Maybe We Really Should Let The Dialects Die Off…
There was a recent buzz in Singapore over comments made by the leaders of the country, encouraging the usage of mandarin and saying that learning or maintaining of other languages; specifically dialects, hinders the learning process of children and thus preventing them from being proficiently bilingual in English and Mandarin.
Such comments (or any comment by the government actually) stirs the hearts of many Singaporeans, especially those who are fluent in English, Mandarin and other dialects in which they treasure.
I suck at mandarin and it’s no wonder, considering the environment that I was brought up in. My parents and relatives speak English dominantly and throughout school life, I formed a pretty high resistance towards learning Mandarin and it came to the point of hating the language during a certain phase. The reasoning behind leaving a trail of blank Mandarin spelling test papers and frustrated Mandarin teachers was that English is the world’s universal language. Why should I waste time learning Mandarin when I use English to answer 10 of my other subjects. My computer games were in English, newspapers and magazines were in English, most of my friends spoke in English, I use English if I met a foreigner or somebody of another race. Hell, I even think in English.
If I felt so strongly about not needing Mandarin in my life, imagine how dialects are to me. Dialects to me, were used to communicate with the older generation and the occasional swearing I need to have a place amongst the cool ah bengs and ah lians. Apart from that, there wasn’t much reasons to pick up dialects at all.
Some people argued about the statements of our leaders that if the older generation is able to be multilingual, why not the younger ones? Some lamented that dialects contain rich heritage and shouldn’t be allowed to die off. Some pointed at our roots and called shame upon us for not speaking the language of our forefathers.
Seriously, what’s the point of preserving more languages?
Frankly, I would prefer everyone in the world to just pick up one language as it improves consistency and it would really help us understand one another better. But in the real world, there is just too much culture and tradition in languages such as dialects. Having them die off may be a pity. And I do find myself in many situations when my lack of proficiency in Mandarin or Hokkien left me frustrated.
But, isn’t it easier to learn just one language that is widely adopted than to learn many?
Are the reasons for preserving languages more important than a step towards one, universal language for the sake of peace?
*insert Miss Universe music*
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March 26th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I think i speak Mandarin to u in the train leh. U r fine with it la!
hmmm..I feel it’s always fun to learn more languages. Since young, i was sad that I could not speak my hokkien well and thus, could not communicate well with my grannies and always pretending i understand. Now, both of them have already passed on and, will never have a chance to tell them i love them. =( Well i think the importance really depend on ur family bkground. Mine are all living in Penang and they communicate using Hokkien so i feel the importance.
But of coz an universal language is good.I always have problem speaking to participants from countries whereby their main language is not English, like Korea & Japan!
Reginas last blog post..Ah Lin
March 26th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
@Regina> I am fine with Chinese if it is conversational. Can’t do anything beyond that.
The usefulness and important really does lie on family backgrounds as you said and that is also why some say dialects may die off within 1 or 2 generations as the younger ones do not speak it anymore.
Is it a pity? Yes. Does it matter? Not really.
March 27th, 2009 at 12:25 am
But dialect do sound nice leh~
especially cantonese..
Reginas last blog post..Ah Lin
March 31st, 2009 at 11:14 am
@Regina> They do sound nice but I think the usefulness of the object should be considered more than just how ‘nice’ it is.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
For people like you, there’s always the Universal Translator… MUAHAHAHAH~~!!
FoxTwos last blog post..Wa Si Teochew Nang!
March 26th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
@FoxTwo> Buy one for me leh!!!
March 27th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
without dialect, there won’t be problems of kids scolding vulgarities like knnpcb smlj tllmhgc etc in public. i really get so irked when i see people do that. i almost want to tell them to stop, if not that i fear for my own safety. it’s such an ugly side of people, when they curse for nothing. it’s as if they cannot say anything without inserting a string of vulgarities in the sentence.
Daphne Maias last blog post..Turning Agnostic
March 31st, 2009 at 11:13 am
@Daphne> Hokkien is super crude to me too. But vulgarities are present in every language no? Eliminating dialects will only have the same uncouth people swearing in English or whatever language they are comfortable in.
March 27th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I realise the importance of languages when traveling. Meeting people of different countries, even speaking a bit of their language really helps to break down barriers.
arzhou (adrian)s last blog post..Graduation Trip Post #1c – Diving Photos Part 3
March 31st, 2009 at 11:11 am
@arzhou> That is why I mentioned that in a perfect world, I wish everyone can be multi-lingual. But in reality, we can’t and even if we can, our proficiency is limited. So using the same logic of application, having everyone speak one language and one language only will help to break down barriers.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Have you ever thought about learning the planned international language Esperanto? This language does not aim to take the place of the world’s myriad languages and dialects, but to serve as a second language for all. Take a look at http://www.esperanto.net
March 31st, 2009 at 11:06 am
@Bill Chapman> Thanks for bringing this to my attention! This shows how little I know about the world when I haven’t heard the existence of such a language. Thanks!
March 29th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Think it’s more importnt to preserve the culture. Language is the most tangible aspect of the culture but if that’s too difficult to catch on, we should still try to pass on the customs and traditions. Sadly, this is coming from a yhrough and through jiak kantang.
Ssumins last blog post..ssumin: I’m loving HBO Asia’s highly personal approach to social media. Friendly and sincere. http://www.cinemaxasia.com/trueblood/blog/ #trueblood
March 31st, 2009 at 11:02 am
@Ssumin> I do think that the culture should be preserved too, or at least well chronicled for future study. But from the discussions on Plurk, most of the people who are brought up in families with a strong footing in dialects, are very insistent that the language shapes who they are. Preserving the culture doesn’t seem to be enough as most of them feel that the language gives them identity and accentuates their culture.