Darthrevan Supercharged October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 More than 30 years after their use was discouraged due to the Speak Mandarin campaign, dialects seem to be making a quiet comeback among an unlikely group - the young. More young Chinese Singaporeans now see dialects as an important part of their heritage, and are taking steps to make sure they will not be lost. Business undergraduate Jasmine Tan began uploading basic Teochew tutorial videos on YouTube last year. Her channel, Teochew Gaginang (which means "our own people" in the dialect), currently has 214 subscribers. "It's a way of reaching out to people," said Ms Tan, 19. "It's about cultural preservation but it's also to show people that dialects are not something uncool." The self-professed "cultural zealot" said that she started her tutorials after being inspired by another YouTube user who uploads tutorials of Native American languages in an effort to protect them from extinction. "You could call me sentimental," said Ms Tan. "But if you lose your dialect, you lose your culture." Others, like students Jeraldine Phneah and Mah Poh Ee, have even petitioned the authorities to bring dialects back on air. Ms Phneah, 22, has lived with her Hokkien-speaking grandparents since she was young. "When I listen to people speak in Hokkien, I feel a sense of closeness and warmth," she said. Ms Mah, who communicates with her family mostly in Cantonese but also speaks Hokkien and a smattering of Hakka, agreed. "I use the language to bond with my closest kin. If grandchildren can't communicate with their grandparents, that's a very sad thing," the 18-year-old said. There are also efforts to promote the use of dialects as a tool to communicate with those in the broader community. The National University of Singapore's Students' Community Service Club, for example, is experimenting with dialect tutorial videos to equip volunteers in their interactions with the elderly. The club used to hold two to three dialect workshops each academic year. However, it decided to switch to videos this year to increase outreach. "We wanted our volunteers to have a more meaningful interaction with the elderly," said Ms Kristabelle Tan, 21, the club's president. "Some are afraid to volunteer if they have no dialect skills." Ms Annie Lee, 24, who works with the Social Service Institute, has found that speaking "very fluent" Hokkien has made her job as a community relations officer easier. She recalled how she used to have difficulty conveying her thoughts to her Hokkien-speaking parents as a teenager. "I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn't verbalise it properly," she said. That was when she made a conscious effort to brush up on her Hokkien, and she now considers herself to be "very fluent" in the dialect. Ms Lee is now trying to pick up Cantonese, and has bought a Cantonese copy of social worker Koh Kuan Eng's dialect picture book. She has even purchased the Teochew and Hokkien versions of the book for her 20-month-old nephew. "Personally, I want to let dialects be passed on," she said. "I like the whole idea of continuing the legacy." Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/case-you-missed-it/story/young-people-speak-dialects-20131023 ↡ Advertisement 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vid Hypersonic October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 Great job by them! Dialects should never have been "banned". It was a stupid initiative by WHOEVER started it. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nostalgia 4th Gear October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 What a great example of the younger generation channeling their energy towards worthy causes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff69 Hypersonic October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 so that the "talents" wont understand what we talking about 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throttle2 Supersonic October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 About 10 yrs ago i was interviewed by a news reporter regarding this exact topic. My reply was that we should continue speaking in Dialects and maintain the ability to communicate with it. Today, i am glad that my 6 yr old understands and is able to speak it. Now training my 3 yr old. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman888 Moderator October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 (edited) Great job by them! Dialects should never have been "banned". It was a stupid initiative by WHOEVER started it. dun hope for that if you want the mandarin here to sound like those in malaysia or HK, which most of you are laughing at About 10 yrs ago i was interviewed by a news reporter regarding this exact topic. My reply was that we should continue speaking in Dialects and maintain the ability to communicate with it. Today, i am glad that my 6 yr old understands and is able to speak it. Now training my 3 yr old. good to have the next generation to know their own dialect and able to speak them, it is done within the family so more practice would continue the use of it. Edited October 23, 2013 by Jman888 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcann 6th Gear October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 Dialects? Hokkien had, has and will always be spoken by yours truly at my home with my mum, in camp (de facto working language inside there but fortunately they terminated my "membership" liao ), at my work place and at my favourite makan place - hawker centres. Excel in Hokkien phrases especially Also fluent in Cantonese thanks to the early HK serials like 變色龍,網中人,小李飛刀, etc & I can keng with folks when in HK mo mun tai. Understands Teochew and can ta with some older lau nang ke bo boon dwei. Hockchew hopeless even though I am one because my late old man never taught me except the phrase "ka liu, ka liu which any Hockchew child will understand Kek or Hakka, Hainanese or Fuqing (福清) hua tou ham pu lang buay hiao liao... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrocarbon Turbocharged October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 Great job by them! Dialects should never have been "banned". It was a stupid initiative by WHOEVER started it. QFT.. I'm Hokkien, but never formally learnt Hokkien or Canto, though I can understand Canto somewhat alright. Wished that we were taught at least the basics of our dialects in school. (My parents thought that Hokkien was too vulgar, but now, I mostly only know the vulgar words, ha). Gonna go learn more Hokkien + Canto! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mllcg 3rd Gear October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 time to bring back canto movies/dramas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shull Turbocharged October 23, 2013 Share October 23, 2013 Got good and bad points la.. Just look at the Malaysian Chinese in KL. Half of the older generations only knows how to speak Cantonese. Sometimes go up there to the older shops, very difficult to communicate. HK also, some shopkeepers and taxi drivers speak better English than Mandarin. But the point about not losing our culture and roots is important. I am Hainanese, but i don't even know basic Hainanese (my Hokkien vocab is alot more than Hainanese vocab, thanks to the 2 years wearing green). Wanted to learn from my dad, but he passed away last year. Now i don't know who to turn to liao. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezg1 5th Gear October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 More than 30 years after their use was discouraged due to the Speak Mandarin campaign, dialects seem to be making a quiet comeback among an unlikely group - the young. More young Chinese Singaporeans now see dialects as an important part of their heritage, and are taking steps to make sure they will not be lost. Business undergraduate Jasmine Tan began uploading basic Teochew tutorial videos on YouTube last year. Her channel, Teochew Gaginang (which means "our own people" in the dialect), currently has 214 subscribers. "It's a way of reaching out to people," said Ms Tan, 19. "It's about cultural preservation but it's also to show people that dialects are not something uncool." The self-professed "cultural zealot" said that she started her tutorials after being inspired by another YouTube user who uploads tutorials of Native American languages in an effort to protect them from extinction. "You could call me sentimental," said Ms Tan. "But if you lose your dialect, you lose your culture." Others, like students Jeraldine Phneah and Mah Poh Ee, have even petitioned the authorities to bring dialects back on air. Ms Phneah, 22, has lived with her Hokkien-speaking grandparents since she was young. "When I listen to people speak in Hokkien, I feel a sense of closeness and warmth," she said. Ms Mah, who communicates with her family mostly in Cantonese but also speaks Hokkien and a smattering of Hakka, agreed. "I use the language to bond with my closest kin. If grandchildren can't communicate with their grandparents, that's a very sad thing," the 18-year-old said. There are also efforts to promote the use of dialects as a tool to communicate with those in the broader community. The National University of Singapore's Students' Community Service Club, for example, is experimenting with dialect tutorial videos to equip volunteers in their interactions with the elderly. The club used to hold two to three dialect workshops each academic year. However, it decided to switch to videos this year to increase outreach. "We wanted our volunteers to have a more meaningful interaction with the elderly," said Ms Kristabelle Tan, 21, the club's president. "Some are afraid to volunteer if they have no dialect skills." Ms Annie Lee, 24, who works with the Social Service Institute, has found that speaking "very fluent" Hokkien has made her job as a community relations officer easier. She recalled how she used to have difficulty conveying her thoughts to her Hokkien-speaking parents as a teenager. "I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn't verbalise it properly," she said. That was when she made a conscious effort to brush up on her Hokkien, and she now considers herself to be "very fluent" in the dialect. Ms Lee is now trying to pick up Cantonese, and has bought a Cantonese copy of social worker Koh Kuan Eng's dialect picture book. She has even purchased the Teochew and Hokkien versions of the book for her 20-month-old nephew. "Personally, I want to let dialects be passed on," she said. "I like the whole idea of continuing the legacy." Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/case-you-missed-it/story/young-people-speak-dialects-20131023 ..should not have been phase out by those idiots in the 1st place ...its our heritage...go on promote all you can "girls ....I believe most of us luv dialects...but sad to say when most of us are not speaking then it will really phase out ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman888 Moderator October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 ..should not have been phase out by those idiots in the 1st place ...its our heritage...go on promote all you can "girls ....I believe most of us luv dialects...but sad to say when most of us are not speaking then it will really phase out ... you are looking at the girls or listening to their dialect? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezg1 5th Gear October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 you are looking at the girls or listening to their dialect? Both lah... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_prince Supersonic October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 to be honest, most youngsters never have a chance to learn a dialect. even in sch, the defacto langauge is english or mandarin. i've only learn hokkien and cantonese in army. lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrocarbon Turbocharged October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 you are looking at the girls or listening to their dialect? Learn dialect / language from pretty girls is the best.. Got eye candy, and that's motivation to learn more. Though, those two, not my type lah.. =D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustank Hypersonic October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 More than 30 years after their use was discouraged due to the Speak Mandarin campaign, dialects seem to be making a quiet comeback among an unlikely group - the young. More young Chinese Singaporeans now see dialects as an important part of their heritage, and are taking steps to make sure they will not be lost. Business undergraduate Jasmine Tan began uploading basic Teochew tutorial videos on YouTube last year. Her channel, Teochew Gaginang (which means "our own people" in the dialect), currently has 214 subscribers. "It's a way of reaching out to people," said Ms Tan, 19. "It's about cultural preservation but it's also to show people that dialects are not something uncool." The self-professed "cultural zealot" said that she started her tutorials after being inspired by another YouTube user who uploads tutorials of Native American languages in an effort to protect them from extinction. "You could call me sentimental," said Ms Tan. "But if you lose your dialect, you lose your culture." Others, like students Jeraldine Phneah and Mah Poh Ee, have even petitioned the authorities to bring dialects back on air. Ms Phneah, 22, has lived with her Hokkien-speaking grandparents since she was young. "When I listen to people speak in Hokkien, I feel a sense of closeness and warmth," she said. Ms Mah, who communicates with her family mostly in Cantonese but also speaks Hokkien and a smattering of Hakka, agreed. "I use the language to bond with my closest kin. If grandchildren can't communicate with their grandparents, that's a very sad thing," the 18-year-old said. There are also efforts to promote the use of dialects as a tool to communicate with those in the broader community. The National University of Singapore's Students' Community Service Club, for example, is experimenting with dialect tutorial videos to equip volunteers in their interactions with the elderly. The club used to hold two to three dialect workshops each academic year. However, it decided to switch to videos this year to increase outreach. "We wanted our volunteers to have a more meaningful interaction with the elderly," said Ms Kristabelle Tan, 21, the club's president. "Some are afraid to volunteer if they have no dialect skills." Ms Annie Lee, 24, who works with the Social Service Institute, has found that speaking "very fluent" Hokkien has made her job as a community relations officer easier. She recalled how she used to have difficulty conveying her thoughts to her Hokkien-speaking parents as a teenager. "I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn't verbalise it properly," she said. That was when she made a conscious effort to brush up on her Hokkien, and she now considers herself to be "very fluent" in the dialect. Ms Lee is now trying to pick up Cantonese, and has bought a Cantonese copy of social worker Koh Kuan Eng's dialect picture book. She has even purchased the Teochew and Hokkien versions of the book for her 20-month-old nephew. "Personally, I want to let dialects be passed on," she said. "I like the whole idea of continuing the legacy." Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/case-you-missed-it/story/young-people-speak-dialects-20131023 i think i need to improve on my hokkien where to sign up ah Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrmilktooth Supercharged October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 this is a good move.. bring back the dialects on tv !!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansumgoku 2nd Gear October 24, 2013 Share October 24, 2013 Its a good way to reconnect with our roots ah. Good initiative ups! ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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