What Else? I Can Do It! ...
My ABC is a book. It shows pictures along with simple sentences on how to make a bowl of mixed iced drink. A very popular drink in Malaysia. In Bahasa Malaysia Air Batu Campur (ABC). Literal translation: Air Batu (ice) Campur (mixed). It is one of six books in a series entitled ... I CAN DO IT! for Early English.
I (Misna, Dr Arif was watching) was showing a 5 year old - this book, page by page, while asking her questions in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.
Writer: What's this (Ini apa?) ... I asked, showing her the ABC picture.
Girl: ABC ... Air Batu Campur ... she answered confidently.
Writer: Pandai! (Very Good!). Tengok kita boleh buat ABC (See ... we can make ABC).
Writer: We need many things. What's this (Ini apa?). Showing her picture of a bowl.
Girl: Mangkuk!
Writer: Yes, very good. Mangkuk ... Bowl. Turning the page ... What's this? I continued.
Girl: Air!
Writer: Yes. Air ... Water. Pandai ... Very good! (I praised enthusiastically). What else? ... What's this? Ini apa? (I turned the page)
Girl: Sirap! ... (I could see that she was pleased with her ability to answer)
Writer: Very good ... Syrup. (Sounds almost the same in both the languages). Now ... What's this? ( I plodded on)
Girl: Ummm ...AIR LEMBU! (she blurted)
Writer: (Now ... Friends and families who had been watching had already burst out ...Praised be to ALLAH SWT ... I kept my straightmost face and said. ) ... VERY, VERY GOOD! Air Lembu (literally: cow's water). Betul ... air dari lembu. Kita panggil SUSU .. MILK. (Right ... water from the cow. We call it SUSU ... MILK ...) I explained gently.
...Now ...with this answer ...from a 5 year old ... How could we say that we know many things!
I (Misna, Dr Arif was watching) was showing a 5 year old - this book, page by page, while asking her questions in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.
Writer: What's this (Ini apa?) ... I asked, showing her the ABC picture.
Girl: ABC ... Air Batu Campur ... she answered confidently.
Writer: Pandai! (Very Good!). Tengok kita boleh buat ABC (See ... we can make ABC).
Writer: We need many things. What's this (Ini apa?). Showing her picture of a bowl.
Girl: Mangkuk!
Writer: Yes, very good. Mangkuk ... Bowl. Turning the page ... What's this? I continued.
Girl: Air!
Writer: Yes. Air ... Water. Pandai ... Very good! (I praised enthusiastically). What else? ... What's this? Ini apa? (I turned the page)
Girl: Sirap! ... (I could see that she was pleased with her ability to answer)
Writer: Very good ... Syrup. (Sounds almost the same in both the languages). Now ... What's this? ( I plodded on)
Girl: Ummm ...AIR LEMBU! (she blurted)
Writer: (Now ... Friends and families who had been watching had already burst out ...Praised be to ALLAH SWT ... I kept my straightmost face and said. ) ... VERY, VERY GOOD! Air Lembu (literally: cow's water). Betul ... air dari lembu. Kita panggil SUSU .. MILK. (Right ... water from the cow. We call it SUSU ... MILK ...) I explained gently.
...Now ...with this answer ...from a 5 year old ... How could we say that we know many things!