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The campaign in Singapore to wipe out 'dialects' is also interesting, as it existed outside the ROC or PRC. Presumably done for ethnic/nation building reasons,
by LAC-Tech 5y ago
The campaign in Singapore to wipe out 'dialects' is also interesting, as it existed outside the ROC or PRC. Presumably done for ethnic/nation building reasons, to have a dominant chinese majority speaking one language - otherwise you'd have some chinese communities being similar or size or even smaller than the Tamil or Malay speakers.
Though I've also read recently that after stamping out non-Mandarin languages, even proficiency in Mandarin is now fallen behind, as English is more practical.
- dustintrex 5y agoOne final irony in Singapore is that all Chinese are now taught Mandarin as their "mother tongue" (the official term) in school. This is despite virtually all Singaporeans being of southern Chinese descent, meaning they actually spoke Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka, Cantonese etc, but nothing even close to northern Mandarin.
- gumby 5y agoIn the early 80s I was amused by the posters and signs in Singapore saying “speak mandarin” in Cantonese and English. It was a smart decision for a small country to make, but jarring nonetheless.