tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post115534559910846570..comments2023-11-05T17:53:13.405+08:00Comments on Singabloodypore: Speak Chiniese Also CanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post-1155654683102903132006-08-15T23:11:00.000+08:002006-08-15T23:11:00.000+08:00the point is the two are taught differently; if th...the point is the two are taught differently; if the wrong method is used, the result is poorAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post-1155652365502171142006-08-15T22:32:00.000+08:002006-08-15T22:32:00.000+08:00Trying to classify a language as "Second Language"...Trying to classify a language as "Second Language" or "Mother Tongue" to someone is a fairly pointless exercise. Both terms put far more weight on a person's ethnicity than what's truly important: fluency in the language.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post-1155542434934684492006-08-14T16:00:00.000+08:002006-08-14T16:00:00.000+08:00I call bull on the "one hundred thousand character...I call bull on the "one hundred thousand characters"<BR/><BR/>There are over 80,000 Chinese symbols (characters), but most of them are seldom used today.<BR/><BR/>The Chinese computerized fonts for words processor include 6,500 characters of the simplified form and 13,500 of the traditional form.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post-1155391562374919562006-08-12T22:06:00.000+08:002006-08-12T22:06:00.000+08:00I came from a "Chinese school" and went on to stud...I came from a "Chinese school" and went on to study my post-secondary education in English, after National Service. The working world demands good English in all the jobs I held. I have a strong liking of "my culture" and never stop improving myself by reading Chinese books, newspaper and articles. Not easy to keep two languages alive, however, it is worth all the extra work because I made a living with the English language and enjoy connected with the "Chinese world" with my language ability.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post-1155386864478165962006-08-12T20:47:00.000+08:002006-08-12T20:47:00.000+08:00it is possible to speak mandarin and english fluen...it is possible to speak mandarin and english fluently. my american colleage holds an MA from Oxford university in English, and a dregree in Mandarin from a university in beijing. he often comes to singapore and corrects the Islands abysmal command of mandarin, as a fluent speaker he also writes one hundred thousand characters, far more than any singaporean. He also speaks fluent French and Spanish.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post-1155385283522232602006-08-12T20:21:00.000+08:002006-08-12T20:21:00.000+08:00my parents took great pains to smooth my path (and...my parents took great pains to smooth my path (and my brother's) with regards to language. my mother spoke to us exclusively in Mandarin, while my father spoke exclusively in English.<BR/><BR/>actually, the language distinction continues to this day.<BR/><BR/>while i did not perceive any advantages during my schooldays, i am now able to see that certain gaps exist in my knowledge of topic-specific vocabulary (especially technical terms) in both languages, simply because i never had to deal with them before. had i been able to see that and fill in my own gaps in knowledge, perhaps i would have had a smoother path trying to write essays closer to my heart in both languages.<BR/><BR/>mindyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post-1155364303784782162006-08-12T14:31:00.000+08:002006-08-12T14:31:00.000+08:00MANDARIN Chinese is NOT my mother tongue, Hokkien ...MANDARIN Chinese is NOT my mother tongue, Hokkien isAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539995.post-1155349569414933922006-08-12T10:26:00.000+08:002006-08-12T10:26:00.000+08:00The English and Chinese languages contain many con...The English and Chinese languages contain many contrasting differences, particularly in terms of grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary. Hence it is very difficult for anymore to master both languages. It would be like asking a person to be ambidextrous. If you look at people around us, those with a strong command of English are usually weak in Chinese, while those who are very strong in Chinese are usually weak in English. It's possible to be above average in both languages, but not quite possible to master both; at least I have not seen a single person who have done so in my life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com