Foreword
Being
ideographic, the Chinese language as written can be said to be digital. Although pronunciations change over time and
space, the characters remain as they have always been. The meaning is de-linked
from pronunciation. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
It is an
advantage because the transmission of meaning doesn’t depend on the spoken
word. Hence it is not uncommon for
Japanese tourists in China who can’t speak Chinese to use hanzi (kanji) to find their way around. For the same reason, the
Chinese language has looser grammar.
However,
it is also a disadvantage compared to alphabetic languages. Learning the characters is a huge effort for
adults. For children, it is not a
problem. In fact, young children in Singapore
can read Chinese characters (as pictures) earlier than they can pronounce
English words. But for most adults,
mastering reading and writing in Chinese is very difficult. This is a serious obstacle to the
globalization of the Chinese language.
Thus, on
one hand, the digital nature of the written Chinese language is an important
reason for the tenacity of the civilization and its sense of continuity. On the other, it is precisely this
characteristic that makes the Chinese language less amenable to globalization. For example, despite profound influence by
Chinese civilization over the centuries, the Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese
still needed phonetic systems in addition to han zi to accommodate their
more complex grammars.
Singapore’s
language situation is unusual because of the mixing of two very different
language systems in the brains of many of its citizens, three quarters of whom
are self-consciously ethnic Chinese. It is further complicated by the fact that
Chinese Singaporeans are mostly of South China origins inheriting from their
parents and grandparents the syntax of Minnan, Chaozhou, Cantonese, Hainanese
and Kejia dialects. In addition, Singapore
has four official languages - English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The result is a daily mixing of different
language systems within a relatively small urban area.
With
globalization, what is taken as a matter of course in Singapore, is being experienced in
many parts of the world. With much
greater ease of travel and communication, language systems are being mixed
worldwide in a manner not seen before. Because of this, Singapore’s experience in teaching
languages has become of interest to a much wider audience. Goh Yeng Seng’s book on Globalisation of the
Chinese Language – A Singapore Perspective is therefore timely.
Yeng Seng
has been my Mandarin tutor since 1988 except for the period when he went to London's School
of Oriental and African
Studies (SOAS) for his PhD in linguistics.
In recent years, he has also become a Mandarin tutor to Minister Mentor
Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
He has a
keen research interest in the learning of languages, particularly in the
learning of Mandarin as a second language by students from different family
backgrounds. Many Chinese families use a
mixture of English (or a patois of English), Mandarin and a smattering of
Chinese dialects at home. This creates
confusion in syntax and huge problems in teaching students from a range of
family backgrounds in the same classroom.
Yeng Seng
has become a specialist in this area helping the Singapore Education Ministry
develop new programmes for children learning Mandarin. He has a lively mind and enjoys working with
children and adults alike. He combines theory with his own practice. Educated
in a predominantly Chinese school in Singapore,
he took a Singapore Public Service Commission scholarship to study Chinese
Language and Literature at the National
Taiwan University
where he met his wife. After teaching a
few years, and with a certain encouragement from me, he went off to do his
postgraduate work in the School of Asian and African Studies in London University
where he was forced to master his English.
When he
came back to Singapore, he taught at the National Institute of Education of
Nanyang Technological University. In 2005, he did a semester’s sabbatical at
Harvard’s Fairbank Center for East Asian Research. He has been the Head of
Asian Languages and Cultures Academic Group since 2006. Over the years, he has
developed strong links to higher education institutions of Chinese language
teaching in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other places. His academic
network now covers the Asia-Pacific region, North America, Europe and South
Africa. His book on Chinese language teaching and research from Singapore
perspective will become a useful reference work.
George Yeo
LianHeZhaoBao article on Dr Goh's book and George Yeo's foreward (in Mandarin)
Download 090210 ZBNOW Pg 5
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