As a native hokkien and cantonese speaker, I feel that speaking dialect to family members feels closer and more friendly than speaking mandarin

However, I also feel like dialects are outdated. In the past when a small river or mountain could separate communities dialects made sense as people rarely interacted with the outside world

However, now that transportation and media is so good, a common language ie: Mandarin seems to have replaced any need for dialects


Do you think dialects should be preserved? Do they deserve to be preserved? Or should we be like Qin Shi Huang eliminating different scripts in favour of unifying?

This post has been edited by AscMenhe: Jan 18 2020, 12:59 AM

Nah, leave the preservation works to pure Chineses in Tongsan.

We Malaysian Chineses sukati use rojak localised Chinese/dialects.

This post has been edited by msacras: Jan 18 2020, 01:00 AM

global warming. we cannot even preserve our lives.

Gong ma Kai gui

Kan ni lau mu chow chee bye. Pu ki nia Bu chow chee pek.

If u can translate or said it mandarin, Mandarin man sui man sui man man sui.

For me I think mandarin purpose is just a chinese formal communication way to communicate with other people with different dialect background. Dialect is a culture thing, culture can be beliefs, foods, language, customs, arts, knowledge etc. that have been bringing from generations to generations. Same idea like why we celebrate chinese new year, it is a culture thing. Culture is a way of life. So why don't we preserve dialect?

What you said make sense.

But let take that logic further. Why must we even use Mandarin then? Why not just use English, as English is already the lingua franca of the world?

If you say Mandarin is Chinese identity, many of our ancestor couldn't speak Mandarin. Mandarin is not their language. Their identity is the Chinese language/dialects.

This post has been edited by changejob: Jan 18 2020, 01:20 AM

Yes

Its cultural

if you dont want, then no one can force you right? you are an oxymoron.

Yes, people are mostly comfortable speaking in their native tongue. China Chinese would feel friendly speaking in Mandarin. This is a bias we can't avoid.


here's the problem: who wants to unify with you?
Brexit? Separation in Spain? HK protest? Taiwan independence? XinJiang??? We are in world where ppl want to be different, individualist... they only need 1 common language to get their message across. Other than that, they want to be different from you.

canto masta race !
DLLM

learn abit won't rugi punya. even if you don't like or want to use it as everyday communication tool.

Malay here. I think it should be preserved. Just like Malay also got different dialect, those are preserved and still in use

Yes.
I still my dialect when speaking outside.
As a customer I should not be forced to speak mandarin just because you cant speak dialect.
Thats how I preserve dialect.

Mandarin isnt superior than dialect.
The chinese school in its overzealous way of following PRC, has destroyed most local dialects.
The education ministry should look into this.

Unifying the people is the job of the Malay language.
Not Mandarin !

School should allow kids to speak in their dialects on certain time/period.
No mandain time period - for dialects. Use Malay if hokkien meet cantonese for example.
Only mandarin period - where no other dialects are allowed.

Stupid system is killing chinese dialects. Speaking about championing chinese, culture and heritage are bullshit.

This post has been edited by Newsray: Jan 18 2020, 04:28 AM

... dialects are outdated?!?!
First of all, you dun even know Mandarin or Putonghua is a dialect!
China has eight major dialect groups: Putonghua (Mandarin), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan and Hakka. The language spoken in Beijing is often referred to as Mandarin or Putonghua.

It officially became the national language for China in 1911 after Dr. Sun Yat Sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty.
Even if you are very competent in Mandarin you still will have a hard time understanding it when listening to Shanghai residents speaking mandarin!

FYI During Qin Shi Huang time, Old Chinese (上古漢語) was use and NOT Mandarin!
So you can see there is nothing to be preserve, language will evolve, so too will culture.
No such thing as preserve as long as humans are mortals.
Your life & lifestyle is so different from your father time as his from his father time.

We should haram Hokkien because I don’t understand it.

Mandarin and Cantonese is ok

Hell yes. Dialects are important

They should be preserved. Dialects should go side by side with Mandarin. Both our chinese cultural identity.

I don't think tongsan doing preservation to new gen.
Is up to family.

I watched a video on those road test on Cantonese... I founs my level is way above Guangdong people about 20-30 yrs old.

Dialect is hard to preserve because the words are rare. Not sure on Hokkien word. Cantonese word largely preserve in hkg but is in its path of dying.

+1

I think I've read an article somewhere that Malaysian hokkien ppl are able to preserve more hokkien culture than Fujian itself.

I grew up in an era where everybody speaks cantonese in kl, seeing how the new generation doesnt even understand cantonese is just sad. So sad. Cantonese is a beautiful dialect and it's more closer to the classical chinese than mandarin if you know the history.

New system eh... Last time no such thing.. 😂

From my understanding, teachers in sjkc have problems trying to prevent the students from using dialects in their written essay. Very often they use some Cantonese words when constructing a Mandarin sentence. Only teachers can spot such mistakes.

Can't blame the kids though. They listen to all dialects at home. 😅 Kinda mix up everything, like rojak Chinese..

I think same as usage of malay too. Kids tend to use mix up phrases like.... "sos cili" and "chilli sauce" 😆

We Malaysians are lucky to be able to learn to speak various dialects and languages.

To have them in written form, it is very challenging. Thus schools are the best place to learn the languages properly.

you sure about path of dying? as i understand, the hongkies are very proud of cantonese

yes me too, i grew up in that era. when i visit HK, you cant imagine my joy to be surrounded by cantonese speaking ppl.

This post has been edited by tahfeikei: Jan 18 2020, 07:57 AM

let time decides. Irrelevant will be phased out, relevant will stay.

The last time we went to HK...
Outside one makan shop..
We queue behind one couple..

Heard the waitress answered them in Mandarin, say full house.. No empty seats..

After they left, we spoke Cantonese to the same waitress... She replied instantly, yau yau... yau wai... But had to split.... 4 of us... 2 at one small table. Another 2 at another small table... 👌😉

Yeah we felt so at home .. 😆 👍

yes, dont speak mandarin there...either cantonese or english.

I speak Cantonese English BM Mandarin Hokkien and Taishanese

And I am all fo preserving dialects

The place I stay in have some older ppl that could speak Taishanese, but their adult childrenl forbade them to speak it at home with their grandchildren

And that is Sad....

Chiu heh lo

Tap toi in HK, ho jing siong.

Yes, it's good to preserve

let culture die

culture come and goes

Soon all people will either speak chinese, indon, english and yindian and some proud euro and jap language.

Many china towns in the USA are still speaking cantonese. Canada even more.

But in malaysia, I think Cantonese will slowly become obsolete one day, not now but in a few more generations.

This kind of statement makes me confuse. Is Mandarin you ancestor’s language or not?

Because when i debated in SJKC thread, i said leave the job of memperkasakan mandarin to PRC because that is their national language, people come and tell me that mandarin in the language of malaysian chinese ancestor’s and we must preserved that. But again all of my chinese friend and colleague who went to SK can’t speak mandarin and only speak their family’s dialect at home and with their friend who share the same dialect.

So the question now, how significant is mandarin according to history of chinese migrating to kepulauan melayu?

00s now only can speak English and mandarin

not significant

my grandmum can't even speak mandarin

mandarin is a language for communication

those idiot chinese racist know shit!

You ik zak sohai

Owai

Liddis oso konfius, u mmg bodo!
Dun even know how to google.
And ppl wonder why Msia education sux and grads jobless!

If mandarin isn’t your ancestor’s language, why people die die want Malaysian to accept mandarin as part of their culture’s history?

And if most malaysian chinese can’t communicate in mandarin by default, why force them to learn mandarin when we already have BM and English as communication language.

Most of my non-mandarin speaking friends speaks english or BM among themselves when they meet people who speak different dialect then theirs.

you hao dou jak tai ling ngong la,
ngar lin chap lap you kina.

Wow out all languages, use English only. Long live the Queen!

no Idea why some sohai chinese want to plotek Mao ideology

yes. i agree and support we should do 1 unified school instead of having vernacular and agama school. just put chinese as optional language after school hour

i bet even more malays will learn chinese if do this way

Ngai oi moon ngi....

Dialect is hard to preserve because it is not taught formally.
That said, it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be preserved.
You lose the dialects, you lose a lot linguistic flair and fun.
I only speak mandarin, because it is just the main stream language taught to Chinese, I have no attachment to it or feeling for it. My dialect is hakka, and even as shit as my mastery is, I still encourage my children to speak it by speaking with them.

Should it? Yes. Should we be spending resources and forcefully make kids to learn it? No.

Languages is just languages, let it comes and go naturally.

The point is convenience and the utility of mandarin both for commerce and research.
For chinese schools it is about education not about dialect pride, otherwise there would be hokkien and Cantonese schools.
Chinese schools existed before Mao and Nanyang is probably one of the last bastions of pre Mao Chinese culture.

Let nature take its course

there is no such thing as cantonese or hokkien as chinese dialects. it's a propaganda from communist china and kuomintang to dilute cantonese and hokkien and impose mandarin language. mandarin, hokkien and cantonese are mutually unintelligible.

My grandfather who literally came from China on a boat can't speak Mandarin.

This post has been edited by changejob: Jan 18 2020, 01:36 PM

What dialect does he speak? So chinese of which part of malaysia actually originally speaks mandarin?

Since you mentioned that now i recall that my great grandmother who is 2nd generation off the boat never speak any chinese dialect at all with her kids, well because she married a malay

Mandarin is not the only ancestors language.
Dialect word (if still exists) is its even closer to ancestors of ancestors.

There is a said Chinese is a continuous civilization since 5000yrs ago. Mandarin today if not mistaken start popular during Qing Dynasty. But dialect is way before.

+1

If that’s the case, why malaysian like to associate Mandarin with their ancestor’s cultural heritage when their ancestor have no business with mandarin?

Which part of malaysia the ancestors came off the boat speaking mandarin btw?

One thing SJKC did wrong is they banned us students from speaking dialect last time

Plot twist, I learnt my foochew in SJK.

Mandrin is for ada baca people used, native is ada parents used.

Aren't you all aware?

We are in a constant state of EVOLUTION toward => 1 World 1 Gov 1 People 1 Language 1 Belief System

Which is why the dialect is dying whether in Malaysia or in China. All are interconnected.