‘Unlock your DNA’: More young S’poreans taking up dialect classes

“He (the musician) told me something that really stuck: If you speak Hakka, you unlock your DNA. Learning Hakka has given me a sense of grounding, and I hope more young people get to experience that too,” said the polytechnic student.

He also hopes this can strengthen his relationship with his grandparents, whom he visits every other week.

“They would correct me if my pronunciation was different from what they grew up with,” he said. “It has become a nice bonding ritual between us.”

Accessible routes to cultural roots

Lim, the Teochew instructor, said the Government’s recent easing of its policy on dialect content is actually good for Singaporeans’ use of Mandarin.

In his Mandarin speech at the National Day Rally on Aug 23, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that there would no longer be a cap on the number of screenings of dialect films, as long as a Mandarin-dubbed version is available.

He also spotlighted clan associations’ efforts to promote dialects here through classes and cultural activities, and said the Government will continue to support these efforts.

While the Government previously discouraged dialects to streamline communication across diverse Chinese groups, Lim believes dialects have the ability to unify, rather than fragment.

“Learning a Chinese dialect can actually boost one’s Mandarin, as mastering a dialect’s complex tones and structures makes Mandarin easier to grasp,” he added.

There are also students like Tan Song Ya, whose interest in Cantopop and Hong Kong dramas prompted her to enrol in a Cantonese class at KCWK in July.

“Perhaps I should be learning my own dialect, Hokkien, after this,” said the 34-year-old engineer, who grew up speaking English and Mandarin.

A budding interest in one’s dialect can also become an abiding interest in Chinese history and culture, noted Kong Chow Cultural Centre head and Cantonese instructor Wong Chee Meng.

“For the class in Chinese history and culture, many students enjoy learning classical poetry, especially Tang poetry, in Cantonese, because the richness in rhymes and tonal patterns often cannot be replicated in Mandarin,” he noted.

Clan associations here said they are experimenting with different ways to build on this momentum of interest in dialects.

For instance, the central plot device of Dear You is qiaopi, which were letters sent home by overseas Chinese along with remittance money. The letters were written with Chinese ink and traditional script, which flowed vertically from top to bottom.

SHHK has since incorporated this into its dialect programmes. It also organises intergenerational activities where youth and seniors are grouped together to make traditional food such as bak chang (glutinous rice dumplings) and to learn classic Hokkien songs together, said its marketing manager Jeremiah Soh.

Tapping into Singaporeans’ gastronomic obsessions, many of the lessons also touch on the dishes unique to each dialect group.

“Food is especially effective because it brings people together. We discuss dishes such as Hainanese chicken rice, kaya and yi bua, a Hainanese glutinous rice snack,” said Hou Wenxue, a teacher at Hainan Hwee Kuan.

“These dishes give students a way to understand the history and environment behind the culture.”

Meanwhile, KCWK’s elementary-level Cantonese class focuses on phrases for real-life situations, such as ordering food in a restaurant.

Lim said dialects also offer a stress-free way to access and appreciate one’s culture and traditions as there are no exams.

“There are also no strict standards to follow, as Singapore’s dialects are not ‘pure’ and have been influenced by other languages here.”

Hakka instructor Wong Chin Fee agreed. “Even in Dabu county, there are variations of the same Hakka dialect,” he said.

“I always tell my students: Just speak up and don’t be afraid of making mistakes.”

Students told ST that besides tapping on food, music and pop culture, what will sustain interest in dialects here is having more opportunities to use these languages in daily life.

This can include having more events where everyone attempts to speak in the same dialect, whether they are karaoke and movie nights or cooking classes.

“If dialect becomes something that we encounter more naturally in our everyday lives, I think more young people would be curious enough to give it a try,” said polytechnic student Alexis Foo, 18, who is learning Hakka.

“Sometimes, preserving a culture starts simply by making it easier for people to participate in it.”