Mother-tongue policy undermines education and our future - Good Article

[halsey02]

You are right, our heritage, our real mother tongue has been wiped out in two generation. Thanks for the info for the different sized bowls. Is there anywhere I can find out more information about this. I'm really curious about learning my heritage now.

I think there are, if you search the internet. I learnt this from the people that I grew up around me, learning their UNIQUEness as differing dialects, & as one being CHINESE, in a single spoken dialect, that is Mandarin.

Do you know that the Cantonese is very particluar of using their own chopsticks, spoon & bowl while eating together, in the past, each individuals have their own cutlery in the house; and uses only them.

By the Hainanese are much more communal, they all dip their chopsticks, spoons in whatever one the table...one of their unique tradition, which I came across was at wedding.

When you arrive at the recpetion, a table with red cloth is set at the entrance, with a person collecting the red packets. The person will ask..'bride or groom"...then open up the red packet & announce the Contents, a book keeper next to the person will record the amount & relation.

Not only using cutlery, we have a wealth of heritage amongst us...that we have destroyed...under the mad, crazy policy of Mother Tongue ( Manadrain as for the Chinese)..which incidentally isn't ours in the first place.

Don't get me wrong, learning a language or languages is nothing wrong, but the way it had been handled before, until now...they just can not get it right...so, we should change people who can set this on the right path..for the sake of the children..why make them suffer, the way we have suffered.

 

[Ash007]

Not only using cutlery, we have a wealth of heritage amongst us...that we have destroyed...under the mad, crazy policy of Mother Tongue ( Manadrain as for the Chinese)..which incidentally isn't ours in the first place.

Don't get me wrong, learning a language or languages is nothing wrong, but the way it had been handled before, until now...they just can not get it right...so, we should change people who can set this on the right path..for the sake of the children..why make them suffer, the way we have suffered.

Indeed, its very sad that what the Pappies don't understand they destroy. There are many wonderful heritage that we should be inheriting, not just these. The cultural aspects is essentially our roots. I still remember when I was young I visited my granddads grave, my father pointed out how a teochew grave is different from a hokkien grave around and how this is related to the characteristics of being a teochews. When I was studying in Australia I made friends with a bunch of penangnites. Learned hokkien from them which is a bit different from the Singaporean hokkien, but at that stage non of the Singaporean I know could speak proper hokkien so I'll rather learn from the penangnites. Later, after several blunders, I used words that I remember my dad used as I was growing up and found out they are teochew words when one of them pointed out, as he is a teochew as well. I started finding teochew, hokkien songs to listen to. Got a GF that is a hakka and listened to hakka song. Tiu lup sup, tiao lup sup anyone?

The very sad reality I see in Singapore is that the "destruction" of our heritage has reached a stage where it maybe irreversible now. Once the older generation that remembers all this are gone there won't be anyone left to continue or pass down these tradition/culture. We would all be like a basket case of Beijing, China. Can't utter proper 普通话，can't speak good English.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

Indeed, its very sad that what the Pappies don't understand they destroy. There are many wonderful heritage that we should be inheriting, not just these. The cultural aspects is essentially our roots. I still remember when I was young I visited my granddads grave, my father pointed out how a teochew grave is different from a hokkien grave around and how this is related to the characteristics of being a teochews. When I was studying in Australia I made friends with a bunch of penangnites. Learned hokkien from them which is a bit different from the Singaporean hokkien, but at that stage non of the Singaporean I know could speak proper hokkien so I'll rather learn from the penangnites. Later, after several blunders, I used words that I remember my dad used as I was growing up and found out they are teochew words when one of them pointed out, as he is a teochew as well. I started finding teochew, hokkien songs to listen to. Got a GF that is a hakka and listened to hakka song. Tiu lup sup, tiao lup sup anyone?

The very sad reality I see in Singapore is that the "destruction" of our heritage has reached a stage where it maybe irreversible now. Once the older generation that remembers all this are gone there won't be anyone left to continue or pass down these tradition/culture. We would all be like a basket case of Beijing, China. Can't utter proper 普通话，can't speak good English.

try talking about hokkien and teochew graves to the youngsters of today, you think they give a crap?

 

[halsey02]

try talking about hokkien and teochew graves to the youngsters of today, you think they give a crap?

We have no graves today...they place them in urns...now it is much more modernized...you can have thumb print reader, where the relations can open the niche...a small LCD screen will display the decease picture..and even play a video of his life..plus all the the favourite songs etc..Multimedia ...plus on or before anniversary the niche will send you email reminders to visit...

It is without an identity...without a heritage!:p

 

[Ash007]

We have no graves today...they place them is urns...now it is much more modernized...you can have thunb print reader, that opens the niche...a small LCD screen will display the decease picture..and even play a video of his life..plus all the the favourite songs etc..Multimedia ...

It is without an identity...without a heritage!:p

Indeed, hence my original premise, we have become rootless. As the chinese saying goes, we are already 离谱。

 

[Ramseth]

I have to correct you on one thing. Many europeans can speak 2 or more languages. Bilingualism is not unique to singapore.

A Swiss of viet origin told me that he had to learn THREE languages in school. German, French and Italian.

Most dutch can speak english (taught as second langualge in school) comfortably, in fact better than many of us. Just compare their footballers interviews with ours!

It's not uncommon for a Swiss to speak four languages, German, French, Italian and English. The Dutch traditionally speaks Dutch and English even before England became a world power because of historic and strategic ties. Dutch English is practically native perfect without any hint of foreign accent. Ditto for the Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Norway used to have the same national anthem as England, God Save The King/Queen. This group of countries (British Isles, Scandinavia and the Netherlands), their royalties are relatives to each other.

Bilingualism in French and English is the practice, indeed also official policy in Quebec, Canada. Although French is not enforced in the rest of Canada outside Quebec, it is an official language of Canada alongside English.

 

[scroobal]

Looks to me that after 80 posts, we still have little clue.

Here are snippets that might be of interest

1) No matter how you couch it, its not bilingualism. English is the main medium of instructions and language of government and commerce. Its pointless getting A1 in Chinese, Malay or Tamil, if command of the working language is poor. All it does is portray the PAP as culuturally attuned party.

2) Like the days of Nantah where the board of governors sent their kids to English School. The elites continue to send their kids to Raffles, ACS and SJI. May also switch to these schools as they finish Pri 6 and O levels.

3) Dialects are virtually banned.

The issues is not engaging China more effectively nor is it keeping in touch with culture and heritage. It was a political solution to avoid the PAP losing ground to the Chinese educated masses. If old man was Hokkein, Cantonese or Teochew, this would not have happened. It would politically disadvantages. It will likely follow the example of HK and Taiwan, where those who are keen will pick up Mandarin without killing their mother tongue.

Looking after culture, heritage etc happens all around the world and not confined to Chinese and neither does it need an education curriculumn to protect it. In Singapore, the younger generation think that Mandarin is their mother tongue - now thats bizarre.

 

[Char_Azn]

It's not uncommon for a Swiss to speak four languages, German, French, Italian and English. The Dutch traditionally speaks Dutch and English even before England became a world power because of historic and strategic ties. Dutch English is practically native perfect without any hint of foreign accent. Ditto for the Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Norway used to have the same national anthem as England, God Save The King/Queen. This group of countries (British Isles, Scandinavia and the Netherlands), their royalties are relatives to each other.

In reality the Dutch do speak English and speak it well enough however the standard is basically more or less the same as SG. Same goes for the Scandinavian countries don't expect the average Dutch or Swede to be able to speak as at the level of sophistication as the average Brit or Aussie.

 

[Ramseth]

In reality the Dutch do speak English and speak it well enough however the standard is basically more or less the same as SG. Same goes for the Scandinavian countries don't expect the average Dutch or Swede to be able to speak as at the level of sophistication as the average Brit or Aussie.

Anyway, I shudder to think that US impose mother tongue policy on their black citizens. Speak Africanese? Compulsory Africanese as 2nd language in schools? What's Africanese anyway? God Must Be Crazy lingo?

US is much bigger but same as Singapore in not having a national native tongue. The Africanese joke aside, how about forcing Americans of Italian, German, Polish etc. descent to take up respective mother tongues?

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

We have no graves today...they place them in urns...now it is much more modernized...you can have thumb print reader, where the relations can open the niche...a small LCD screen will display the decease picture..and even play a video of his life..plus all the the favourite songs etc..Multimedia ...plus on or before anniversary the niche will send you email reminders to visit...

It is without an identity...without a heritage!:p

The pt is u think they even give a rat's ass about these kind of traditions?

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

Anyway, I shudder to think that US impose mother tongue policy on their black citizens. Speak Africanese? Compulsory Africanese as 2nd language in schools? What's Africanese anyway? God Must Be Crazy lingo?

US is much bigger but same as Singapore in not having a national native tongue. The Africanese joke aside, how about forcing Americans of Italian, German, Polish etc. descent to take up respective mother tongues?

What are you talking about?


The blacks in the US do know how to speak english. Some of them speak ebonics or a patois of english mixed in with african. Most africans i met in sg spoke pretty good english much better than the china., thai and probably even local sinkees.

Do u know that africa has been colonized by various european powers so that some of them can speak french, spanish, dutch etc. For africans to speak english isn't that difficult for them.


As for comparing the US to Sg. Well it's a fact that the US has english as the language of communication, with spanish in the southern regions. You are required to learn and speak english in the US. All of that aside the US probably has ppl all over the world residing over there. There are many ppl whom cannot speak english very well staying in the US.

 

[Ramseth]

What are you talking about?

The blacks in the US do know how to speak english. Some of them speak ebonics or a patois of english mixed in with african. Most africans i met in sg spoke pretty good english much better than the china., thai and probably even local sinkees.

Do u know that africa has been colonized by various european powers so that some of them can speak french, spanish, dutch etc. For africans to speak english isn't that difficult for them.

As for comparing the US to Sg. Well it's a fact that the US has english as the language of communication, with spanish in the southern regions. You are required to learn and speak english in the US. All of that aside the US probably has ppl all over the world residing over there. There are many ppl whom cannot speak english very well staying in the US.

Exactly what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter you're black or white, brown or yellow. This is an English speaking country. Bilingualism or multilingualism is bonus if one's linguistically talented enough.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

Exactly what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter you're black or white, brown or yellow. This is an English speaking country. Bilingualism or multilingualism is bonus if one's linguistically talented enough.

you're wrong. Sg isn't really an english speaking country.

You cannot compare sg to the US.

 

[Ramseth]

you're wrong. Sg isn't really an english speaking country.

You cannot compare sg to the US.

A country is defined by poltical border, law and order. Pray tell, what's the language Singapore uses to define that?

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

A country is defined by poltical border, law and order. Pray tell, what's the language Singapore uses to define that?

And pray tell what does political border, law and order have to do with language usage?

Sg's 4 official languages you should obviously know that means sg isn't really an english speaking country.

 

[Ramseth]

And pray tell what does political border, law and order have to do with language usage?

Sg's 4 official languages you should obviously know that means sg isn't really an english speaking country.

Check the Constitution, Hansard and Statutes of Acts of Parliament. Written in English only.

Oh well, the national anthem is sung in Malay.

 

[lolabunny]

Why is Beijing Chinese called Mandarin? It's the language of nobility and civilty. It's very hard to get vulgar in Mandarin even if you try very hard, what else than 他妈的？

Tiu neh lou mou chou hai and kan nin na bu chao chee bye only exist in southern dialects, not even translatable to Mandarin. Try translate it to Mandarin. See?

That's a good one. Amalgamating what I read in another thread, I think that it was the "ridicule" and "pressure" of learning the language, not the language itself that was the problem.

Personally, I had some difficulty learning Chinese in school because the lessons were too boring and the topics we covered were simply childish.

Still I didn't give up and after I left school, I taught myself to read the script used in Taiwan and Hk. I adore Chinese poetry and it's a pity that we didn't learn that in school.

I don't think the bilingual policy is the problem. Sinkies are weak people. In Europe, many countries have a default bilingual education system where they learn their mother tongue, plus English. Don't people in India speak good english besides their native tongue?

Actually it was because I knew this since I was a kid that I bothered trying hard in Chinese. Our textbooks are horrible.

 

[lolabunny]

You people should be in parliament. This is exactly the kind of debate the government should have, not the silent yes men mp's who sit in parliament and not raise any challenge.

You make me laugh. What's wrong with yes men? We are in sinkieland, not USA. You watch too many Hollywood movies. :p:p:p

The fun is in watching people get high salaries and sleep. All they had do is to study hard and there they are.

It's the sinkie dream geddit?

 

[lolabunny]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_Chinese_profanity

This is a super funny link.

 

[Char_Azn]

I don't think the bilingual policy is the problem. Sinkies are weak people. In Europe, many countries have a default bilingual education system where they learn their mother tongue, plus English. Don't people in India speak good english besides their native tongue?

U must be talking about a different Europe to the one I've visited a number of times. The vast majority of Europeans DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH!!!! You go to France, Spain or Italy and randomly pick a guy off the street and speak to him in English, chances are he won't understand you or at least will not be able to reply in English!!! You probably have better luck doing it in Germany. Most Dutch speak English however in most other parts of Europe, they only speak the local language!!!! In fact you probably can't even find a single local English TV Channels in those countries. And I am not sure about Bilingual policies in other parts of Europe since I am assuming it may be local language + another European language but I am 100% sure most Brits can't speak any other languages except English

Indians, the educated ones at least speak pretty decent language, about on par with SG. I also had the idea that the majority of Indians speak English better then us until I actually had to visit the place and work with them. Most of them speak the language only at about our level or lower. Only the higher educated scholar types are better then us the average Uni grad is no better or worse then us and considering the fact that a huge percentage of Indians are uneducated, well U get the idea.