Chinese language losing popularity in Singapore

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, February 22, 2004

Chinese language losing popularity in Singapore

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Although the working language here is English, the country should still ensure that students of Chinese origin know their ancestors' language so as to have a deeper understanding on their root and Asian values. This is stressed by Lee Hsien-loong Deputy Prime Minister on February 14 at the opening ceremony of the 10th "Chinese Culture Festival" in Singapore.

However, the Chinese people who have been to Singapore would find themselves landed in an embarrassment and felt quite otherwise when they expected wholeheartedly the Singaporeans speaking same language and sharing the same ethnic origin to speak and use Chinese fluently. But they discovered it was not like that, and students who did well in their studies in China may have to repeat a year's study once in Singapore because of the language barrier. And visitors going to Singapore for the first time are likely to lose their way amid a sea of English road signs.

Mother tongue reduced into a foreign language

Singapore became an important cultural center of overseas Chinese as early as half a century ago. Of the country's total population over 75 percent are of Chinese origin. The country once had a complete Chinese language education system from primary school to college. Along with Singapore's independence, however, the government began to push English education in order to establish the country's international status, encouraging all citizens to master English to raise their competitiveness. The advantages of Chinese education were soon drowned in the influx of English education, and even the famous Nanyang University was forced to close down by the end of 1960s.

Since 1984, Chinese language has been reduced into an isolated subject in primary and secondary schools, and all other subjects are taught in English, which has ever since dominated the country's education system. According to statistics from Singapore's ministry of education, 9.3 percent first year pupils of primary schools of Chinese origin used English at home in 1980, but the figure soared to 45 percent last year. What's more noticeable is, according to Singaporean population census in 2000, 35.8 percent children at the age group of 5-14 of Chinese origin mainly used English at home, while in the age-group of 15-24, only 21.5 percent used English in family conversations. If the trend remains unchanged, English will become the No.1 language for the Singaporean Chinese in one or two decades, while the Chinese language be reduced into an "alien tongue" to be learnt only in class.

Why refuse to learn Chinese

Despite repeated calls from elder-generation scholars for paying attention to Chinese education, English has unavoidably taken the place of Chinese. Some youngsters say they flee Chinese class because it's too difficult, especially the sophisticated writing of Chinese characters. Besides, they don't think learning Chinese is of much value since efforts on this can hardly bring any economic returns. For them, the mastery of English is a necessity to climb the social ladders, while speaking Chinese has by and by been shadowed into a symbol of failure. Some parents even tell their children to become an "elite in English" instead of a "master in Chinese".

What's more, since Chinese is only a single subject in primary and secondary schools, many Singaporean youngsters turned out quite inadequate for using Chinese, only able to listen and speak but limited in reading and writing. Except a few personages who have a good command of Chinese, most of the young Singaporeans can use Chinese only in daily talks. When talking with reporter, they would feel puzzled upon every occasional usage of a figurative speech or an idiom. If the interview is going to deal with some special topic then it must be in English. "We are all Chinese with black eyes and yellow skin, but we have to communicate with each other in a foreign tongue!" a friend of the reporter heaved a sigh.

Government calls for setting great store by Chinese language

Local institutions are also wreathed with worries about the development of the Chinese language. Articles discussing and making suggestion on Chinese education appear frequently on Lianhe Zaobao, or the United Morning Post, the biggest Chinese-language newspaper in Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew even required the paper to shoulder the heavy task of revitalizing the Chinese language.

A sample survey by the newspaper not long ago among Chinese students in Singapore showed that the Chinese language still rooted deeply in the heart of most of them as their mother tongue, and 97 percent of students in secondary school took pride in being able to speak Chinese.

Carried by the wave of globalization, our society has come to a crossroad, said Lee Hsien-loong. We can choose to drift along with the tide and accept totally the latest trend and fashion of the world. But we will become a rootless group without clear self-identification. Our country will lose its significance of existence...we must preserve the history and culture of our immigrant ancestors.

By People's Daily Online

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