What would you do when you meet a seemingly easy-going foreigner in a park or a fast food restaurant and really want to talk with the person? Answer one: go toward him/her and try extremely hard to strike up a conversation with him/her IN ENGLISH? Answer two: go toward him/her and slowly tell him/her: “ Niao! Ni zai xue xi zhong wen ma?”

Of course, you could just leave that person alone. But if you have to which language would come to you first, English or Chinese?

The New York Times website reported about why Indonesians who was born and brought up in the country can’t speak their native language, Indonesian. ( Check this  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26indo.html?pagewanted=1)

In Indonesia, kids are sent to English-only private schools and are taught all subjects only in English. English native speakers are employed as teachers and parents are suggested to talk with their children in English even at home. Indonesia’s new generation could hardly chat with their grandparents for these kids can only speak English. Now the problem is native language Indonesian is possibly endangered.

An Indonesian linguistic expert puts it clear that language is a symbol of social status. The sad truth is that Indonesian people are willing to sacrifice their native language and culture for higher social status.

Back in China, we also have kindergartens teaching English but, luckily, they are bilingual not English-only. Chinese didn’t go that far as what Indonesian do, thanks for our boosting economy and thousands of years of civilization.

The era of colonialism by weapons has gone, now come the linguistic colonialism. Except from listening to BBC world service, I also enjoy comic cross talk; except from writing in English like what I’m doing now, I also like practicing hard-pen calligraphy.

What is your purpose of having an ID and write English articles here? Don’t say that you want your English to be more fluent than your mother tongue.