In the latest attempt to push for mother tongue languages, 23 new proposals by MOE — ranging from singing competitions to rhyme books, were supported by the lee kuan yew fund for bilingualism in 2017 alone.Social learning and social cognitive theory despite the heavy investment, I doubt these policies will have a strong impact on the way mother tongue languages are received in the long run.Social learning and social cognitive theory the efforts to make mother tongue fun seem superficial. Coupled with the fact that they come directly from the government, it is likely that they perceived as contrived and off-putting to the intended audiences.Social learning and social cognitive theory

How do singaporeans view their own mother tongue, and what has contributed to their perceptions? 30 people from the general public share their unfiltered views on their own mother tongue in a survey.Social learning and social cognitive theory most of the respondents have mandarin as their mother tongue language, and while their proficiency for mother tongue varies, their proficiency for english is generally much higher.Social learning and social cognitive theory

When asked whether mother tongue is less relevant in today’s society, a little less than 40% answered yes. The reasons cited are mainly pragmatic, such as “in a singaporean context, as the ‘bridging’ and the working language is english, I see no need for knowing how to speak one’s mother tongue” and “english is the main language used in work and to communicate with other races”.Social learning and social cognitive theory

For instance, one respondent explained that he used to hate his mother tongue until he realised the hatred was towards the education system rather than the language itself.Social learning and social cognitive theory another puts it eloquently, “I find mandarin can be sophisticated and poetic at times. However, I do observe many people — especially peers in secondary school — being negative about it.Social learning and social cognitive theory unconsciously their attitude influences me too. But generally, I do appreciate my own mother tongue.”

Another respondent revealed that while he grew up enjoying mother tongue — thanks to his grandmother — his primary school adversely shifted his perspective on the language.Social learning and social cognitive theory in these responses, one can gather that singaporeans’ relationship with their mother tongue language is complicated and how they feel about it tends to fluctuate based on personal experience.Social learning and social cognitive theory also, it seems that school is a common denominator in causing rather than alleviating the unfavourable opinions.

The responses to whether english is an inherently better language than their mother tongue were more polarised.Social learning and social cognitive theory the votes were nearly split in half, with 56.7% responding no. The side that responded no generally provides reasons like no language is superior to another as each has its “cultural uniqueness”, with one even labelling such comparison as an “imperialist” mindset.Social learning and social cognitive theory on the other hand, those who see english as inherently better tend to claim that it is easier to learn and that it is more viable for communication worldwide.Social learning and social cognitive theory

On the contentious subject regarding the effectiveness of the mother tongue language curriculum, jinyi, 23, who took chinese lessons, states that while the texts are effective exam tools, the language used in them is “very contrived” and she “would have preferred to learn the language in an organic form”.Social learning and social cognitive theory sean, 22, a former student of structured chinese lessons, gave an example of this problem; “I think a major issue of this was the relentless focus on fictional scenarios, like those weird emails you have to respond to.Social learning and social cognitive theory it made me reach the same conclusion I had for maths at the time: who is going to use this in the future?” jiaying, 25, another former student, acknowledged that while chinese teachers were usually patient, the teaching methods “weren’t creative, fun, or particularly engaging”.Social learning and social cognitive theory

When asked about whether english lessons were the preferred language lesson, the responses were almost unanimous in agreement. Jinyi admitted that she preferred english lessons to mother tongue where ideas were discussed instead of being made to memorize “weird, stilted passages” in mandarin.Social learning and social cognitive theory anika, 21, a former tamil student, preferred the creativity and open-mindedness of english lessons.

Others also pointed to their weaker foundation in their mother tongue language as a reason for the preference, with sean explaining that he still had problems holding basic conversations in mandarin.Social learning and social cognitive theory jiaying, even with a decent command of her mother tongue, still felt that she could put in less effort to understand her teachers in english.Social learning and social cognitive theory

Finally, when asked about whether their perception of their mother tongue was affected by the school lessons, results were mixed. While jinyi’s perception of her mother tongue was largely unaffected as it was already shaped by her working in a chinese bookstore, anika did not like her mother tongue teacher and that translated into negative feelings regarding her mother tongue in general.Social learning and social cognitive theory

Changes are underway for the conduction of mother tongue lessons. Ms. Thia lee lian from st. Stephen’s school found that primary one students now “learn more about introducing themselves, understanding about their friends’ interests and also the school environment.” this, she observed, was a transition from the traditional textbook-focused approach.Social learning and social cognitive theory she also saw her students react positively in terms of communication, as they now get more chances to interact with their classmates. Further changes have been discovered by channel news asia’s reporter lianne chia’s personal testimony in how has singapore’s chinese language syllabus evolved?Social learning and social cognitive theory we went back to school to find out as she took a mandarin lesson in tanjong katong secondary school and saw that students were allowed to ask questions in english.Social learning and social cognitive theory they were also exposed to chinese pop songs and asked to write about what they want to do in life.

Yet, this serves to remember that the mother tongue language, like any language, is more than what is taught in school.Social learning and social cognitive theory it is more than how teachers choose to teach it, how society chooses to brand it, or how people around you feel about it. Your mother tongue language may sound boring when a conservative person is using it, or more trendy when someone open-minded is speaking it.Social learning and social cognitive theory if you always rely upon how people around you teach or use the language to form your opinions on it, you will only be seeing it through their lens.Social learning and social cognitive theory you will not get to know your mother tongue at its core and the full value it can bring uniquely as a language.

For instance, I know that the chinese language can contain and convey a lot of meaning within very few words.Social learning and social cognitive theory it is also a language where subtle emotions can be explored (in my opinion) with more sensitivity than the english language. Clichéd as it sounds, every language has its beauty that makes it irreplaceable in the world.Social learning and social cognitive theory I do not see the need to choose. For instance, I love american rock band nirvana as much as I love cantonese rock band beyond (whose lyrics I can understand in chinese).Social learning and social cognitive theory I appreciate chinese literary classics as much as I enjoy english ones.

There are plenty of films you can watch in your mother tongue language (with english subtitles at first if need be), books you can read (start with the simple ones) and songs you can try listening to.Social learning and social cognitive theory the good news is, real life is not a class. There is no set text. You may not enjoy all of them, but be open to whatever comes your way. Be open to what your mother tongue is about as a whole, beyond what schools and society have defined for you.Social learning and social cognitive theory maybe, just maybe, you will be surprised at what you find.