Whether you live in Singapore or somewhere in the rest of the world, learning Malay can be hugely advantageous and allow you to connect with the people around you in a new and exciting way.
In a world where Malay is the 9th most spoken language in the world, the event that you’ll run into someone who speaks Malay is almost completely guaranteed!
Here are four other reasons you should take a Malay language course, including some reasons why it’s especially important to learn if you’re planning on spending time in Singapore.
1. Malay is Singapore’s national language.
Although English has become the de facto main language of Singapore, Malay is the national language and the other main language of the country. Over 13% of Singaporeans consider Malay their home language, and many more are familiar with it on some level.
Learning Malay will allow you to connect with many people around you on a business or personal level as even some level of fluency will give you a better chance of understanding someone and making sure they understand you.
Malay is also spoken by many of Singapore’s neighbors which allows you to communicate even further.
2. Learning Malay can help your career in Singapore.
Whether you are a Singapore resident or simply working for a Singaporean company, learning Malay can help you move up in your career and create a fantastic work climate for you.
If you learn Malay you will be able to communicate with your fellow employees and possibly clients if that applies to your job.
Learning a language also gives you unique insights into the verbal and non-verbal nuances of that language, which will allow you to communicate more effectively which can help foster a better work environment for you.
3. Malay grammar is relatively simple.
When compared to other languages like English, the grammar of the Malay language is not quite as complex so you may find it easier to understand than you expected.
For example, verbs are not conjugated the way they are in many other languages so if you know a verb, you know it for every one of it’s possible uses.
There is no situation comparable to the English example of “you are” and “he is”.
4. Pronouncing Malay can be easy to do correctly from the beginning.
For some people, one of the hardest parts of learning a new language is picking up on the pronunciation and keeping it consistent.
It can be hard to unlearn bad habits if you pick them up early on and you might just be intimidated by the thoughts of pronouncing certain words or phrases and not be as comfortable trying it out.
If that sounds like you, you’ll be happy to know that the Malay language is generally considered to be much easier to pronounce than others.
There’s also no tonal distinction which is when the same word, differently pronounced, will make that word into a completely new word.
In a Nutshell
If you’re interested in learning Malay, consider checking out Mingo Space!
You can start with a beginner lesson, or book a free level test if you’ve studied before.
You’ll be learning with one-on-one lessons from experienced native speakers who can really teach you the basics of the language as well as help you practice applying what you know to real life situations. Click here to get started!
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