Dialects find a voice - TODAYonline
"The only one in our group who could speak dialect translated; it was really a cumbersome process," he recalled.
Two years on, the 18-year-old is proud to say that he can do more than ask a senior, "ai lim zui mai" (do you want some water?). He rattles off in fluent Hokkien about his doings at school. The old folks, in turn, joke with the youngster about having a "zha bo peng you" (girlfriend) or urge him to study hard.
Of Cantonese and Teochew stock, Kenneth says neither dialect is really used at home. "For many of us, we learnt along the way with every visit (to the old folks) and tapped the knowledge of those more proficient among us," said the final-year student. "It was definitely not easy."
The impending closure of radio station Rediffusion was perhaps inevitable given the drastic decline of Chinese dialects among younger generations of Singaporeans ever since the start of the Government's big Speak Mandarin push more than 30 years ago. While the latter was seen as necessary, some older folk have worried about the loss of a part of Singapore's heritage, and that youth would grow up disconnected from their roots and alienated from their dialect-speaking elders.
But what Today found were pockets of young Singaporeans and community groups that are making the effort to learn - and even teach others - the patois.
PASSING IT ON
Much of this stems from the effort, by youths like Kenneth, to reach out to less fortunate senior citizens. His group mate Ng Chow Hui, for instance, picked up some basic Hokkien phrases from his parents for his community service. But he later also found himself digging deeper into his cultural heritage and the history of Hokkien people.
The decline of dialects, he laments, "is a loss for the younger generation as they will not know their heritage. How can the previous generation, which is only fluent in dialects, pass down the stories and traditions?"
His team is trying to get more students to befriend the elderly and, to that end, they have put together a handy booklet of Hokkien phrases that volunteers can use on their house visits. Said Kenneth: "The elderly appreciate that we use their mother tongue. When we were finally able to speak to them in Hokkien, there was that moment of joy for them."
At the National University of Singapore, the Students' Community Service Club has already held three workshops in Hokkien and is planning for similar sessions in Cantonese.
Organiser Maurice Ng, 23, said the response has been encouraging. The second-year life sciences student, who believes dialects are vital for connecting the older and younger generations, is hoping to hold at least one workshop each year.
More initiatives
At the grassroots level, the People's Association (PA) has rolled out dialect-related activities. Within the various community centres, there are dialect singing courses and a dialect initiative was piloted last year to reach out to younger people.
National Institute of Education student Chang Ai Jia, 24, took part in the "Learn Cantonese language through Forgotten Cantonese Cuisine" class to get in touch with her regional roots.
Inspired after an exchange programme to Hong Kong, Ms Chang was eager for opportunities to use the language. People around her generally don't. "People these days don't see the need to speak the language, hence learning it would be viewed as a waste of time. There is also a perception that dialect speakers are less educated," she said.
Now she is confident enough to use the patois at Cantonese eateries - and there is one other benefit that Ms Chang treasures: "I definitely feel closer to my grandmother as there is this shared mother tongue between us."
'KEEP IT REAL'
For older Chinese Singaporeans, other avenues to indulge in the old patois can be found in the arts.
The Chinese Theatre Circle's members and supporters, most of whom are over 45, turn to opera for a whiff of nostalgia and the opportunity to speak dialect with one another.
Artistic director Joanna Wong says that she introduced English and Chinese subtitles in her performances three decades ago for the younger audience. The troupe is now hoping to raise awareness of the art form - and in turn dialects - by working with schools.
The Glowers Drama Group, whose members are mostly past their 50th birthday, use a mix of Cantonese, Mandarin and English in their plays. When members get together socially, founder Catherine Sng, 62, said the exchanges take everybody back to the old times, when people often spoke a hodge-podge of languages in the same conversation.
On how to revive interest in their dialect roots, Ms Sng advised: "Don't force people to support dialects, let those who are interested find the avenues themselves to sustain the passion ... keep it real."
Family ties important
Clan associations, meanwhile, are doing their part, but they feel that community groups are limited in what they can do. The Singapore Kwangtung Hui Kuan and the Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, for example, have language classes once or twice per week for about 20 participants. But the interest is mainly among China immigrants.
The Singapore Hainan Society, which regularly organises Hainanese drama performances for its 600-strong membership, also sees lacklustre response from the young.
Its secretary, Mr Teh Chai Kang, said: "We don't organise activities for youths as much now as turnout has not been very good.
"The young people are not keen any more and only come with their parents when there are special occasions or during festivals."
The Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan and Singapore Hakka Chong Association think the close-knit ties among family makes it more effective for youngsters to learn dialect from their elders.
Madam Lim Wee, 62, who converses in Hokkien with her 11-year-old nephew, agrees. "My nephew picked it up because all of us speak the dialect at home, and we spoke it to him ... It is all about exposure to the language as children learn things really quickly.
"It's a win-win situation, because his father speaks English with him, while he is learning Mandarin at school, so he's quite well-exposed."
Sounds they grew up with
Right after she was robbed in Ipoh six years ago, Ms Tang Lin Ho's instinct was to call the radio station to warn fellow Rediffusion listeners to be careful. The 64-year-old part-time cleaner had lost S$1,000 to a snatch thief and was bruised in the face when he shoved her to the ground.
"Everyone, the deejays, the listeners, we are all like a big family and, of course, it is natural to want to help one another," Ms Tang, a native Cantonese speaker, told Today in Mandarin.
Rediffusion, popular among older listeners like her, was best known for its Cantonese, Teochew and Hokkien talk shows and music. It was the go-to station for keen dialect speakers here after the mainstream broadcast media was mandated to stop all dialect programmes by 1982.
Last week, the 63-year-old radio service announced it was going off the airwaves for good by the end of this month, due to losses of S$30,000 to S$40,000 every month. Its listener base had dipped from 100,000 in its heyday to barely more than 3,000 today, and advertisers were scarce.
Ms Tang has been tuning in faithfully to the three half-hour blocks of dialect programmes daily. "It becomes like a natural thing to turn on the radio once I get home and hear those familiar sounds (dialects) I grew up with," she said.
Over the years, she has formed strong friendships with other listeners through the events and trips organised by the radio station. "It pains me to think of its closure," she added with a sigh. Ardent Rediffusion fans like her are holding out hope that someone will step in with financial support to save the radio station in the nick of time.
Another long-time listener, Mr Raymond Fernando, 62, said he would miss drifting into his afternoon naps to the sound of oldies music in dialect playing on the Rediffusion transmitter.
Mr Fernando, a Eurasian, had picked up Teochew and Cantonese through the station's programmes. This had helped him to bond better with his wife whose family is Teochew, as well as with neighbours who only spoke Cantonese, he said.
"If the radio station really closes down, I will just have to make do with CDs (for music) ... but the feeling will not be the same," he said. NG JING YNG
Comments