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Dialect Names in Singapore


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Turbocharged

should we bring back the concept of dialect surnames/names?

 

ever since the early eighties, the names of Singaporean Chinese had gone through the hanyu pinyin revolution

 

i remember it caused a confusion in the NS (in later years) because many had the same names

 

now, it also caused confusion between Singaporean Chinese and China Chinese

 

i like dialect names... it's an unique part of our local culture (like Taiwan and HK) and we shouldn't discard it

 

will you give your children dialect names, apart from English names?

 

or will you give them hanyu pinyin names? or half half (dialect surname, hanyu pinyin name)?

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Current practice is retaining the dialect surname & having a pin yin 1st name. eg Tan A Gou instead of Tan Ah Kao...

Edited by Karu
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i always use my dialect name instead of given hanyu pinyin name when filling form cos i was told since young, the dialect name comes first since hanyu pinyu comes with () on my nric.

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should we bring back the concept of dialect surnames/names?

 

ever since the early eighties, the names of Singaporean Chinese had gone through the hanyu pinyin revolution

 

i remember it caused a confusion in the NS (in later years) because many had the same names

 

now, it also caused confusion between Singaporean Chinese and China Chinese

 

i like dialect names... it's an unique part of our local culture (like Taiwan and HK) and we shouldn't discard it

 

will you give your children dialect names, apart from English names?

 

or will you give them hanyu pinyin names? or half half (dialect surname, hanyu pinyin name)?

it had gone away liao meh?? how come i dont know?? even my children have dialect name.

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i didn't know got any changes leh, I still using dialect name for my forms and my baby forms, no problem whatsoever.

 

but if the parents prefer hanyu pinyin then its alright also.

 

last time during my NS days, got 1 platoon mate, just dialect surname and christian name on his 11B, he told us birth cert also same, so hes named Adrian Lee, or David Lee(example only), but no dialect name on his IC.

and his parents both chinese with dialect names, but perhaps they prefer christian names so its their preferences lor.

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I only have dialect name, no english name, so only use dialect name. Hanyu Pinyin name is on the IC but never used. In retrospect should have put chinese characters instead of hanyu pinyin cos it's more meaningful. However, don't think chinese characters was available as an option back then.

My kid, like me has no ang mor name, just dialect surname and pinyin given name, cos wife and I are of different dialect groups so more diplomatic to have hanyu pinyin.

Edited by Ssbcc
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I only have dialect name, no english name, so only use dialect name. Hanyu Pinyin name is on the IC but never used. In retrospect should have put chinese characters instead of hanyu pinyin cos it's more meaningful. However, don't think chinese characters was available as an option back then.

My kid, like me has no ang mor name, just dialect surname and pinyin given name, cos wife and I are of different dialect groups so more diplomatic to have hanyu pinyin.

Chinese character all along have lah. I think you missed it when filling the forms.

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How about Fiona Tse?

 

If she is cantonese loh.

 

Also can be Fiona Hsieh if she Taiwanese.

 

All same thing lah, just how the ang moh colonials recorded it in alphabet only.

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Turbocharged

from what i observe, the new generation (born after 90s) mostly have hanyu pinyin names

 

in future you cannot differentiate locals and the new citizens from PRC

 

dialect names, just like the dialects, are dying fast

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