I would not say the government stops you from using dialect per
se, but rather the government did not actively promote the speaking
in dialects. Your mom has got her reasons. But that doesn't mean
that she would not have used dialect to communicate with you.
I speak to my dad in teochew, my mom in chinese even till now. I
picked up hokkien when I was in poly/army. Now picking up cantonese
at work. It's whether or not do you want to pick up a dialect.
Learning a dialect, or any other thing for that matter, doesn't
drop from the sky or pop out of nowhere.
lol i have been careless with my words. lets say we were
discouraged to use dialect. If only my parents spoke to me in
Hokkien. I cant even understand a single thing when my grandparents
and parents communicate in Hokkien, except for a word or two
though.
you are right though, in order to learn dialect (emphasis that
it is actually our first language) we have to put in effort.
will Singaporeans put in the effort?
well, i have 2 questions:
If you are a parent, would you wish for your child to learn
his/her dialect and its related culture and traditions?
If you are a youth of today (who doesnt know yourdialect), would
you be willing to learn at least the basics of your dialect &
culture?
We only know how to discuss and
think about the negative impacts of the loss of dialects and what a
pity it is. Shouldnt we actually stand up and do something about it
before its too late...
Feel free to give your
comments to all the post.