Malaysians 'better than S'poreans in Chinese'
The Straits Times
A language expert from China says the standard of Chinese used in
Malaysia is higher than in Singapore.
Mr Yang Hong Qing, who heads the school of languages and literature
in Peng Cheng University in Xuzhou, said Chinese Malaysians are
better at their mother tongue than their Singaporean counterparts
because they are emotionally and intellectually more enthusiastic
about the language.
Moreover, Singaporeans seldom use Chinese, he said, according to
the Malaysian Chinese daily, Sin Chew Jit Poh.
As such, raising language standards in Singapore cannot not be
achieved overnight.
Mr Yang said he also believed that the level of the Chinese
language in Malaysia is high because it gives Chinese Malaysians a
sense of identity.
Most Chinese Malaysians, including the young, take pride in
learning the language, he said.
By contrast, young people in Singapore do not accord it similar
importance and resort to using English.
This, he added, is a reason Chinese-language standards are slipping
in the Republic.
He noted that despite government efforts to reverse the situation
through campaigns and scholarships, there has been no change in
Chinese-language standards in Singapore.
Although Malaysia's standards cannot match those in China, where
Chinese is the mother tongue, they are still good, he noted.
He also pointed to the wide use of the Chinese language in the
Chinese business community and the proliferation of
Chinese-language newspapers as examples of the vitality of the
language in Malaysia.
