Q3 - TLT Assignment

Q3: Why do we need English?

            Like I have said earlier, English is essential. Before civilization, a human only basic need for survival was food, shelter and water. However now, during an improving civilization and growth of technology communication has become one of the most important skills of survival. Yesterday humans hunt for food in the jungles and rivers. Today humans can hunt for food in supermarkets by purchasing them using green papers with inked values on them which we call; money. Get the comparison? All I am indicating is that, our world today is moving really fast and probably ahead of time.

            Where am I getting to with all of this? Well, simply said, communication is the one way that shows that humans are civilized. However, why is it that English is much important than any other languages? What is so special about English? In my opinion, I assume that it’s because, most countries around the world were colonized by the British during the early years before WWI. Therefore, the traces of the language have been left behind some how allowing it to be possible for almost anyone to pick up the language. However, we cannot expect everyone to be as fluent as the native speakers because, everybody is from somewhere, and that somewhere has its culture and its own accent which everyone will carry with them in their tongue.

            Coming straight to the point, we need English because it is the one language that people worldwide can understand. You can go anywhere from Malaysia and still be able to survive if you can communicate fluently in English. Knowing to speak English is also a requirement for employers to hire employees nowadays. The English language is also known as the professional language as it is widely used for formal businesses, political and economical matters. It is a professional language. Malaysia is a multiracial country and not all of its citizen mother tongue is the Bahasa Melayu language which causes the issue of the national language still hanging and highly sensitive. I am not arguing on which language should be our national language. In fact, I care less about it. Language is art, not a political tool. The English language is mainly important for our purpose of surviving in the outside world. It is essential for the growth of the country. The mastery of the language shows how our people are growing as well. To accept and learn the language does not mean to abandon the national language. To accept and learn the language shows that our people are mature and can handle much more than what we already have in hand. We are up to the challenge.