Are we really bilingual, monolingual, or not even that ?
-
Just got back from the lab ...
was chatting with this masters candidate from Guangdong, China ...
we knew each other from a senior class that we took together last term ... and the subject turned to English ...
He was commenting on a couple of Singaporean chaps that were expats at the software house he was working at in Shenzhen before coming over here ...
he commented that the chaps' English were terrible, it was not that their accent could not be understood by their Chinese colleagues, but that those chaps could barely write grammatical English ! ... (this chap speaks and writes superb, albeit American accented English btw... )
and ... their mandarin was almost non-existent ! ... so, he was asking, what do we speak in Singapore then ? ...
me: "Errrrrrrmmm ..... let me tell you about this thing called Singlish .... "
but it sounded lame to me even so ....
that got me thinking .... do you think the English level of some Singaporeans is below par ? It's somewhat ironic that it takes a Chinese chap to comment that some Singaporean chap's English sucks, eh ?... if this is so, and I think we all agree that the average Singapore chap's Mandarin sucks ... where does that leave us then ? ...
Is the vaulted bilingual advantage that we are so proud of eroding ? ... worse, are we not even effectively monolingual then, not being able to master even one language ? ...
something to chew on ... -
I do, and witness how some of them tend to label those who can speak/write proper English 'potatoes'.Originally posted by Fatum:that got me thinking .... do you think the English level of some Singaporeans is below par ? It's somewhat ironic that it takes a Chinese chap to comment that some Singaporean chap's English sucks, eh ?...if this is so, and I think we all agree that the average Singapore chap's Mandarin sucks ... where does that leave us then ? ... Is the vaulted bilingual advantage that we are so proud of eroding ? ... worse, are we not even effectively monolingual then, not being able to master even one language ? ...
We'd be arrogant to think that we are masters of multiple languages. Here, users of Singlish form the majority...but when they can't switch to proper English in other countries they stick out like a sore thumb. -
Oh, puh-lease - we'll be lucky if they're not monosyllablic!
-
Honestly, I'm not surprised and I think it is going to get worse.
I mean, just look at what the kids are writing these days in their blogs. It looks like they have come up with a whole new language altogether.
You know it's serious when a 16 year old kid tells you," Why your English so cheem one. What you mean 'Pot calling the kettle black'?" -
Originally posted by elindra:Honestly, I'm not surprised and I think it is going to get worse.
I mean, just look at what the kids are writing these days in their blogs. It looks like they have come up with a whole new language altogether.
You know it's serious when a 16 year old kid tells you," Why your English so cheem one. What you mean 'Pot calling the kettle black'?"
-
it is obvious even in this forum.
-
Yeah, my exact sentimentsOriginally posted by shinta:
I was like
-
i rmb havin lists of stuff like this whn i was in pri 5 n 6...Originally posted by elindra:Yeah, my exact sentiments
I was like
they dun do that anymore now? -
there's nothing wrong with speaking Singlish, in Singapore, among Singaporeans ...
but you have a problem if you're not able to switch to a more acrolectal form of English when neccessary .... (no, i don't mean faking an accent and beginning every sentence with "I'm like, i'm like ... " )
what's worse is that many of these chaps speak terrible mandarin as well ....
something is wrong with our education policy I think ... instead of becoming bilingual ... many people ended up being "no-no" lingual, masters of not even one language ... -
I've no idea what they are teaching in school these days.Originally posted by shinta:i rmb havin lists of stuff like this whn i was in pri 5 n 6...
they dun do that anymore now? -
The impression I get is that the current school syllabus is comprised of shrink-wrapped pop stars and SMS composition.Originally posted by elindra:I've no idea what they are teaching in school these days. -
wAt aRR eeuu t0kIn aBout?Originally posted by elindra:I've no idea what they are teaching in school these days.
II dduunn uunnddeerrssttaanndd -
Originally posted by Gedanken:The impression I get is that the current school syllabus is comprised of shrink-wrapped pop stars and SMS composition.
-
I thought it should be something like:Originally posted by shinta:wAt aRR eeuu t0kIn aBout?
II dduunn uunnddeerrssttaanndd
Miiiii noooo uNdErSTand ArrrR
U sAyiN wAt -
Originally posted by elindra:I thought it should be something like:
Miiiii noooo uNdErSTand ArrrR
U sAyiN wAt
damn i should have copied sth off my sister's msn display -
well i say we are only bi sub-lingual,most of us know only enough of both language to be able to have basic usage of them.Most of us (if chinese)also tend to be better in english than chinese especially in spoken and written form.
I notice that almost all chinese i met in life cannot speak entirely in mandarin if required (not for planned speeches),with most needing to sub in english words for phases they do not know what it actually is in mandarin.You will not see this in china or taiwan.Also the chinese writting ability of the chinese in singapore almost go down the drain once we leave school since there is almost on chance to practice writting those words that are individual symbol themselves and there are over 5000+ of such symbol to be remembered,far too much to remember for the average guy if we do not practice writting it.Sadly to say i fall under this catergory too,i can speak inperfect mandarin and is almost left with no written chinese letter ability from years of neglect in writting them
As for english,most of us who are in the mid twenties up have being taught a incorrect form of speaking in our younger days,we are not taught the correct form of phonetic pronunciation so most of the "english" that we speak(if we did not went for proper courses in phonetic to correct it) is incomprehensible to those who speak english natively.Well i am still not sure if the proper spoken form is now taught but there maybe a suspect in the written form,seeing how people are so used to sms language form,i can't stand this kinda sms language myself least say people who uses english as their sole language. -
from st forum.
Many Singaporeans aren't good enough in one language, let alone be bilingual. Rethink teaching methods in schools
The letter 'Humour in Speak Mandarin campaign helps to drive home message' by Miss Pearl Lam Hui Chern (ST Online Forum, Feb 3) leads me to wonder if Singaporeans, particularly the government, would benefit from rethinking the issue of language teaching and learning in our schools.
It is a fact that campaigns are successful only to the extent that they may help to raise awareness, but only skin-deep awareness, on any issue. Beyond this, very little in concrete terms is achieved.
It is humorous to think that making things 'funny' would help in any substantive way to make learning Mandarin easier. Would listening to more jokes make one a better joker?
Instead, we - Singaporeans and the government - should ponder whether or not at issue is a more fundamental problem - that the average Singaporean is basically quite poor at mastering a language, any language.
Is it the education system or is it in our genes? Some of these issues should preoccupy the minds of our researchers.
Just look at the extent to which Singlish is used in everday life instead of proper English. Remember the Speak Proper English Campaign headed by an Oxford scholar not too long ago?
It says to me that a significant proportion of Singaporean adults and students is simply not equipped to communicate properly, be it in English or Mandarin.
The truth is, far too many Singaporeans are not even effectively mono-lingual. So wouldn't it be asking a bit too much to expect them to be good, or even just adequate, in yet another language when they are already having a hard time learning one?
Lum Yew Wai -
i was watching the ch 8 7pm drama and noticed that the chinese subtitles differs from what the actors and actresses said.
-
no eye-deer
after NS, i felt that i have to go back to primary school instead of going onto uni
completely lost it
in recovery stage now