shocking discoveries
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Had two shocking discoveries today. Not sure if I'm the only one among my peers who is ignorant, or that I chose not to believe and not to be convinced all along.
Discovery one:
De-emphasising Chineseness was exercised in 1965 to 1979, in the process of constructing national identity among the different enthnic groups, which mostly used their own languages to communicate in that era.
Discovery two:
Promoting English-speaking Singapore was done in that period as well. That was when English was used as a primary language for almost everything official and commercial activities under the sun. The purpose of Mother Tongue was only to transmit cultural values. o.O
OK, I agree with our Government's move to transform Singapore into an English-speaking country- it's one of the most pragmatic and sensible actions that contributed to Singapore's present success, because speaking the global's dominant language has, indeed, opened us a world of economic opportunities.
But somehow I feel that the "de-emphasis of Chineseness" has gone rather overboard over these years.
Not many young Singaporeans nowadays use Chinese to communicate, despite most of them do listen to Chinese pop songs and Chinese radiostations.
Another strange phenomena that is peculiar in Singapore is that although most Singaporeans read The Straits Times more than Lianhe Zaobao, when it comes to broadcast media, the most-watched channels are actually the mandarin Channel 8 and Channel U.
What puzzle me most were the opinions made by primary school kids nowadays, as mentioned by 938 Live's DJ Michelle Martin, who quoted a survey finding: English is their most worried examination subject.
Hmm, our modern Enligsh-educated parents seldom speak mandarin to their kids today, and kids don't like to write chinese cos' it is a widely accepted view that Chinese characters are difficult to memorise.
And yet, English is their most feared subject.
If that is the case, what has gone wrong?
I know I shouldn't generalise; I never did and will never do, cos' I have many friends who have a very good command of English, a handful who speak and write very well in Chinese, and few who are effectively bilingual.
I just don't wish to see our future generation merely excelling in Maths and Science, and when it comes to language and culture, they cannot speak English as good as the Westerners, nor converse in Chinese as good as the Chinese nationals.
It's our traditional beliefs, values and cultures that shape us, that define who we are, where we stand, and where our pride lies.
Had two shocking discoveries today. Not sure if I'm the only one among my peers who is ignorant, or that I chose not to believe and not to be convinced all along.
Discovery one:
De-emphasising Chineseness was exercised in 1965 to 1979, in the process of constructing national identity among the different enthnic groups, which mostly used their own languages to communicate in that era.
Discovery two:
Promoting English-speaking Singapore was done in that period as well. That was when English was used as a primary language for almost everything official and commercial activities under the sun. The purpose of Mother Tongue was only to transmit cultural values. o.O
OK, I agree with our Government's move to transform Singapore into an English-speaking country- it's one of the most pragmatic and sensible actions that contributed to Singapore's present success, because speaking the global's dominant language has, indeed, opened us a world of economic opportunities.
But somehow I feel that the "de-emphasis of Chineseness" has gone rather overboard over these years.
Not many young Singaporeans nowadays use Chinese to communicate, despite most of them do listen to Chinese pop songs and Chinese radiostations.
Another strange phenomena that is peculiar in Singapore is that although most Singaporeans read The Straits Times more than Lianhe Zaobao, when it comes to broadcast media, the most-watched channels are actually the mandarin Channel 8 and Channel U.
What puzzle me most were the opinions made by primary school kids nowadays, as mentioned by 938 Live's DJ Michelle Martin, who quoted a survey finding: English is their most worried examination subject.
Hmm, our modern Enligsh-educated parents seldom speak mandarin to their kids today, and kids don't like to write chinese cos' it is a widely accepted view that Chinese characters are difficult to memorise.
And yet, English is their most feared subject.
If that is the case, what has gone wrong?
I know I shouldn't generalise; I never did and will never do, cos' I have many friends who have a very good command of English, a handful who speak and write very well in Chinese, and few who are effectively bilingual.
I just don't wish to see our future generation merely excelling in Maths and Science, and when it comes to language and culture, they cannot speak English as good as the Westerners, nor converse in Chinese as good as the Chinese nationals.
It's our traditional beliefs, values and cultures that shape us, that define who we are, where we stand, and where our pride lies.
posted by Joy @ 3:58 AM
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