Is Singapore really strong as a multilingual environment? Or is that just hallucination?

[Windwaver]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_planning_and_policy_in_Singapore

Officially, its ethnic composition is approximately 76.8% Chinese, 13.9% Malay, 7.9% Indian, while the remaining 1.4% are mainly Others, a miscellaneous category.[5]

Given this diversity, the language policy in Singapore aims at cultivating amongst its citizens a bilingual proficiency in the English language and a mother tongue that is officially assigned to the specific ethnic communities.

Although the English language is excluded from the list of official mother tongues (Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu, Tamil), it is still recognised as an official language for practical reasons such as ensuring socio-economic mobility.

Anybody you know can speak well bilingually or multilingually?

Not that kind of glass half full half empty kind. 

 

[Fcw75]

17 minutes ago, Windwaver said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_planning_and_policy_in_Singapore

Officially, its ethnic composition is approximately 76.8% Chinese, 13.9% Malay, 7.9% Indian, while the remaining 1.4% are mainly Others, a miscellaneous category.[5]

Given this diversity, the language policy in Singapore aims at cultivating amongst its citizens a bilingual proficiency in the English language and a mother tongue that is officially assigned to the specific ethnic communities.

Although the English language is excluded from the list of official mother tongues (Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu, Tamil), it is still recognised as an official language for practical reasons such as ensuring socio-economic mobility.

Anybody you know can speak well bilingually or multilingually?

Not that kind of glass half full half empty kind. 

 

You infatuated with her like many others is it? 😁

Singapore have…Diana Ser. 

[Windwaver]

3 minutes ago, Fcw75 said:

You infatuated with her like many others is it? 😁

Singapore have…Diana Ser. 

Aiya, must link up with our younger generation, if not they say we're in their way 

 

[Windwaver]

9 minutes ago, Fcw75 said:

You infatuated with her like many others is it? 😁

Singapore have…Diana Ser. 

Oh, she's quite good too

[yishunite]

Singapore multilingualism is all English + MT. You hardly hear a Chinese person pick up another of the local languages. Yet in my fathers generation nearly everyone can speak Malay, with at least 1 or 2 dialects, some can speak Japanese, Thai, etc

But todays students poor thing so much emphasis on other subjects and not allowed to "hang out" in community where got time to master 2nd lang or learn a third language.

Edited February 21, 2022 by yishunite

[Jamesc]

I can scold vulgar words in English, Hokkian and Cantonese.

Does that count as 3?

I am fluent and not that kind of glass half full half empty kind. 

1 hour ago, Windwaver said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_planning_and_policy_in_Singapore

Officially, its ethnic composition is approximately 76.8% Chinese, 13.9% Malay, 7.9% Indian, while the remaining 1.4% are mainly Others, a miscellaneous category.[5]

Given this diversity, the language policy in Singapore aims at cultivating amongst its citizens a bilingual proficiency in the English language and a mother tongue that is officially assigned to the specific ethnic communities.

Although the English language is excluded from the list of official mother tongues (Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu, Tamil), it is still recognised as an official language for practical reasons such as ensuring socio-economic mobility.

Anybody you know can speak well bilingually or multilingually?

Not that kind of glass half full half empty kind. 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Jamesc

[Mustank]

know so many for what? Cheap can already 

 

[Maxus-MIFA9]

2 minutes ago, Mustank said:

know so many for what? Cheap can already 

 

How, where cheap ... 

[Fcw75]

7 minutes ago, Mustank said:

know so many for what? Cheap can already 

 

You mean CECA ah?

[Gizmore]

Actually during my primary school days, my malay close friends are always keen to learn mandarin such that they can partially understand what we are talking about when we used chinese words in between. 

In the same way, we always ask them about the malay words for simple verbs/phrases etc. 

It was fun back then.

This is not the case anymore?

[Jamesc]

Every country I go I try to learn a few important words to get by.

I can ask in 10 different language these 2 phrases.

"Two beers please"

"My friend will pay"

Its very useful to know other languages.

[Stratovarius]

My friend is certified bilingual. Not sure what is the process like but need to take test or something like that. Not sure of the details but her job is like to read the newspaper, Chinese and English and make sure the language is correct. 

[inlinesix]

A lot of ZB journalists are bilingual. Otherwise, how to write

[Rm2s]

Perhaps I am odd one out. I work with a group of people, age range from late 20s to mid 50s, all local, quite a few could speak both english and chinese at meetings with people from China. It was a struggle for most of us at the beginning but as it became important for us to be able to converse with them in chinese, and after a few months of struggling to find the right terms that they could understand, I am rather impressed with our local youngsters' language capabilities.

The moment the meeting is over, we revert to singlish immediately.

[Mustank]

Heng got pay attention in school 

now can buy taobao

[yishunite]

We must get more truly bilingual ppl like this one:

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3126334/chinas-most-beautiful-interpreter-becomes-internet-hit

 

[Voodooman]

1 hour ago, yishunite said:

Singapore multilingualism is all English + MT. You hardly hear a Chinese person pick up another of the local languages. Yet in my fathers generation nearly everyone can speak Malay, with at least 1 or 2 dialects, some can speak Japanese, Thai, etc

But todays students poor thing so much emphasis on other subjects and not allowed to "hang out" in community where got time to master 2nd lang or learn a third language.

That is for social interaction.

But what is the point of knowing many languages and dialects but is the master of none?  Very few people are truly bilingual and I envy those who have such competency, ie. being able to articulate complex thoughts/ ideas in a precise manner that others can comprehend without switching/ substituting. I can't. 

So bilingualism is only good for a small minority. Most people are half past 6 in one language, 2 may just make it worse. 

You can't analyse issues when half the time you don't even have the exact words to focus your train of thoughts on and to articulate your ideas effectively, to share and or to ask for help.

[Playtime]

Today youngsters are heading to be mono English. 

For the Chinese,  I actually blame the stupid mother tongue policy.

Excluding those who didn't get a proper schooling. 

The now middle age generations that grew up before being brain washed by the speak mandarine propaganda could speak English and mandarine better.. plus some dialects. 

Unless they had a PRC mother,   The young generations that grew up in the speak  mandarine campaign went from being made to feel ashamed of their dialect... their REAL mother tongue.. to concentrating only on English. Backfired spectacularly.