In the early stages of Singapore’s development, local Chinese Singaporeans lived in traditional dialect villages and used dialects as their main language of communication. When Singaporeans progressively moved into the current public housing, the various dialect communities dispersed and the chain of communication between these groups was also broken. Coupled with the Speak Mandarin Campaign, the usage of dialects in Singapore has been on a declining trend.

 

Dialect is a beautiful aspect of the Chinese culture. It is not a language for the ‘old’ or ‘uncouth’. The new generations of Singaporeans need to see the value of dialect – it delves into our roots and reveals a bigger picture of ourselves. We must do what we can do preserve this unique element of the Singapore Chinese Culture.

 

We can set up booths or conduct workshops and educational tours to allow participants to have a better appreciation of the five main dialect groups in Singapore – Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka and Hainanese. Reach out to us to customise a programme suitable for your organisation!