Lost in Translation

Here in our tiny island state, language seems to be a very fixed and standardised thing. The Chinese speak Mandarin, The Malays speak Malay, and the Indians speak Tamil. In turn, English is the language that supposedly unites all under one common tongue. We are all taught that race determines the language that we speak.

Imagine my astonishment then, during a recent trip to Sabah. My Malay-speaking friend from West Malaysia had trouble understanding a Malay girl’s words because, according to her, “she spoke different Malay.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised. Variations within languages are the rule rather than the exception. Everyday, English school teachers agonise over the different forms of American and British spelling that are both accepted in Singapore. Over in the Hispanic world, there are different pronunciations for various words in Latin America and Spain itself.

Language is a messy subject, and inevitably so. It is no accident that the English language is the fastest growing language – 990, 000 words, according to the Global Language Monitor – in the world, given its status as the lingua franca in diplomacy, business and science. The more people speak a language, the faster it evolves.

There are languages that have remained constant throughout our modern times. But who actually speaks them anymore? They are more likely to be used in the next Mel Gibson film than being spoken by more than a mere handful of people. Gibson, of course, has a new obsession with using archaic languages throughout his films. Even the disciples of Jesus in Passion of the Christ had to learn the Aramaic language spoken in the film by heart because they were not speakers of the language. Likewise for the Native Americans running around the jungles in Apocalypto.

The use of ethnicity and nationality to draconically determine what language we are supposed to speak does not work as well. Tamil is not the only language spoken in India. Other languages like Punjabi and Hindi are but a few of the other major languages. And this is not an Asian phenomenon. Spain is home to 3 other languages other than Spanish: Catalan, Basque and Galician.

An example that we are more familiar with would be the various dialects of Chinese. In Singapore, most Chinese know the dialect group they belong to. But it would not be an exaggeration to say that the number of dialect speakers among the younger generation is significantly less than the people of our parents’ age. The government discourages the use of dialects as well, disallowing its usage on television and radio.

The slow death of dialects is lamentable. Diversity is one of Singapore’s greatest strengths, not something to be ashamed off and suppressed. Even in China, the supposed proprietors of standard Mandarin, dialects are still widely spoken. Large cities like Shanghai continue to embrace their local tongue of Shanghainese. The Taiwanese adopt Hokkien in their everyday lives. In Hong Kong, schools continue to teach in Cantonese and Hong Kongers are still chatting away in their native tongue despite ten years of Chinese rule (albeit with an added impetus to learn Mandarin as well).

If we forget our dialects while the rest of the Chinese world continues speaking it, the ability to connect with our counterparts from another country is lost. A year ago, I found myself wide-eyed and bewildered on the streets of Hong Kong as Cantonese rang in my ears from every passer-by. I looked very much a local until I opened my mouth to spout my best Cantonese that I could muster. From that moment on, I might as well had the word “foreigner” stamped across my forehead.

The possible detrimental effects of speaking dialect on one’s Mandarin ability may discourage us from learning it, but think again. Chinese standards have never been sky high to begin with. The government has had to reduce the Chinese syllabus in schools in order to combat falling Chinese standards and reignite interest in the language. Those struggling with the Chinese language are often more comfortable expressing themselves in English. It is the over-reliance on English that we must be worried about.

Speaking dialect in a more intimate setting among friends and family need not clash with the learning of English and Mandarin in classrooms. Most dialect speakers in Singapore are able to effectively code-switch between Mandarin and dialect. Coupled with the education system’s competent teaching of English, understanding our own dialect need not come at the expense of other linguistic abilities.

All is not lost for those who wish to begin learning their dialect now. Our parents still speak the dialect and would probably be more than happy passing it on to us. Learning a language begins most fundamentally at home and not in a classroom. Losing that direct link to our dialect will probably mean we will never find another way to learn it more effectively. If that happens, don’t be surprised to find Mel Gibson’s camera crew booking a flight to our tiny island state.

The writer is completely aware of the immense irony that this entire article is written in standard British English.