In Xiamen - the hometown of the Hokkien dialect, the media has cried foul that the people there can no longer speak it. Over in Singapore, many also do not speak Hokkien anymore.
The people in Xiamen now speak Mandarin instead of Hokkien. But not all Singaporeans speak Mandarin. In fact, many speak only English.
Singaporean language expert Dr Goh Yeng Seng has commented that in 10 to 20 years' time, English will emerge as the ethnic Chinese lingua franca in place of Mandarin and the Chinese language will become a foreign language that one can learn only through the classroom. Should this happen, would there still be a place for dialects in Singapore society？
Mother tongue “is the first language that a person picks up and is usually the standard language or dialect of that particular ethnic group”。 But English looks set to become the key language used by the Chinese in Singapore 10 or 20 years from now.
This is a result of the city-state's peculiar condition and an irreversible trend.
It is a situation of “those who go along with it will thrive and those who resist it will perish”。
If Chinese Singaporeans do not want English to become the only language spoken by Chinese and if they want the Chinese language to remain as their mother tongue, they will have to bid farewell to dialects.
Dialects are already slowly dying in Singapore. If we do not want to hasten their demise, then just allow them to draw their last breath before they become history.
In 20 or 30 years's time, I think candidates standing for a General Election in Singapore will no longer need to speak in dialects to seek voter support.
But it is not a bad thing for dialects to vanish - this is the only way to give the Chinese language more space to grow and a longer life. Sadly, many Singaporeans still have a strong sense of affinity with dialects.
Even after the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts has explained why it will not ease rules to allow dialect programming on free-to-air television, many still find it hard to accept.
According to a Unesco report released on the International Mother Language Day on Feb 21 last year, about half of the 6,700 or so languages in the world are in danger of dying.
In Singapore, dialects are much less popular than the English and Chinese language.
In a globalised economy where a computer is all that is needed to access information all over the world, it is inevitable that weaker languages are replaced by the more dominant ones.
For instance, it won't be long before languages spoken by minorities in China like the Manchus and Hezhens die out.
The presence of different races, languages and cultures has made the world so much more interesting and the languages and dialects of minority races do have their own small roles to play.
But Singaporeans will have to live with the fact that the country has its own unique circumstances. Even in China, the status of dialects has fallen considerably.
The Chinese government has strict rules governing the use of dialects.
Firstly, officials can only resort to them when it is absolutely necessary in order to carry out their duty.
Secondly, dialects used for broadcasting must be approved of by the State Council or provincial authorities.
Thirdly, dialects are permitted only for artistic pursuits like theatre and film productions.
Lastly, for publication, teaching and research purposes.
In short, dialects are allowed only when there is a “genuine and imperative need” which makes one wonder if it is really worth the trouble to cling on to them.
In Singapore, if you're one of those who still have strong feelings over dialects and find it hard to let go, it might be a good idea to imagine them as the love of your life whom you have no choice but to part with - give her a warm and final embrace before she leaves you.
。The writer, who lives in Hong Kong, is the SPH Chinese Newspapers Division's language consultant. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.
在福建話的故鄉(xiāng)——廈門,媒體驚呼：小廈門人已經(jīng)不會(huì)講廈門話了！在新加坡,人們發(fā)現(xiàn)：小新加坡人也不會(huì)講福建話了。
小廈門人不會(huì)講廈門話,卻都會(huì)講普通話；小新加坡人不會(huì)講福建話,卻并非都會(huì)講華語,好些連華語都不會(huì)講,只會(huì)講英語——脫華入英了。
吳英成博士提醒人們：快一點(diǎn)是10年,慢一點(diǎn)是20年,英語將成為新加坡華族主要的母語,華語反而成為須要通過課堂才能習(xí)得的外語。方言呢？到那時(shí)還有方言的地位嗎？
母語是“一個(gè)人初學(xué)會(huì)的一種語言,在一般情況下,是本民族的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)語或某一種方言”。可是,一二十年以后,英語將成為新加坡華族主要的母語了。這是新加坡特殊的國情使然。在新加坡的大氣候下,在新加坡這片土地上,這是無法扭轉(zhuǎn)的趨勢(shì),也是無法抗拒的潮流。順之者昌,逆之者亡。
假如新加坡華人不想讓英語獨(dú)步獅城,成為未來新加坡華族的母語的話,假如新加坡華人想讓華語在新加坡還能保住其母語地位的話,那么,就不能再留戀方言了。
方言在新加坡已經(jīng)日薄西山,氣息奄奄。如果它不想安樂死的話,那就讓它自己咽下后一口氣,然后把它抬進(jìn)博物館。我想,再過二三十年,新加坡國會(huì)議員的候選人再也用不著在競(jìng)選活動(dòng)中用方言演講了。
讓方言進(jìn)入歷史,不是壞事。惟有如此,華語施展拳腳的空間才能夠大些,壽命才能夠長(zhǎng)些。可是新加坡人的方言情意結(jié)依然濃得解不開,即使新聞、通訊及藝術(shù)部宣布不會(huì)放寬條例,讓電視臺(tái)播放方言節(jié)目,不能釋懷者依然大有人在。為什么這么看不開呢？
去年2月21日是“國際母語日”,聯(lián)合國教科文組織公布了《全球?yàn)l臨消失危機(jī)的語言概況》的報(bào)告,指出全球6700多種語言中,約有半數(shù)正面臨消失滅絕的危機(jī)。
在新加坡,同華語和英語相比,方言是一種弱勢(shì)語言。在經(jīng)濟(jì)一體化,一臺(tái)電腦容得下整個(gè)地球的今天,弱勢(shì)語言為強(qiáng)勢(shì)語言所取代是必然的趨勢(shì)。
中國的少數(shù)民族語言,如滿語、畬語、赫哲語等都處在消亡的邊緣,等著進(jìn)入墳?zāi)埂?BR> 誠然,世界因?yàn)槎嘣褡濉⒍嘣Z言、多元文化的存在而變得五彩繽紛,在繽紛世界中,少數(shù)民族的語言和各種方言大小也是個(gè)角色?？墒?新加坡畢竟是新加坡。即使在中國,方言的地位也大不如前了。
根據(jù)《中華人民共和國國家通用語言文字法》,可以使用方言的情形有四種。一是國家機(jī)關(guān)工作人員執(zhí)行公務(wù)時(shí)確需使用的；二是經(jīng)國務(wù)院廣播電視部門或省級(jí)廣播電視部門批準(zhǔn)的播音用語；三是戲曲、影視等藝術(shù)形式中需要使用的；四是出版、教學(xué)、研究中確需使用的。
“確需使用”才可使用,須經(jīng)批準(zhǔn)方可使用,已經(jīng)到這步田地了,還戀戀不舍,拉著它的手不放,那又何苦呢？
在新加坡,如果你還想擁抱方言的話,那就緊緊地再親熱一下吧,因?yàn)檫@是后的擁抱。
。作者是華文報(bào)語文顧問,定居香港
The people in Xiamen now speak Mandarin instead of Hokkien. But not all Singaporeans speak Mandarin. In fact, many speak only English.
Singaporean language expert Dr Goh Yeng Seng has commented that in 10 to 20 years' time, English will emerge as the ethnic Chinese lingua franca in place of Mandarin and the Chinese language will become a foreign language that one can learn only through the classroom. Should this happen, would there still be a place for dialects in Singapore society？
Mother tongue “is the first language that a person picks up and is usually the standard language or dialect of that particular ethnic group”。 But English looks set to become the key language used by the Chinese in Singapore 10 or 20 years from now.
This is a result of the city-state's peculiar condition and an irreversible trend.
It is a situation of “those who go along with it will thrive and those who resist it will perish”。
If Chinese Singaporeans do not want English to become the only language spoken by Chinese and if they want the Chinese language to remain as their mother tongue, they will have to bid farewell to dialects.
Dialects are already slowly dying in Singapore. If we do not want to hasten their demise, then just allow them to draw their last breath before they become history.
In 20 or 30 years's time, I think candidates standing for a General Election in Singapore will no longer need to speak in dialects to seek voter support.
But it is not a bad thing for dialects to vanish - this is the only way to give the Chinese language more space to grow and a longer life. Sadly, many Singaporeans still have a strong sense of affinity with dialects.
Even after the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts has explained why it will not ease rules to allow dialect programming on free-to-air television, many still find it hard to accept.
According to a Unesco report released on the International Mother Language Day on Feb 21 last year, about half of the 6,700 or so languages in the world are in danger of dying.
In Singapore, dialects are much less popular than the English and Chinese language.
In a globalised economy where a computer is all that is needed to access information all over the world, it is inevitable that weaker languages are replaced by the more dominant ones.
For instance, it won't be long before languages spoken by minorities in China like the Manchus and Hezhens die out.
The presence of different races, languages and cultures has made the world so much more interesting and the languages and dialects of minority races do have their own small roles to play.
But Singaporeans will have to live with the fact that the country has its own unique circumstances. Even in China, the status of dialects has fallen considerably.
The Chinese government has strict rules governing the use of dialects.
Firstly, officials can only resort to them when it is absolutely necessary in order to carry out their duty.
Secondly, dialects used for broadcasting must be approved of by the State Council or provincial authorities.
Thirdly, dialects are permitted only for artistic pursuits like theatre and film productions.
Lastly, for publication, teaching and research purposes.
In short, dialects are allowed only when there is a “genuine and imperative need” which makes one wonder if it is really worth the trouble to cling on to them.
In Singapore, if you're one of those who still have strong feelings over dialects and find it hard to let go, it might be a good idea to imagine them as the love of your life whom you have no choice but to part with - give her a warm and final embrace before she leaves you.
。The writer, who lives in Hong Kong, is the SPH Chinese Newspapers Division's language consultant. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.
在福建話的故鄉(xiāng)——廈門,媒體驚呼：小廈門人已經(jīng)不會(huì)講廈門話了！在新加坡,人們發(fā)現(xiàn)：小新加坡人也不會(huì)講福建話了。
小廈門人不會(huì)講廈門話,卻都會(huì)講普通話；小新加坡人不會(huì)講福建話,卻并非都會(huì)講華語,好些連華語都不會(huì)講,只會(huì)講英語——脫華入英了。
吳英成博士提醒人們：快一點(diǎn)是10年,慢一點(diǎn)是20年,英語將成為新加坡華族主要的母語,華語反而成為須要通過課堂才能習(xí)得的外語。方言呢？到那時(shí)還有方言的地位嗎？
母語是“一個(gè)人初學(xué)會(huì)的一種語言,在一般情況下,是本民族的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)語或某一種方言”。可是,一二十年以后,英語將成為新加坡華族主要的母語了。這是新加坡特殊的國情使然。在新加坡的大氣候下,在新加坡這片土地上,這是無法扭轉(zhuǎn)的趨勢(shì),也是無法抗拒的潮流。順之者昌,逆之者亡。
假如新加坡華人不想讓英語獨(dú)步獅城,成為未來新加坡華族的母語的話,假如新加坡華人想讓華語在新加坡還能保住其母語地位的話,那么,就不能再留戀方言了。
方言在新加坡已經(jīng)日薄西山,氣息奄奄。如果它不想安樂死的話,那就讓它自己咽下后一口氣,然后把它抬進(jìn)博物館。我想,再過二三十年,新加坡國會(huì)議員的候選人再也用不著在競(jìng)選活動(dòng)中用方言演講了。
讓方言進(jìn)入歷史,不是壞事。惟有如此,華語施展拳腳的空間才能夠大些,壽命才能夠長(zhǎng)些。可是新加坡人的方言情意結(jié)依然濃得解不開,即使新聞、通訊及藝術(shù)部宣布不會(huì)放寬條例,讓電視臺(tái)播放方言節(jié)目,不能釋懷者依然大有人在。為什么這么看不開呢？
去年2月21日是“國際母語日”,聯(lián)合國教科文組織公布了《全球?yàn)l臨消失危機(jī)的語言概況》的報(bào)告,指出全球6700多種語言中,約有半數(shù)正面臨消失滅絕的危機(jī)。
在新加坡,同華語和英語相比,方言是一種弱勢(shì)語言。在經(jīng)濟(jì)一體化,一臺(tái)電腦容得下整個(gè)地球的今天,弱勢(shì)語言為強(qiáng)勢(shì)語言所取代是必然的趨勢(shì)。
中國的少數(shù)民族語言,如滿語、畬語、赫哲語等都處在消亡的邊緣,等著進(jìn)入墳?zāi)埂?BR> 誠然,世界因?yàn)槎嘣褡濉⒍嘣Z言、多元文化的存在而變得五彩繽紛,在繽紛世界中,少數(shù)民族的語言和各種方言大小也是個(gè)角色?？墒?新加坡畢竟是新加坡。即使在中國,方言的地位也大不如前了。
根據(jù)《中華人民共和國國家通用語言文字法》,可以使用方言的情形有四種。一是國家機(jī)關(guān)工作人員執(zhí)行公務(wù)時(shí)確需使用的；二是經(jīng)國務(wù)院廣播電視部門或省級(jí)廣播電視部門批準(zhǔn)的播音用語；三是戲曲、影視等藝術(shù)形式中需要使用的；四是出版、教學(xué)、研究中確需使用的。
“確需使用”才可使用,須經(jīng)批準(zhǔn)方可使用,已經(jīng)到這步田地了,還戀戀不舍,拉著它的手不放,那又何苦呢？
在新加坡,如果你還想擁抱方言的話,那就緊緊地再親熱一下吧,因?yàn)檫@是后的擁抱。
。作者是華文報(bào)語文顧問,定居香港