mercredi 16 novembre 2005
How sad
"However, as world globalises, the language [Teochew] is losing popularity among the native speakers. In Singapore, due to common culture and influences from media, Singaporean Chinese youths whose native language is Teochew are either converting to English, Standard Mandarin or Hokkien. Teochew remains the native language of many Chinese people in Singapore (Teochew people are 2nd largest group in Singapore, after the Hokkiens), although Mandarin is gradually supplanting Teochew as their mother tongue, especially among the younger generations."
- Source
Every time I hear someone speak Mandarin, I always wonder if there was another language that they originally spoke before switching to China's national language. While a uniform tongue does help with communication, it is leading to the death of many beautiful languages and dialects. What a tragedy.
Libellés : culture, language
