Singapore’s bilingual policy is a noble, audacious experiment. But it asks a lot of an individual. It asks us to hold two worlds in our head simultaneously. For some, it comes naturally. For the rest of us, it is a daily wrestling match.
[Cover Page: My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore's Bilingual Journey]
Every night, I read her a story. One night in English ( The Gruffalo ). One night in Mandarin ( Three Little Pigs ). She doesn’t care about the language. She cares about the voices, the pictures, the warmth of my arm around her shoulder.
Adrian’s task was simple: clear the room. But as he sifted through stacks of yellowed newspapers and typewritten manuscripts, a small, unassuming booklet slid out from between the pages of a dusty Chinese dictionary.
To promote Mandarin, the government launched efforts to discourage the use of Chinese dialects like Hokkien and Cantonese. Personal and Public Impact
Here is what I have learned: