One thing I noticed, was that the writting styles were all different from one another. So much different. Even though all of the texts were written in Malay by Malays themselves but in different time frame, words usage, the style of language used, sentence structures, paragraphing and content were all different. If this is so, how can I say that culture determine how one writes?

I believe that there are other factors other than culture itself that influence how one writes. Time frame, objective and purpose of writing, language competency are some of the factors that I can list.

With that, let me end this blog post with...

Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II

Then plainly know my heart's dear love is set
On the fair daughter of rich Capulet:
As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine;
And all combined, save what thou must combine
By holy marriage: when and where and how
We met, we woo'd and made exchange of vow,
I'll tell thee as we pass; but this I pray,
That thou consent to marry us to-day.

-William Shakespeare

This English man is never linear is he?

Hello, k, selamat...

This week topic was on spoken discourse. Opening and closing of phone call as well as the style of narration was being discussed in class. It was interesting to note that different cultures have different opening and closing of phone calls and how one narrates vary from others.

I would like to share with you (based on my experience) a typical Malay Muslim phone call, focusing on the opening and closing of course. Maybe there are some similarities or differences to the ones discussed in class. We shall see...

Opening of phone call:

Ringgg... Ringgg...

A: Assalamualaikum (Peace be upon you)
C: Waalaikum salam (Peace be upon you too)
A: Kau kat mana ni? (Where are you?)
C: Aku kat rumah ah... Ada apa? (I am at home. What's up)
A: Ohh, aku nak tanya... (Ohh, I want to ask...)

My interpretation of the opening:
A typical Malay Muslim phone conversation begins with the "salam". Context wise, a "salam" is similar to a hello. However, it has a deeper meaning than that. It is not just a hey or hi, rather it is a prayer of the other person's well being. The "salam" is offered not just in phone calls. Even when two Muslims meet, they exchange the "salam".

Usually if not always, a typical Malay Muslim phone conversation will have the "where" question after the "salam". I guess knowing the location of the other person, the caller can derive and understand the situation the person is in and consider whether it is the right time or place to convey what is it to be conveyed.

Just from the few lines above, I believe, we can see that Malay Muslim are emphasized more on the people relation rather than being objective driven. They tend to analyze the situation first before stating their request or intention.

Closing of phone call:

silence...
C: hmm, ok lah... aku nak kena jalan (aite, I got to go)
A: hmm ok. aku pun (me too)
C: jumpa kau besok (see you tomorrow)
A: k, k... selamat ah (ok, good bye)
C: selamat (good bye)

From what I noticed, the cue to end the phone call is the long (approximately 5 seconds) silence from both the caller and callee... And usually after that would be the "i gtg" speech. And phone conversation end with the "selamat". I belietve that Malay Muslim prefer to excuse themselves by stating that they have to do something else. This is more to "jaga hati" (care for other feelings). And the terminal exchange used is "selamat" which literally means safe. "Selamat" is the shorter version of "selamat jalan" (safe going away) and "selamat tinggal" (safe left behind). Maybe it is confusing to identify who is going and who is leaving in a phone conversation, and so "selamat" is adapted.

Yet again, we can see the emphasis on the people well being. Then again, this is one example and more studies should be done to understand the orientation of the Malay Muslims. Also, gender may have an effect on this matter as well even though the race and religion are the same. Hmm, something that I can look into...

Will You Marry Our Son???

Hmm, speech event. During the last class, my group and I discussed on a speech event however due to time constraint, we did not get to present our discussion in class. Nevertheless, it provided me with more time to think about it further and I present to you our description of a particular speech event... Malays wedding proposal.

Yup, we were inspired by the Japanese wedding proposal example and decided to take a look at how Malays in Singapore do it. Basically, the main difference between a Malay wedding proposal and Japanese wedding proposal is that it is done officially by the male's family rather than the male himself. What a relief... Haha... Reduce the expectation of the female and lessen the pressure of the male.

Anyway, allow me to describe the procedure. (Recalled from Malay movies and dramas)

participants
BR: boy's representative (usually the uncle accompanied by the boy's dad)
GF: girl's family (the mum and dad)

setting:
girl's house.

act sequence (translated directly from Malay to English):

GF welcomes BR into the house.

GF: What are your intentions of coming to our humble house?
BR: Ohh, we are here with a request... A big request... We heard that there is a flower in your garden. And we are interested to pick the flower.
GF: I see... Yes, you are right. We do have a flower in our garden. And she has not been pluck just as yet. If you are interested, let me ask the owner of the body first.

GF will go inside the room for awhile to "ask" the girl. (usually the girl is agreeable even before the BR arrive. This is for formality sake)

GF: smiling... The owner agrees.
BR: Praise to God. That is great. If it is no trouble, can we ask how much is the dowry and when should we have the engagement (or wedding depending on the couples). Good things should not be delayed.

GF will state the amount and GF and BR will continue to discuss further on the details.

Rules:
Hmm, the male side has to come to the female side. And if the female did not agree to the marriage, rejection has to be done very tactfully and politely. Example, GF will say, please give my daughter time to think about it and we will get back to you...

Interpretation (in my point of view):
Malays are well-known for being poetic and rather not straight forward. Being too direct is considered impolite. Therefore Malays use imagery to state their intention and in this example, hand in marriage. And Malays being close to nature, used to living in kampungs and all, use natural elements as their imagery, for instance flower.

Also, this example shows the involvement of the two families when big decisions are to be made. It emphasizes the importance of a close relationship in a Malay family. Even though this is not an arranged marriage, and I believed that most likely the male has already unofficially "proposed" to the female, this "speech event" still need to be carried out.

Whether it is carried out in a similar manner is another totally different question. This can be an interesting research topic. As for the method of collecting such data, I would proposed Recall Protocol of newly wedded couples. This would be easier as compared to Field Observation (it could take years to get even 5) or even Role Play (have to role play with the parents?).

Nonetheless, it would be interesting to find out whether there is any difference in this speech event now in Singapore. Hmm, another interesting topic of discussion is whether this speech event is unique to Malay culture. Or whether there are similar speech event in the Chinese or Indian Culture.