You and I

Don't get me wrong, this is NOT gonna be a soppy, sentimental entry, nor it is a Scorpions' song. I'm talking about how you refer to yourself and others (personal pronouns). How many of us actually use 'I' and 'you' in our daily conversation with our spouse, friends, colleagues or classmates when speaking Malay - our native language? I bet heaps do. 

For example: I rasa nak singgah Jusco nanti, you nak ikut tak? (I want to go to Jusco later, would you like to come too?)

I don't know why some of us (err, for instance, my colleagues - haha) make a big fuss out of such little thing. To be frank, they are rather skeptical and give a look of disapproval in return, as if we're trying to show off or something. What's wrong with using 'you' and 'I'  when conversing in Malay? It still means 'awak' and 'saya' (or 'kamu' and 'aku'). Heyyy, it's not like we're ashamed of the Malay language! It's just fun! 

Using more than one language in a conversation is normal and acceptable (to a certain extent) in any society. It is something linguists and we language teachers call 'code-switching', y'all :)