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I am an English speaking Chinese Singaporean. I have been reading this forum and talking to many Singaporeans (duh) and I just can't understand why some Singaporeans of Chinese ancestry say things such as "if you can't speak Chinese, you have lost your roots", "English is not our language" etc.
Let me make some points clear.
我是一个说英语的新加坡华人。我已经关注这个论坛很久了，并且和很多新加坡人交流过（啧）可我不能理解为什么那么多新加坡华人前辈总是说“如果你不能说汉语，你就失去了你的根”，“英语不是我们的语言”等等。
让我把话说清楚。
1. I am Singaporean, not Chinese. I have never been to China. My culture is Singaporean not Chinese. Anyone who has been to China will know Singapore culture and Chinese culture are like night and day, totally different. Our laws, medical system, social conventions, dressing, thinking, schools, transport, everything are TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
1. 我是新加坡人，不是中国人。我从来没去过中国。我生活在新加坡文化圈而不是中国文化圈。只要是去过中国的人一定会知道，新加坡文化和中国文化就像白昼与黑夜，完全不同。我们的法律，医疗系统，社会环境，穿衣，思考，学校，交通，所有的，完·全·不·同。
2. I, like all Singaporeans, grew up in school with English as our first language. I only use English at work and at home, since Singapore is runs on English. Our laws, newspapers and everything else are all in English.
I don't understand why under such an environment, some people still reject the use of English and speak Mandarin.
2. 就像所有的新加坡人一样，我也在英语为第一语言的学校中成长。我在家或者工作也只使用英语，因为新加坡都是用英语的。我们的法律，报纸和别的东西都是英语写的。我不理解为何在如此的环境下，那些人还是拒绝说英语并且说普通话。
3. English IS Singapore's language. Some Singaporeans reject English as a "foreign language", the language of the British and Americans etc and say that as "Chinese" we should speak Mandarin, our ancestral language, our "roots". This is just a very bigoted view which is based on ignorance.
If we subscribe to this "foreign language" argument, every English speaking country in the world except English would be speaking a "foreign language" and have lost their ancestral "roots"!
If we follow this argument, in Britain, the Welsh should speak Welsh. Scottish should speak Scots, those at Cornwal should speak Cornish. Those in Northern Ireland should speak Irish.
Ireland should speak Gaelic or Irish, not English, a "foreign" language from England.
Americans, who are mostly of Irish, Germans, Polish descent would all be speaking a "foreign language". After all, they should speak German, Polish or Irish language, not English! And African Americans should be speaking Afrikaans?
English is no more a foreign language to Singaporeans than it is to the Americans, Canadians and 80% of British people.
If Singaporean Chinese should speak Mandarin, then German Americans should all speak German, Irish Americans, Irish, African Americans, Afrikaans etc.. But they like Singaporeans, are not German/Irish/African, the link has long been cut, they are Americans, they speak American English.
3.英语是新加坡的语言。有些新加坡人拒绝英语并且认为那是“外语”，因为那是英国美国等国家的语言，并认为作为华人，我们应该说祖先都说的普通话，那是我们的根。这仅仅是基于愚蠢而产生的固执观点。
如果我们赞同那个关于“外语”的说法，那世界上除了英国以外的说英语的国家实际上都在说外语而且丢掉了根！
如果我们深入讨论这个观点，在大不列颠，威尔士人要说威尔士语，苏格兰人要说苏格兰语，康沃尔人要说凯尔特语，北爱尔兰人要说爱尔兰语。
爱尔兰人应该说盖尔语或者爱尔兰语，而不是从英格兰传过来的“外语”——英语。
美国人，他们大多是爱尔兰德国波兰血统，那他们现在大多是在说外语吗。终究，他们应该说德语波兰语或爱尔兰语，不是英语！而且美国黑人难道要说南非语吗？
所以英语对新加坡人已经不再是一门外语了，就像对美国人加拿大人和80%的大不列颠人一样。
如果新加坡人要说普通话，那德国血统的美国人要说德语，爱尔兰血统的美国人要说爱尔兰语，波兰血统的美国人要说波兰语，美国黑人要说非洲语，等等。但就像新加坡一样，他们也并没有说，因为他们和之前的人已经断绝关系了，他们是美国人，他们说美式英语。
4. I think Singaporeans should be clear that they are Singaporeans not Chinese citizens. Just like African Americans are Americans not Africans. German Americans are Americans not Germans...so on and so forth.
I say we speak Standard Singapore English proudly with our Singaporean accent. (Mild) Singlish is fun as well, no it is not "bad English" because if you compare it with some British dialects such as "Geordie" or "Scottish English" or even "Welsh English", it is actually easier to understand.
If a foreigner does not understand my accent or comment that I sound weird, I would tell him he is the one who sounds weird! This is Singapore and this is our accents. If you can't speak with a Singaporean accent, then of course we can't understand you well, don't compain.
4. 我认为新加坡人应该明白，他们是新加坡人，不是中国公民，就像美国黑人一样，是美国人不是非洲人。美籍德国人是美国人不是德国人…以此类推。我以自己说的一口标准新加坡英语而自豪。（温和的）新加坡英语也很有趣，不，那不是“说得不好的英语”因为如果你把它和英国方言比较之后，就会觉得他实在是太好理解了。
看看那些纽卡斯尔英语和苏格兰英语甚至是威尔士英语吧！
如果一个外国人不理解我的口音或者认为他很奇怪，我会告诉他你才是奇怪的那个！这是新加坡，这是我们的口音。如果你不能说新加坡口音，那当然我们也无法理解你了，别抱怨。
5. Mandarin is not even my ancestral language if you want to be anal about it. Mandarin is the dialect of Beijing and my forefathers were probably from Fujian, though I have some Malay blood in me as well.
5. 如果要深究的话，普通话甚至不是我的母语。普通话是北京方言，但我的祖先大概是福建人所以我应该有一些马来血统。
6. Mandarin is useful? If you are dealing with China, yes. But lets not forget that 55 countries worldwide and almost all supranational organs use English.
The biggest economy in the world, America, uses English. Europeans all speak English as their second language these days. Canadaians, Australians, etc. And without English, you cannot find a good job in Singapore.
6. 普通话很有用？如果你和中国打交道，是的。但让我们不要忘记世界上那些55个说英语的国家。世界上最大的金融中心，美国，是用英语的。欧洲现在也都是英语为第二语言。加拿大，澳大利亚等等也是。并且，不会英语，你在新加坡是找不到好工作的。
7. Lets not forget my "forefathers" and probably yours ran away from China and took up Singapore citizenship for a reason. He didn't want to be a Chinese citizen.
7. 让我们也不要忘记我们的祖先。他们很有可能是从中国逃过来的，为了拿到新加坡国籍。他可能也不想当中国公民了。
So don't tell me to speak Mandarin (a beijing dialect) in Singapore (an English society).
所以别再让我在新加坡（一个英语社会）这地方讲普通话了（那是北京方言）
If you can't speak English in Singapore, I suggest you hang your head in shame, for you have truly "lost your roots".
如果你不能在新加坡讲英语，我建议你低下头羞愧的做人吧，因为你真的丢了你的根
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狗仔卡
发表于 2012-12-29 16:17
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