Having studied in a SRK and SMK school means there's no Chinese education for me since I was young. Being a Hokkien chinese but was unable to speak in Mandarin have had me avoiding those people who is talking in Mandarin all the time or most of the time. Yeah right, I'm a banana so what?
Since the installation of parabolic satellite at home, I have been following Mandarin speaking programs most of the time and I can say that my understanding of Mandarin language has improved a lot. Only if I had to then I would try to open my mouth and speak the language. That is of course very much broken Mandarin or Rojak Mandarin + Hokkien + English.
One thing that I can't understand is that, most of my good friends around me can speak Hokkien but sometimes they just have to speak in Mandarin even though they know some people in the group cannot speak this language. Why ah? Why? What's wrong with Hokkien or English since everyone can speak those two languages? Imagine going to France or Thailand and you just dunno what they are talking about? How would you feel?
8 comments:
It's rather disrespectful to ignore a minority in a group who don't speak your language but most ppl will always speak the language that they are comfortable with. That's why we have this problem. Me...I gave up learning mandarin ages ago lor, when they treat me like an alien just becoz i can't speak mandarin. Ppl expect all chinese to be born able to speak mandarin by instinct izit? Of course, not all of them are like that, but most are. I give up too easily huh. hehe...
So, when people ended up talking in Mandarin, I ended up keeping quiet. Well, silence is golden sometimes.
hahaha...merajuk pulak...sorry lorr...didn't know u felt that way...ok ok..i try not to speak mandarin in front of you. I felt the same way when ppl around me start speaking hakka or foochows. My last trip to Singai, the whole group spoke hakka all the way up. And last time at church, ppl start speaking foochows..so now I ended up at english church..hahaha....
so instead of being negative, or feeling not respected by the majority..i try to learn their language so I can ngap a few words to mingle with them...cool lerr...
for me...I think i can express better in mandarin lorr...my english KNS....and although I'm a hokkien, my hokkien vocab is kinda limited...;)
sorry agian....
Just expressing what I feel in my blog..that's all. No hard feelings ok. I'm trying hard to learn my Mandarin liaw.
Your Mandarin is so much better than mine. I take my hat off for you!
Thank you Violet!
phewww.... luckily i can understand hokkien, mandarin, cantonese, some hakka, some foo chow... some teo chew... england and malaysia... :D
i also start learn mandari after form 5 le... b4 that.. i only know how to say "duo sau chien?" meaning "how much?" :D
Wah lao eh..then should call you sifu of language!!
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