ENGLISH IS NOT THE ONLY “DIFFICULT” LANGUAGE LESSON

A lot of students, sometimes, justify that English is a very difficult lesson to understand because it has a lot of rules: confusing and terrifying grammar!

English is recognized as a difficult lesson besides mathematic or other exact lessons. But actually, English (and other “difficult” lessons) are not quite difficult if we know the techniques to learn. For some students, mathematic and physic are difficult lessons. The others say BAHASA INDONESIA is difficult because they can’t compose a good composition such as short story or paper (makalah). And finally, the others say that BAHASA JAWA, a daily and our mother-tongue language, is the most difficult lesson in the world!

Yup! Now, I’m going to talk about BAHASA JAWA as a “difficult” lesson, not English. Why?

Actually, I have an experience like this: I visited my friend for about a month ago. That time, he wasn’t at home and I met his cousin. As usual, I always talk in “Krama Inggil” in the first meeting with a new man, although he/she is younger than me. I asked whether the person I looked for (my friend) at home or not then I told her my purpose to look for him. As a student, she should be able to speak in BAHASA JAWA HALUS because there’s PELAJARAN BAHASA JAWA at school. But, how did she respond “my language”? She was confused to answer, even to say where was my friend go and what time he would be home. Oh, maybe she never speaks in “Krama Inggil” to older people around her.

Another chance (last week, exactly), I came to another friend. Again, I didn’t meet him. I only met his brother who couldn’t speak in “Krama Inggil”. He answered my questions with his “mixed language” between “Krama Inggil” and “Jawa Ngoko”. Oh my God, isn’t there any child (here) who can speak in our mother-tongue language anymore? Aren’t there any parents who still teach their kids BAHASA JAWA HALUS? Or, BAHASA JAWA lesson at school is only a formality?

There are a lot of people around me teach and speak in BAHASA INDONESIA to their children today. Maybe that’s the reason, why a lot of young men can’t speak in their own mother-tongue language well. Then, when they face BAHASA JAWA lesson at school, they will say that it’s difficult. So we know, something become difficult because it’s never been taught at home.

Then, what is the relationship with English, the most talked theme here every week? Just like BAHASA JAWA or other lessons. If they are never been taught or minimally re-learnt at home, it’s impossible for us to master them.