Tuesday August 7, 2012
Your esteemed goodself
RIGHT FOR BUSINESS
By ALISTAIR KING
People in Malaysia (and India) have ‘preserved’ archaic Victorian-era language and even elevated it as ‘Business English’ — while the British have long since moved on.
I RECENTLY received an e-mail referring to “the meeting chaired by your goodself”. My goodself, indeed! I recall that the meeting in question was one in which I had a few strong points to make and I do not think that the meeting endeared me to the participants.
Only today, I have received another e-mail from a client requesting a meeting with my goodself. The writer, suspecting that I would not be amenable to a meeting, perhaps thought that an element of flattery would put me into the right frame of mind for the meeting and discourage my bad self!
Why didn’t the first writer write the meeting chaired by you or the meeting (that) you chaired? Is there some assumption that, if we flatter the writer enough, we will obtain the outcome that we wish? From time to time, I receive letters of application from people seeking employment in my esteemed company … in my WHAT? Do we really live in a day when flattery and insincere words will ensure that the other party does as we desire?
In business communication, the term goodself is extremely common in two countries in which I have lived: India and Malaysia.
However, in the UK, where it doubtless originated, goodself is absolutely unheard of nowadays. In my case, at least, I last saw it in a document written to my great-great grandfather by his solicitor: “Pertaining to the construction of the above-mentioned dwelling-house, commissioned by your good self (two words), we hereby …”
This missive, in faded copper-plate handwriting, is dated 1827! While this complete anachronism was perpetrated in the UK two centuries ago, it is lovingly nurtured and perpetuated in Malaysia. Why?
Recently, I delivered the keynote address at an international conference in an Asean country. The conference was on English in technology and business. Most of the participants were linguists from around the world. One of the participants was a gentleman from Pakistan, an engineer by profession.
During my address, I sought to show how much “business communication” in fact inhibits communication; I used goodself as a glaring example of archaic, uncommunicative phraseology.
This gentleman vehemently disagreed with me. He suggested that, since I was not Asian, I did not understand the Asian mentality which was typified by politeness and courtesy and deference and that we SHOULD use goodself, etc.
Exercising great tact and sensitivity – it was a high-profile academic conference – I did not retort by asserting that most of my life had been spent in several Asian countries and thus my points were not made out of ignorance.
What is “the Asian mentality”? What is Asia? It is a great landmass stretching from Cape Baba in Turkey to Cape Dezhnev on the Bering Straits, facing Alaska, from north of the Arctic Circle to Tanjung Piai in Johor, including everything east of the Caucasus. Add to this the vast archipelago occupied by Indonesia and the Philippines. Add in Japan, of course, and Taiwan.
This great territory, mostly occupied by Russia, is Asia and it contains most of humanity. What characterises the inhabitants of this massive chunk of the planet, apparently, is a mentality typified by politeness, courtesy and deference where we SHOULD use goodself, etc.
However if, as I have done, you have ever tried to get on a bus in Karachi or Calcutta, driven on the highway between Kuala Lumpur and Penang or attended a buffet lunch at a Singapore hotel, you may rethink the courtesy myth!
So, why do Malaysians persist in writing goodself, esteemed company, your kind attention and such archaic kow-towing expressions, which have more to do with Victorian Britain than any supposed Asian courtesy? The answer lies in “ownership”, I believe.
Two hundred years ago, in the UK, it was considered appropriate to flatter the reader, often by demeaning oneself. This gave rise to phrases like: I remain your obedient servant; Kindly revert to the undersigned; submitted for your kind perusal and consideration (We have already dealt with perusal in the Right for Business column of July 24).
That was the thinking when the English Language was introduced into Malaysia. Soon, the “standard” phraseology became entrenched – and remains so. Even though many Malaysians have native-like competence in the English Language, their perception of their “ownership” of the language is not such that they consider themselves “qualified” to change what has been in place for two centuries.
Meanwhile, in the UK, native speakers have felt empowered to develop business communication language into a much more communicative style, but in Malaysia, we have people still writing about perusals and goodselves!
So what is the answer? Keep reading this column!
> Dr Alistair King is an Applied Linguist and Corporate Training Consultant with clients throughout the region, the Middle East and Southern Africa. He would value feedback to: alistair@aksb.com.my/www.aksb.com.my
Editor’s Note: Even though we are in the 21st century, do we Malaysians still have a “quasi-feudal” mindset which considers it appropriate to demean ourselves and flatter the readers of our letters, especially those more powerful than us? If so, are the arguments in this article still valid? You can send your comments on this and other topics to english@thestar.com.my
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