Yes, We Speak English

"Where did you learn your English?"

"Did you learn your English here or back home?"

These are some of the most frequently asked questions that I often get from people who just meet me. Most of them assume that since I'm a recent migrant, I probably shouldn't be able to converse in proper sentenses. Which I do, of course, and which in turn, surprise some of them.

So I usually have to explain that we actually speak English in Malaysia. In fact, most suburbans families there speak English at home, although with a different accent. Also, English is taught in all schools and is a compulsory subject. Additionally, Malaysia is a former British colony. And therefore, English is one of the legacies left by the British.

This goes to show that many local Australians don't really understand the world outside. They lump all immigrants in one general group - migrants don't speak English. Which is true in most cases. I know many migrants from mainland China who can barely speak any English. Those who learnt their English after their arrival here usually speak broken English. And there also many Japanese and Korean migrants with great difficulty in expressing themselves in English.

But not all migrants have that difficulty. Many from Malaysia, Singapore, India and some African nations are quite comfortable with English. In fact, most skilled migrants are proficient in the language because English proficiency is a must for migration applications.

I'm not the least offended when people ask me those questions. I probably write better English than many of them. Maybe I should say, "I just took up a crash course in English 3 months ago". It would be fun to see the shock on their faces. Now, that's a thought ...