English language in Malaysia in dire straits!

Tweet

Image by Roslan Tangah (aka Rasso) via Flickr

English is in dire straits

IT can no longer be denied that the state of the English language in our country is in dire straits. One does not have to look far to see how inferior we as a society have become when it comes to mastering this global language.

I am a first-year student in a reputable private university in Cyberjaya and I am appalled at some of the English used in announcements on its online portal as well as in the notices and circulars pasted on campus.

Grammatical mistakes are not uncommon and not a few of them are a direct translation from languages such as Bahasa Malaysia.

Even members of the student council are not spared from this problem as a good number of their announcements and occasional public speeches in English betray their command of the language.

I am not in a good position to judge my varsity mates in terms of proficiency in that language but the Average Joe will have no difficulty learning just how low their command of English is by having a two-minute chat with them.


Even in the Government, the standard of the English language has dropped drastically.

The recent “poking-eye” debacle in the Defence Ministry website as well as howlers in other government websites are a matter of serious concern and are no laughing matter.

As these websites are an online representation of our country, can we afford to make ourselves a laughing stock on the world stage?

While the government in countries such as China, South Korea and Japan have consistently tried to improve their society’s command of English, the same cannot be said of Malaysia.

In fact, based on the latest decision by the Education Ministry to abolish PPSMI (the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English), it appears that we are taking a giant leap backwards.

Are we going to be more competitive in this globalised world in doing so?

I am definitely sure the answer is “No”.

It is my hope that the powers-that-be understand the seriousness of this situation and will take the necessary steps to arrest this “linguistic-recession” before it comes to a point where we are no longer able to fully participate and, worse, become “paralysed”, in this globalised world due to our lack of proficiency in English.

JSZ, Klang to The Star Friday January 13, 2012

Related posts:

“Clothes that poke eye”, Melayu English; Lost in translation!

‘Poke-eye’ Melayu English blunder, Mindef blames Google, my God!

‘Poke eye’ Melayu English in many public institutions inexcusable!

Milky Way home to billions of planets

Tweet  

Milky Way teeming with 'billions' of planets: Study

New methods have allowed the Kepler space telescope to discover billions more planets in the galaxy.

WASHINGTON: The Milky Way is home to far more planets than previously thought, boosting the odds that at least one of them may harbour life, according to a study released on Wednesday.

Not long ago, astronomers counted the number of "exoplanets" detected outside our own solar system in the teens, then in the hundreds. Today the tally stands at just over 700.

But the new study, published in Nature, provides evidence that there are more planets than stars in our own stellar neighbourhood.

"We used to think that Earth might be unique in our galaxy," said Daniel Kubas, a professor at the Institute of Astrophysics in Paris, and co-leader of the study.

 
"Now it seems that there are literally billions of planets with masses similar to Earth orbiting stars in the Milky Way."

Two methods have dominated the hunt over the past two decades for exoplanets too distant and feint to perceive directly.

One measures the effect of a planet's gravitational pull on its host star, while the other detects a slight dimming of the star as the orbiting planet passes in front of it.

Both of these techniques are better at finding planets that are massive in size, close to their stars, or both, leaving large "blind spots".

An international team of astronomers led by Kubas and colleague Arnaud Cassan used a different method called gravitational microlensing, which looks at how the combined gravitational fields of a host star and the planet itself act like a lens, magnifying the light of another star in the background.

If the star that acts as a lens has a planet, the orbiting sphere will appear to slightly brighten the background star.

One advantage of microlensing compared to other methods is that it can detect smaller planets closer in size to our own, and further from their hot-burning stars.

The survey picked up on planets between 75 million and 1.5 billion kilometres from their stars -- a range equivalent in the Solar System to Venus at one end and Saturn at the other -- and with masses at least five times greater than Earth.

Over six years, the team surveyed millions of stars with a round-the-world network of telescopes located in the southern hemisphere, from Australia to South Africa to Chile.

Besides finding three new exoplanets themselves -- no minor feat -- they calculated that there are, on average, 1.6 planets in the Milky Way for every star, Cassan told AFP.

Whether this may be true in other galaxies is unknown.

"Remarkably, these data show that planets are more common than stars in our galaxy -- they are the rule rather than the exception," Cassan said. "We also found lighter planets ... would be more common than heavier ones."

One in six of the stars studied was calculated to host a planet similar in mass to Jupiter, half had planets closer in mass to Neptune, and nearly two-thirds had so-called super-Earths up to 10 times the mass of the rock we call home.

Another study published the same day in Nature, meanwhile, showed that planets simultaneously orbiting two stars -- known as circumbinary planet systems -- are also far more common that once supposed.

There are probably millions of planets with two suns, concluded the study, led by William Welsh of San Diego State University in California.

Trees pruning must be with loving care! Where are the experts?

Tweet

Be more refined in pruning trees

WITH reference to “‘Tree killers’ at work in Penang” (The Star, Jan 10), I support fully the call to local authorities to be more sensitive and refined in their pruning techniques.

Whoever the contractors were, it should be obvious by the sight of their boorish handiwork how much they know about botany or care about the trees unfortunate enough to be marked out for their chainsaw massacre.

It is heart-wrenching to see lush, green trees that have taken so many years to grow – and which are so vital to our environment – turned into wretched mutilated stumps overnight.

In all the pruning work I’ve seen in the city, never have I seen anyone approaching a “professional” supervising the work.

Don’t the local authorities, whether MPPP or JKR, have any one suitably qualified? Can’t they ask the Botanic Gardens for help? Or would anyone with a crane and a chainsaw suffice?

CH’NG HAN WEI,
Batu Feringghi, Penang, The Star



Treat our trees with loving care

AS a resident of Penang, I was so happy to read StarMetro North front-page story ‘Tree Torture’ on Tuesday.

That story highlighted the hacking of trees by a private contractor and the lack of supervision over such an important project which has far reaching implications.

The majority of visitors to Penang come here not to look at new concrete housing and highrises.

They want to enjoy the traditional architecture, the food and the scenery which includes the beautiful trees that line our streets.

Now, these trees — which are one of the most important elements that set Penang apart from other cities — are fast disappearing.

The increasing destruction of trees is evident almost every day.

Many businessmen are now destroying trees illegally to make way for advertising signs which are eyesores. This is such an oversight.

Destroy the trees and you destroy the heritage and birthright of future generations to enjoy.

As trees vanish, I guarantee, so will the tourists to Penang.

LEWIS, Penang.The Star 

Friday January 13, 2012, The Star

Where are the experts? 

It’s a bad job, says writer

ALLOW me to comment on StarMetro North story ‘One hack of a job’ which appeared on Tuesday.

State exco member Lim Hock Seng, who is chairman of Public Works, Utilities and Transport, said in his reply that the contractor ‘did not do pruning often so it was not practical to just trim a bit’.

To me, this is a silly and unacceptable explanation. It means it is acceptable practice by a contractor to do massive cutting of tree branches even to the extent of them becoming ‘bald.’ No wonder this has been practised by the Public Works Department and Penang Muni-cipal Council (MPPP.)

On MPPP president Patahiyah Ismail’s statement in the second story titled ‘Tree pruning necessary’ on Wednesday that the council sought advice from experts before executing pruning projects, I am sorry I don’t think so.

From my observations when council workers carry out massive cutting or pollarding of roadside trees, the huge branches cut down are still healthy.

There are no ‘so-called’ experts around to give advice, just manual workers doing the job cutting at their pleasure.

Branches are left by the roadside or pavement for a day to three sometimes, before being removed forcing pedestrians to walk on busy roads, thus endangering themselves.

Maybe, this is in keeping Penang green and clean. I have brought (this issue) to Patahiyah’s attention by e-mail. She directed her landscape officer to reply with a silly explanation.

I have also forwarded pictures at Edgecumbe Road, Pulau Tikus, taken on July 1 last year, to Patahiyah. Note the massive cutting on July 20 last year as well as the bald tree in the latest picture taken on Wednesday. This tree is now dead.

Is this advice from experts? What a disappointment from the statements of both parties.

AB YEE, Penang