Let’s Leverage on Twitter Framework in Propagating Malay Proverbs (Peribahasa) to the New Generation. Our Proverbs: Use it! (Peribahasa Kita: Gunakanlah!)

Abstract

Proverbs or better known as Peribahasa, in the Malay Language has been an integral component in learning and understanding the Malay culture. It is also part of the Malay Language curriculum to be imparted to our students during their primary, secondary education and even for their post-secondary education in junior colleges in preparation for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Normal, Ordinary, Advanced Level examinations in Singapore. With the advent of today’s information & communication technology, raises the concept of New Media literacy among our youths. One of the commonly New Media tools that the majority youths in the ASEAN region, especially Singapore, have adopting is Twitter (http://twitter.com). Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows users to tweet about any topics within the 140-character limit and follow others to receive their tweets. In this paper, the illustration of the twitter technology proposed by the technology librarian with national reference librarian (specialized in language development – Malay) are to explore, deploy and leverage on the capability to create a knowledge awareness and immersive model in propagating Malay Proverbs (Peribahasa) to the new generation within the Twitter sphere. This initiative is introduced to strategically spread them through the digital engagement among the new generation and at the same times expose the surface knowledge of peribahasa among the online community. Most language learners do not need even more passive input in form of texts, lectures or videos. This input is readily available in numerous forms on the Internet. Basically, they need is the opportunity to actively produce peribahasa language and the chance to use them as tool of communication. This addresses for instructional methods and tools promoting ‘active’ learning allowing to express themselves and interact in the target language and cultural. The paper will explores and discusses on the technology - twitter, digital demo graph and cultural, the use of language (peribahasa), the framework and lastly the benefit and return of investment.

Keywords: social media, new media, language, Malay, Bahasa Melayu, literary