Language Culture for Singapore| 新加坡的語言文化 (HK-JP-SG experimental cross-community cultural challenge |香港日本新加坡三地跨社區實驗性文化挑戰)

English

Hello everyone! Can’t you recognize me? It seems to be a long time I didn’t post a long article. Well, I have to say I was forced to do so as I am very busy because of my job workload. And this time, I think I have to make a post to support @orientalhub 's first activities. I think we should all show our support to the East Asia culture. And this time, I decided to write something about Singapore, as I have some interaction with one of my site office from my company right in Singapore.

So, what is your first impression for Singapore? The hot weather? Hainan Chicken Rice? Or the strong government? For me, my first impression to Singapore is the language ability of Singaporean. Or I should say the Chinese language ability. I remember two years ago, that was my first time visiting Singapore because of business purpose. And the one who take care of me in the airport was an uncle who is a Chinese. So, I used my limited Mandarin to say those hundreds of greeting words. However, after a while, the uncle started to speak Cantonese to me, and the accent was very good. I was pretty surprised that even though I know some of the Singaporean speak Cantonese, but I have never image that they can speak that well. After that, when we are having lunch, he start to speak Hokkien to the waitress who is an old lady. And he even taught me how to order drinks in Hokkien.

Since then, I though all Singaporean can speak most of those different Chinese language, so I start to think I better not speak my limited Mandarin and speak Cantonese instead. However, I start to find that for young generation in Singapore, they actually could only speak Mandarin and English, such that I cannot communicate with them in Cantonese.

Then, I start to have a casual talk with other Singapore colleague with older age for my observation. And they begin to laugh and tell me the reason. In very long time ago, the Chinese resident was mainly Fukien and Teochew. Such that they mainly speak Hokkien and Teochew. Then, why most of them can even speak Cantonese? And this has to give a credit to the Hong Kong TV Dramas in the 70s. According to my colleague, at the time, almost every person addicted to the Hong Kong drama. Just take the Chinese uncle I mentioned previously as a sample, he said he learnt Cantonese when he watched “Beach of Shanghai”. I have to express my greatest appreciation to them; they are just genius that can learn a language by just watching TV drama. I have watched almost 10 seasons of “friends” but still cannot still English quit well.

However, why nowadays the youngsters in Singapore cannot speak Cantonese? Even Hokkien or Teochew? This is because of the Singapore Government “Speak Mandarin Campaign” in year 1979. At that time, the government started to decrease other Chinese language to appear in the television and media, later, they even banned it. And that’s why the young generation has not much chance to listen and speak other Chinese language.

After I heard this story, I feel it’s kind of pity. You know, not everyone can speak both Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese. It’s just kind of waste of their language ability...of course; I know there must be a lot of political and social reason behind such desison…so, after all, I think we better learn more in Mandarin…

中文

大家好，我好像很久沒有寫長篇的文章了。沒辦法啊，因為最近工作實在是有夠忙的。這次投稿不為別的，最主要的就是為了支持 @orientalhub的首個活動。對於東亞文化的支持，是應該不遺餘力的。好了，關於日本、香港跟新加坡三個社區的文化主題，我到底應該寫些什麼了？因為這兩年跟新加坡的分公司在業務上有多一點的交流，所以就讓我分享一下我對這個國度的所見吧。

不知道大家對新加坡的第一印象是什麼呢？炎熱的天氣？海南雞飯？還是強勢的政府？對我來說，我的第一印象是新加坡人的語文能力，更準確一點的說，是他們的中文能力。事源兩年前我人生的一次去新加坡是因為工作的關係，接待我的是一位上了點年紀的華人叔叔。一見面，我當然用我最純正的港式普通話跟他問候一番。誰知道說了幾句後那位叔叔竟然跟我說起了廣東話，而且純正到不得了，我是知道有些加坡人會說廣東話，但沒想過會如此的純正。然後我們去吃午飯，點餐的時候他竟然又跟侍應嬸嬸說起了福建話來，還教了我點熱奶茶要叫”嗲”, 凍奶茶要叫”嗲冰”。

在那之後，我可是以為新加坡人基本上都會說大部份的中國語言，所以我在當地的分公司中就打算藏拙，說廣東話好了。可是我又碰壁了，我發現年經的同事好多都只會說普通話跟英語而已，廣東話可是不太能溝通呢。

然後我找了一些比較年長的同事，跟他們談了一下我的這個遭遇，結果他們都笑了起來，然後跟我慢慢的解釋了一番這個現象的由來。在比較久以前的新加坡，華人以福建人居多，其次的就是潮洲人。所以，那個時候新加坡的華人主要是說福建話跟潮洲話的。可是為什麼這麼多人會廣東話了？這就可要多得70年代的香港電視劇了。據那些同事說那個時候基本上每個人都在看，每個人都在追。就像接待我的那位叔叔，他說他的廣東話就是在看上海灘的時候學的。這真的不得不讓我佩服啊，只是看個電視劇就能學得到一種語言，怎麼我看了10季的Friends， 英文還是那麼爛。

可是怎麼現在的年輕一輩好像都不怎麼會跟廣東話呢？什至連福建話都不會了?原來這就要多得新加坡政府在1979年推行的 “華人講華語運動” 了。華語是什麼？就是指普通話了。這個運動首先管制了電視上的方言節目，最後完全禁止了方言的出現。所以，年輕的一代基本上是沒什麼機會接觸廣東話什至是福建話，慢慢的就變成了年輕人都只會說普通話的這個狀況了。

我聽完這個故事後覺得有點可惜啦，畢竟會說福建話、潮洲話跟廣東話的能力可不是每個人都有，這可是有點白白的就浪費了的感覺。當然，這個決定的背後肯定有各種社會跟政治因素啦…所以，最後的結論，大家還是努力學好普通話吧…