Roksana Bibi Abdullah

This article delves into the exploration of Evaluative Language Theory within the discourse of Malay newspapers. The study draws upon two primary news sources: "Berita Harian/Minggu Singapura" (BH S'pura) and "Berita Harian/Ahad Malaysia" (BH M'sia). Specifically, the analysis focuses on comment articles related to the tragic events of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York. By selecting articles with similar thematic contexts, the analysis aims to unveil the strategies employed by these news sources through the commentators' voices aimed at influencing their readership. The study employs Systemic Functional Linguistics to scrutinize Evaluative Language, encompassing Attitude, Engagement, and Graduation, within the Malay newspaper discourse. Attitude types such as effect, judgment, and appreciation, engagement modes including monogloss and heterogloss, and graduation aspects like force and focus are crucial elements examined in this research. Through this lens, the article aims to elucidate the nuances of Evaluative Language Concepts in Malay newspaper discourse, offering insights into how these linguistic elements shape reader perception and understanding.

Masyarakat natif pengguna bahasa Melayu sentiasa mencari usaha agar bahasa yang digunakan itu mampu memenuhi setiap keperluan komunikasi bagi pelbagai latar dan laras. Maka itu, bahasa Melayu yang digunakan dalam era moden ini telah banyak berubah dalam perkembangan masyarakatnya yang sama-sama mendayungi arus perkembangan ilmu. Bagi memenuhi keperluan komunikasi dalam pelbagai bidang, bahasa Melayu telah menyerap banyak sekali kata-kata asing melalui proses peminjaman dari bahasa-bahasa asing.

Masyarakat Melayu di Singapura rata-rata mempunyai latar belakang yang rencam dan berasal usul dari pelbagai daerah di rantau ini, termasuklah Pulau Bawean. Kajian ini menyingkap sejauh mana bahasa Bawean masih mampu bertahan dalam konteks Singapura. Kajian ini juga telah memanfaatkan teori rangkaian sosial (social network theory) yang meninjau penggunaan bahasa yang dipilih oleh para responden sewaktu berkomunikasi dengan interlokutor dari pelbagai latar. Hasil pengumpulan data dari kelompok masyarakat Bawean dalam 3 generasi yang berbeza, bukti kukuh diperolehi di mana bahasa Bawean dalam konteks Singapura dapat dikelompokkan sebagai ‘endangered language’. Kelompok generasi ketiga secara keseluruhan tidak mampu menggunakan bahasa Bawean. Walau bagaimanapun, masyarakat Bawean merupakan golongan yang aktif menjalankan pelbagai aktiviti dan berusaha mengekalkan bahasa Bawean di Singapura.

Based on the 2010 report by Mother Tongue Languages Review Committee (MTLRC) which was carried out by the Ministry of Education (Singapore), the trend in the number of Malay language students using English as the dominant spoken language at home is on the rise. Furthermore, it was found that home language has a great impact on students’ attitudes and proficiency in Mother Tongue Language. Coupled with the bilingual learning environment and the lack of usage of Malay language in school, errors in students’ Malay language written work is inevitable. This research focuses on the Contrastive Analysis (CA) and Error Analysis (EA) which aim at identifying error of morpho-syntax and explaining the reasons for this error. Scripts from 36 Primary 2 and 3 students from English speaking homes were collected as the research data from two different schools. Samples were analysed by means of a mixed method both quantitatively and qualitatively. In general, the highest percentage of error analysis is evident in graphology with 44.6%. Morphology recorded the second highest with (32.2%), followed by syntax (20.4%) and lexical (2.8%) respectively. Hence, this research will aid teachers in teaching and learning of second language acquisition especially in a bilingual education system like Singapore. It is also crucial to scaffold student’s learning interest which could reduce percentage of errors generated.

Language reflects the speakers of a community. The characteristics and background of an individual or society are assessed through the spoken word and forms of language. There have been many studies conducted by scholars who study foreign languages (particularly English and European languages as spoken in the United States of America (USA), Germany and Norway). The Chinese language has also been assessed by a number of scholars. Many sexist elements have been found in the Chinese language (in particular, in older forms of the language.) Unfortunately, even many language users agree that male terms sometimes fail to be gender-neutral and may therefore be a cause of sex bias as well as a vestige of past inequality, few studies have been conducted that serve to highlight the sexist elements of the Malay language. In this paper, proverbs with sexist elements will be discussed to prove that the said elements do exist in Malay language.

This article is based on a study that advances the concept of Attitude as subjective opinion within Evaluative Language Theory. This concept is also applied in Malay newspaper discourse. Two types of newspapers were used in this study: Berita Harian/BeritaMinggu Singapura (BH/BM S’pura) and Berita Harian/Berita Ahad Malaysia (BH/BA M’sia). Only commentary articles were selected as study materials, ensuring they were related to the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York that occurred on September 11,2001. This study is limited to articles with such themes due to their similar context. The study explores the strategies employed by newspapers through their commentators to influence readers, enabling the newspapers to instill the propositions they aim to advance within the readers. This description is based on analytical findings regarding Attitude in Malay newspaper discourse contained within the texts. The study is grounded in Systemic-Functional Linguistics as a linguistic framework for examining the Attitude present in Malay language newspaper discourse. Attitude consists of types such as Affect, Judgement, and Appreciation. The concept of Evaluative Language in Malay newspaper discourse can be explained by outlining these types of attitude.

"This one-year project was an investigation into the ongoing implementation of recent policy initiatives that influence pedagogies, curriculum innovation, and instructional practices in primary education in Singapore. Investigation covered P1 and P2 in all core subjects: English, Mother Tongue (Chinese, Malay, Tamil) and mathematics. It included investigation of local contextual conditions which impact the work of policy developers and implementers at all levels within the system: class, school, zone, national. Our goal was to assist in developing a more complete understanding of the specific, local challenges of policy implementation." -- p. 2.

Bahasa Melayu di Singapura menghadapi pelbagai cabaran bagi pelestariannya. Walaupun statusnya telah diangkat sebagai bahasa kebangsaan dan salah satu daripada bahasa rasmi, namun dari segi realitinya, penggunaannya amat terbatas dan keupayaan bahasa dalam kalangan penutur natifnya juga kian merosot. Perkara ini disorot dengan meninjau sebab musabab serta impaknya terhadap masa depan bahasa Melayu di Singapura.