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The Voices of Mother Tongue,

The Voices of Home

Written by Mr Tan Hur Thong

Our journey to ensure cultural (The conversation below was in Mandarin and but spoke Cantonese to his mother, as she came

diversity doesn't just stop with governmental it took place when I was doing my internship in from Guangdong province in China. My mother
contributions, of course, as individual efforts Shanghai, China.) is a Hokkien, and yet she speaks Teochew with
to preserve cultural heritage can include her siblings, apparently under the influence of
celebrating traditional festivals and sharing “Where are you from?” their mother. When my parents talk to each other,

with younger generations the myths, legends, they speak Hokkien, which is the social dialect
and ideas upon which these festivals were “Oh, I’m from Malaysia.” used among Chinese in Penang. Born and bred in
built. For Malaysian Chinese, this could be as Penang, it is apt to assume that my siblings and I
simple as spending time making handmade “Wow! You can speak Mandarin very could speak Hokkien with ease. However, this was

tangyuan with family members, setting off fluently.” not the case. We learned it the hard way when we
fireworks together during the Lunar New were forced to speak Hokkien with the “uncles
Year, and giving relatives mooncakes during “Yea, and for the record, I can also and aunties” in public places.
the Mooncake Festival even though they speak English, Malay, Hokkien, and a little bit of

reject your kindness a few too many times. Cantonese, Hainanese and Teochew.” You see, my parents did not teach us to
speak in Hokkien, or any other dialects. They do
Culture may ultimately seem Whenever I interact with foreigners, speak Hokkien with each other, but whenever my
insignificant in our vast universe. But it I always enjoy the sight of wide-opened eyes, siblings and I were involved in the conversation, the
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is a testament to our fragile yet precious dropped jaws, surprised expressions of disbelief, medium of communication would automatically
humanity. It is a testament to the imprints followed by compliments heaped at me for the be switched to Mandarin. When I confronted my
humans have made on this face of the language aptitude that I possess. Foreigners parents with my incompetence to speak a dialect
earth, a living memory of those who have always find it difficult to comprehend the fact that properly, the reason given was, “We must teach

lived before us. It is a tool that strengthens Malaysian Chinese, on average, can speak up to you proper Mandarin so that you can understand
our ties to other people, whether it be our three to four languages fluently. However, I do not the teachers. Teachers at school don't speak
ancestors or family members. Why let these think that it is fitting for us to simply attribute this Hokkien or Teochew. How would you understand
cultures be forgotten? The innate beauty of language ability to talent or effort. It just so happens them if you could only speak Hokkien? You might

the human spirit deserves to be preserved, so that we are born into the environment that enables fall behind on your studies once you start going
let the celebration of these cultures sing on us to learn them easily. to school.” Well, I had friends at school whose
forevermore. parents only speak Hokkien to them, yet it turned
Malaysian Chinese boast a range out that they did not struggle to understand what

of fascinating cultures, inherited from our the teacher taught.
grandparents and great grandparents who brought
them along from Southern China. Besides the Parents always want the best for their
myriad traditions and foods, we also take pride in children. As language capability has become more

the different dialects spoken among us. My father and more critical in this fast-growing and vastly
is Hainanese. He spoke Hainanese to his father connected society, they tend to prepare their

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