Guests, Academics,
A very good morning to everyone
1. I am pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this conference. I would like to thank the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) for organising the 22nd International Conference on Chinese Language and Culture and the Opening Ceremony of the 10th Anniversary of the Centre for Chinese Studies @ SUSS. Congratulations on reaching this milestone!
2. The conference today covers a multitude of topics, including language policies and planning as well as the relationship between language, culture, society, and the economy. I would like to share on two points, first being the history of Singapore and next the challenges we have faced.
3. In 1965, the early days of Singapore's independence, our founding leaders and forefathers then faced a tough challenge and needed to make an important decision on the lingua franca of post independent Singapore. From the options available, it could be said that our forefathers chose the most difficult one.
4. Let me put this statement into context – looking back at processes of nation building in countries across the world, there are generally two to three options a nation can choose from on the topic of a national language. First would be to give up abandon all traditions and languages in favour of a new common language – some countries, especially those with a multi-cultural makeup, take up this option.
5. Next, countries also have the option to allow groups to each choose their own preferred language, allowing for a certain level of autonomy and not stressing the need for a common language. Many countries have taken this path and have pockets of society each laying claim to a unique identity and language.
6. You may wonder why is it that I say Singapore took the most difficult option available. The choice we took back then was for not only for all races to preserve and promote their own history, culture, and language, but also for all races and cultures to come together to forge a new national identity. It is because of this wish that we chose the route of a bilingual policy.
7. In retrospect, this can be said to be the most difficult of the three options as it requires every Singaporean to master a common language and yet to maintain their own language, culture, and values in a macroenvironment that favours the common language. Due to this, we can say that the path we have travelled since independence has not been easy at all.
8. In the old days, Mandarin was not the common language in Chinese society as we each had our own dialects. It is after much effort that Mandarin has become a common language for the Chinese community. We now face a new challenge, and with it, new opportunities. The challenge today is that given English is growing in importance as not only the main language of use but also as a language of business and to build social connections, how can now we act to promote Mandarin? This is a challenge for modern Singapore.
9. Speaking of challenges, another we face is how many may question the relevance of Mandarin or other languages in an environment dominated by the English Language. On this, there is room for optimism; even in Singapore today, many people have a good grasp on two or more languages. An interesting question worth pondering over is how they master so many languages, and why is it that, given the same macroenvironment, many people, whether students or adults, find it challenging to learn a language.
10. Let us consider the issue from a different perspective; many countries in the world also have bilingual policies. However, while there are also languages that dominate the sphere of business in these countries, student and adult learners alike can master two or more languages. Europe is a good example, as is Canada. Why are most in these countries bilingual or multilingual? How do they lay a strong multi-lingual and multi-cultural foundation for their children? This is something worth thinking about by the teachers and academics present. This is because I firmly believe that Singapore also has the means to allow our students and adults to master multiple languages, or at least two languages. A question that follows is what then are these means we can leverage?
11. Firstly, we all know that no matter how hard the school may push for it, students only spend 6 to 10 hours in school daily, spending more time out of than in school. As a start, if we hope for students to master two languages, then we cannot depend solely on the hours put in at school and look into areas outside of school. In this respect, we must also play our part as parents and as members of the Chinese Societies. For example, I believe that everyone present worked hard to help your children master two languages. But the crux of the matter is that as parents, we need to communicate with them in Chinese, whether at home or anywhere outside the school setting, so that they too believe that Chinese is a practical language outside of examinations. This is a very important factor. Many of the children among my friends speak good Chinese. When I asked how they achieved this, I found that they had one thing in common; they continued to communicate with their children in Chinese outside school, so that their children felt that Chinese was lively and interesting, and that it was language with practical use outside of examinations.
12. Next, in recent years, many Societies have made efforts to help adults who wish to learn Chinese to achieve their goals. I am heartened that the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations and other Chinese community groups have spared no effort in promoting the use of Chinese. This is very important.
13. Third, are new opportunities abreast — This was inspired by my daughter; one day, I discovered that she could speak simple Korean phrases, which I found very strange. The language macroenvironment in Singapore is not largely Korean, so how do children pick up the language? The next day, I saw my youngest son speaking Spanish. I do not know if he speaks fluently, because I do not speak the language, but hearing him sing songs in Spanish inspired me. In truth, if we want to master any language today, including Mandarin, we no longer have the excuse that we do not live in an appropriate environment to do so. In fact, compared to the past, there are more opportunities in our environment at large to pick up a language. Be it through YouTube or other videos on the Internet, there are now more opportunities to interact with the Chinese language than ever before. I remember how we watched TV dramas to learn Chinese or Cantonese in the past. We equated learning Cantonese to watching Hong Kong dramas, and there used to be dramas in dialect as well.
14. The children of today learn faster than we did in the past because they have more opportunities to encounter the language than we have had. If we can make good use of these opportunities, our learning will not be limited to what is offered in our macroenviroments and can go beyond to allow children and adults alike to have access to Mandarin.
15. My fourth point is that conditions today are very different that from two to three decades ago, with the rise of China being the biggest differential. Back then, many people rejected learning Mandarin perhaps because they felt that there was no place or opportunity to use it outside of exams. Today, many children, primary and secondary school students, young people and adults want to go to China to do business. This has also created a macroenvironment where our students and adults have the opportunity to use Chinese.
16. In this respect, I would also like to share another point with you. Many from the older generation feel that the young today have lower proficiencies in the language compared to us. On this, I would like to share a personal anecdote. How do we go about encouraging younger generations to learn Chinese, and how do we cultivate interest in the language? An integral part of the solution is building up confidence in our children.
17. This is what I have personally experienced. I have had a decent grasp of the language since young, of course, notwithstanding the opinions of my subject teachers. However, the fact that my grasp of Chinese is the weakest at home made it such that no matter my achievements in the language, I have always felt that my standards were subpar compared to that of my family. Even if I did well for my exams or won prizes for my language proficiency, I have never been impressed by my grasp of the language. On the other hand, I have found that I have been very confident in mathematics since primary school. This is because when I was in Primary One, my math teacher said to me, "Chun Sing, you are great at math!" From then on, I have been proud of my abilities and worked to live up to the expectations of my teachers. You may wonder what the purpose of my sharing was; my point is that it is very important to give our children the confidence to learn. Though you may be worried because your child may not be fluent in the language now, and any attempts at demeaning aimed to spur them into action may have the reverse effects.
18. So long as we help our students lay a good foundation, even if they may not as proficient in Chinese today, their future achievements in the language might be a sight to behold. I have a friend from Secondary School who scored 'F9' for his Chinese at his 'O' Levels. Back then, he was proud of his score because he did not have much interest in Chinese. Today, he works in Beijing, China, as a lawyer, and speaks Chinese at the law firm in Beijing. We all joke that his Chinese was no longer 'F9', but F1-levels of good. We should not underestimate the importance of giving confidence to children, nor should we underplay their future potentials.
19. If we can seize the right opportunities, encourage the young to use Chinese and make its common use prevalent, I am confident that in the years to come, Singaporeans will be able to master two or more languages, so that they are not limited to a single identity. In growingly fragmented world, a bilingual and multilingual populace will allow Singapore to become a platform that connects the world. This is very important. Amidst US-China tensions, a bilingual Singapore has the potential to integrate a depth of understanding of the Chinese culture and the political views of the US to serve well as a reliable forum for dialogue. So as long as we seize the opportunity, I firmly believe that our bilingual policy affords us not only a unique Singaporean identity, but also new opportunities to connect to the world.
20. Thank you everyone.