Reduplication is the name linguists give to the doubling up of words. It doesn’t happen all that much in English, aside from making adjectives more intense, as in Star Wars (“Long long ago in a galaxy far far away”), or baby talk (dumdum, poopoo), or when apologizing to Miss Jackson (for ever-ever?). Bahasa Malaysia, on […]
Category Archives: Language
The Raid
I can’t recommend The Raid: Redemption. It’s an Indonesian action movie that has won some acclaim internationally. I watched it because I’d seen Merantau, by the same director (Gareth Evans) and starring the same actor (Iko Uwais). Merantau wasn’t bad if you are a martial arts fan: the production quality was high and the pencak […]
Kekasih by Usman Awang
Beloved I would spin the sea-spray into a belt that binds you I would braid the rolling waves to spread a sleeping mat for you I would weave of the clouds a shawl to cover the hair of you I would
Read the Books Your Father Read
Ivan Illich was an influential theorist in the decade I was born. I had heard of his most famous work, Deschooling Society, and it had been recommended to me more than once I’m sure, no doubt because I homeschooled in the 6th and 12th grades. But I had only a passing awareness of the man […]
Granfalloons
Granfalloon (n) : “A proud and meaningless association of human beings.” A word coined by Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) in his book Cat’s Cradle. I was recalling the concept recently for some reason but couldn’t bring the term to mind. There it is: A granfalloon. The idea is illustrated in the book by a woman from […]
To be simple
Tis a gift to be simple Tis a gift to be free Tis a gift to come down Where we ought to be And when we have come down To the place just right We will be in the valley Of love and Delight When the true Simplicity is gained To bow and to bend […]
Perjalanan (The Journey)
Duet with M. Nasir & Al-Jawaher (1982) M. Nasir: My affairs are not yet settled Till I have found His Light All I desire on this journey Is that you send along the Fatihah for me
Masihkah Kau Ingat
Masihkah Kau Ingat by Kopratasa, a Malaysian popular music trio active in the late 1980s. This was perhaps their biggest hit, and still receives a lot of play on Malaysian radio. *** Give it a listen: Kopratasa – Masihkah Kau Ingat *** [two_first]English translation by Bin Gregory Productions. *** Do you remember still That single […]