… swirl around in my mind. they consume my idle thoughts. they confound, yet fascinate me.

i know it’s confusing for the boy, switching from English to Malay rules in spelling/reading, especially where vowels are concerned. (for example, “clown”, “mountain”, and “hijau” – you can’t really explain to a young reader why there are so many ways to spell one dipthong other than “that’s just the way it is, my child”, shaking your head apologetically at the inexplicable mysteries of life.)

but i keep telling him: “Malay vowels are like, the EASIEST, EVER!” (note how many different ‘e’ sounds there are in these 2 English words alone? and don’t forget the ones that don’t even make a sound! how can one not get exasperated?!)

whereas the vowel ‘e’ in Malay only has two sounds. the other Malay vowels don’t even vary, or change as and when they like with different words…

Malay vowels,
they’re straightforward.
they’re uncomplicated.
they’re consistent.
they’re faithful.

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