Low Thia Khiang urges Govt to review bilingualism policy

last SG · 2011-10-24T14:15:58+00:00

One month? Maybe you're talking about elementary conversational chinese. Or they could be using simple language so that you can understand them.Obviously a m...

Siliconchip SG

"Opposition leader Low Thia Khiang on Friday urged the Government to review its bilingualism policy, by focusing on teaching mother tongues better through deeper appreciation of cultures.

One way he suggested is to promote a deeper appreciation of each ethnic group's culture.

Mr Low said it was necessary to do so because the government policy has eroded the ability among Chinese Singaporeans to read and write proficiently in the mother tongue.

Without changes on this front, Mr Low said it could affect Singapore's ability to compete globally, given that many youth in other countries are becoming effectively bilingual and could exploit opportunities in a rising China." Cant find full article.

Most Singaporeans, including myself are effectively bilingual. Low seems to promote Mandarin a bit too much, don't you think? The truth is, he can't speak English well at all. Perhaps that is why he wants to promote 'effective bilingualism' (i.e. knowing Chinese) among all Singaporeans.

Rooney9 SG

sporeans are half fuck in chinese and english, unlike Thia, who was educated in chinese.

basics are not even taught in schools like grammar and phonetics. bet our teachers are also not trained properly. all we were taught is writing plenty of half fark essays in classes.

alize SG

LKY wants us to speak Chinese even though he can't speak Chinese himself.

Regardless of whose idea it is, if the motive is economic, I am not interested in shaping kids' lives and discriminating against their entry into university for economic reasons alone.

Rooney9 SG

LKY can speak chinese lar. doesnt sounded like one though. he can also speak in hokkien too.

Dalforce 25 SG

I think Lee Kuan Yew's bilingualism policy completely failed in Singapore.

All is just rojak and garbage.

Bilingualism policy is a totally failed policy that must be destroyed.

When a cultureless person is in charge of language policy, you more or less know where things are going to go.

Dalforce 25 SG

LKY can speak chinese lar. doesnt sounded like one though. he can also speak in hokkien too.

I think only for show. Really actually converse, he cannot.

Low Thia Khiang can debate in english with Lee Kuan Yew.

You ask Lee Kuan Yew to debate Low Thia Khiang in mandarin, Lee Kuan Yew will look like a monkey.

In bilingualism, Lee Kuan Yew is clearly the loser here.

Siliconchip SG

Bilingualism means the ability to speak, read, write 2 languages, okay? It does not just refer to English and Chinese, but can be any 2 languages. What about malay, tamil, and everything else? LTK does not talk about that even though he uses the word 'bilingual'. All about Chinese.

Dalforce 25 SG

What about malay, tamil, and everything else?

I think that also failed. You can take any combination of languages.

alize SG

Speaking of which, LKY wants bilinguallism but restricts us to a so-called mother tongue.

Did you know that Eurasians are free to choose ANY 2nd language in Singapore, regardless of their Asian heritage, because the Govt is too lazy to police/enforce the policy properly?

For the other Asian mixed-race people, they must follow the father's race. Even if they speak the mother's language at home. Caucasians in Singapore can also pick any 2nd language they like.

This is unfair to those who don't have a choice, we have a harder time entering university.

The Govt don't give a fuck about fairness and right, as long as it has enough people studying Chinese.

Dejomel SG

I think whatever policy promoting Chinese/Mother Tongue langauges would be taken more seriously if our current President could actually speak Mandarin properly.

sbst275 SG

Sometimes I was thinking of it from another pov.

There's a group of Chinese that can't speak much Chinese. Well their parents came from the English schools.

In fact I figured, no matter how much you would wish to address it, this would be bothering you for time to come.

dragg SG

i dont see why we cant learn 2 languages.

the problem with most singaporeans is they are too westernise. they think anything angmo is in and good for the economy. anything chinese they arent interested.

sbst275 SG

i dont see why we cant learn 2 languages.

the problem with most singaporeans is they are too westernise. they think anything angmo is in and good for the economy. anything chinese they arent interested.

Actually my English is not on par with my Chinese.

iveco SG

Speaking of which, LKY wants bilinguallism but restricts us to a so-called mother tongue.

Did you know that Eurasians are free to choose ANY 2nd language in Singapore, regardless of their Asian heritage, because the Govt is too lazy to police/enforce the policy properly?

For the other Asian mixed-race people, they must follow the father's race. Even if they speak the mother's language at home. Caucasians in Singapore can also pick any 2nd language they like.

This is unfair to those who don't have a choice, we have a harder time entering university.

The Govt don't give a fuck about fairness and right, as long as it has enough people studying Chinese.

So someone who is born of a Han Chinese and has a Tamil father is automatically classed as Tamil and they have to study their father's language? It is "Mother Tongue" that the government is trying to promote, and only mothers have a womb between the legs, not fathers.

sgdiehard SG

You mean he is born of a Chinese mother?

When the parents registered the child at birth, what do they say is the race or ethnicity of the child? If the father said he is Tamil, he is Tamil. If the father is somehow gone, and the mother said he is Hindi, he is Hindi.

Do parents have a choice in the second language, besides English? yes, I know of Malays who chose Chinese as second language, because they know their children already know Malay at home.

The problem comes with Chinese? You ever know of or heard of any Malay who don't speak Malay, or Tamil who don't speak Tamil? No, only Chinese who don't know Chinese.

sgdiehard SG

i dont see why we cant learn 2 languages.

the problem with most singaporeans is they are too westernise. they think anything angmo is in and good for the economy. anything chinese they arent interested.

Absolutely right. Many ethnic Chinese still speak Chinese (Mandarin, or dialects), besides their local languages (Thai, Indonesia or Malay), an average european will speak german, french, and probably spanish or english.

Only those from the english speaking countries, the american, the brits, the oz, the canandian and the kiwi, speaks only english and mostly nothing else.

sgdiehard SG

The bilingual policy fails miserably. This is simply because to the government, the teaching of language is only for economic reasons, to make money. When we do not have a language that can inculcate cultures and values, you have no culture.

After so many years, at least I am glad MOE is now looking at teaching values in schools.

Destini sg SG

Everyone seems to focus on the "China" potential....speaking Mandarin will give you an edge...bla bla bla... People tend to forget that ultimately, there can only be one Lingua Franca of the World... and hands down its ENGLISH!! People, Native English Teachers are in HIGH DEMAND in China. The Chinese are learning English... so why is there need to duplicate them conversely by struggling to learn Chinese....In my opinion, Chinese is a beautiful language, the pictoral symbols are artful and poignant....I learnt to speak Chinese purely through growing up on Channel 8 dramas in the 80s... Flying Fish, Samsui Women, Happy Trio, Oshin (A-Xin)....I related english subtitles with spoken words and by P6 i could speak fluent Mandarin....pretty impressive for a little Indian girl. My Chinese classmates would be chatting away and i'd respond to them, much to their astonishment! I joined Chinese Calligraphy ECA, as I had the hunger to learn to read Chinese too... and I am still learning. Ironically, I failed miserably at my own MT, Tamil. I hated it because I was always ostracised & made fun of for being an Indian who couldn't speak Tamil. You see, I am of Peranakan Indian descent, a race called Chitty Melaka, and the only MT we know since 15th century AD is Malay. Malay I have mastered effortlessly, to the point where i am able to write 500 word essay complete with peribahasa. And my MT in school was Tamil. Which I was completely disinterested in, and in a class surrounded by my" own kind" where the unkind teacher threw sarcastic remarks at me daily, making the other kids snicker at me.... I HATED it.

Please... let kids master English first. Then let them choose a MT that interests them, and seduces them with centuries old culture.Do away with the endless tests and tingxie....instead engage them with lively conversations and let them grow in confidence....I am living proof that all one needs to learn a language is... INTEREST. That's the trick guys.... leave the business, day to day n nitty gritty to good ole English. LINGUA FRANCA PAR EXCELLANSE!!!

alize SG

You mean he is born of a Chinese mother?

Do parents have a choice in the second language, besides English? yes, I know of Malays who chose Chinese as second language, because they know their children already know Malay at home.

The problem comes with Chinese? You ever know of or heard of any Malay who don't speak Malay, or Tamil who don't speak Tamil? No, only Chinese who don't know Chinese.

It is called the "MT requirement" for university entry, under which in some cases, a "2nd language" will satisfy the requirement.

Yes, it is the language of the father's race no matter what. It is not the race on your IC (which historically was the father's race but now can reflect both races).

This policy is so embarrassing that when MOE describes the MT policy on its website, they don't mention the father's race part.

Those who may & must choose any "2nd language" are Eurasians, those whose MT is not available here (eg Swedes) and those whose MT is English (eg Brits, Americans), or anyone with a Eurasian, Swede or Brit father. This satisfies the MT requirement.

If you have returned from overseas and have not studied your MT before, you are exempt from MT requirement altogether.

Amitayus48 SG

Languages are cultures, cultures are love & bliss :D All beings love their culture because of love and joys :D

In this regards, we shall look into a culture of mandarin (古文观止-文言文) as an example to represent all languages :D

语文的教育，已经完全成为应付考试的工具。和别的科目一样，在语文教学上的一切，都是为考试服务。但我们必须注意的是，汉语，作为一个民族的主要语言，母语，作为一个国家的官方语言，作为世界上最重要的语言之一，它同时也是中国传统文化的一个重要部分，有着其他物质及非物质遗产不可替代，不可比及的地位。所以语文的教育不应该仅仅局限在表面教育上，换句话说，必须要有更加深入的层面。在汉文化里，中庸之道为其主心轴。因此，汉语也应该遵循此规律——其定位应该位于感性与理性之间——既有出世的幻想也有入世的思考。人为动物，惟物之灵。百忧感其心，万事劳其形。有动于中，必摇其精。而况思其力之所不及，忧其智之所不能；宜其渥然丹者为槁木，黟然黑者为星星。

由是，要学好语文，学好汉语，就必须学好文言文。学文言文的方法有多种。所谓“读书百遍其意自见”，听书上的翻译注解是不能够学好文言文的。必须去读文言文，去背文言文。