Singapore is well known as a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious nation and this uniqueness is gradually becoming internalised as a special feature of Singaporean culture. Besides, Singapore is at the crossroads where East meets West and enjoys the benefit of the co-existence of multiple cultures.
Two seemingly unrelated incidents that took place recently appeared equally ironical upon closer scrutiny.
In the first case, the president of NTU found the use of Mandarin getting too popular on the campus and so urged students to speak more English.
In the second case, in response to customer complaints, an expatriate executive of Borders told staff to stick to English at work.
For historical reasons, the call by NTU which is located on the site of the former Mandarin-speaking Nantah appears to be an even bigger irony.
At a time when the government is encouraging the use of Mandarin to keep up with changes in the world, such actions that go against the trend provide much food for thought.
Yes, their concern about learning English （or the status of English） can be understood. What is baffling is who then are our multi-lingual society supposed to serve？ Is multi-lingualism a burden, a way to show off, just a symbol, or is it a tool and an advantage to benefit the public？
In the interest of the nation, we have made English the official and common language to help foster racial harmony and connect us with the world. Yet language in a way is inextricable from considerations such as political correctness, prestige and status. For a long time to come, the dominance of English as an official language is unlikely to be shakened.
The question is： When service departments deal with the public, do they just stick to the rules and not exercise any flexibility or do they make full use of our multi-lingual advantage to provide the man-in-the-street with good service？
True, most customers at an English bookshop may be English-educated and speak fluent English, but if speaking Mandarin makes some people feel more at home or comfortable, do we have to insist on speaking English？ Even someone who is extremely proficient in English which is not his mother tongue may well enjoy being spoken to in his mother tongue. Can this potentially be a “win-win” sales strategy？
And if a younger generation of Singaporeans can only express themselves in pathetic Mandarin and have no time after school or after work to improve their command of the language, how can Singapore continue to use its advantage as a multi-lingual society to benefit both from the West and the East？ To take the question further, how can we gradually forge a Singaporean cultural identity out of the co-existence of many different cultures？
If actions indeed speak louder than words, what should we do in response to the call to learn the Chinese language to truly prepare Singapore for the future？ If multi-lingualism gets only lip service in a system that is dominated by the English language and goes by the book, Singapore would lose its uniqueness. And multi-lingualism may well turn into a burden and an obstacle to our economic and cultural developments.
Multi-lingualism should rightfully be an unique advantage to us.
（The writer is a PhD candidate at NUS. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.）
新加坡是一個遠近聞名的多元種族和文化的多語國家,而且這一標志甚至逐漸內化為新加坡的文化精神特征。當然,作為一個東西方交匯與撞擊的中點,新加坡也因此嘗到了多元共存的甜頭。
前些時日發(fā)生的兩件事貌似風馬牛不相及,其實仔細想來卻呈現出同樣的吊詭。一件就是南洋理工大學校長發(fā)現校園里華語太盛行了,因此呼吁學生多講英語；另一件就是外資博德斯書局（Borders）的一名外籍主管在接到顧客投訴后,明文規(guī)定職員在書局里只能說英語,禁止使用自己的母語。
屹立于南洋大學舊址之上的南大校方的呼吁似乎因了歷史的糾纏而更富吊詭,在政府口口聲聲提倡大家多講華語以適應和跟上國際形勢的今天,這種逆風而上的舉措似乎更加耐人尋味。
自然,他們對英語學習（或地位）強調的苦心可以理解,但是我們首先疑惑的是,多語到底是為誰？到底多語是一種背負,一種炫耀,一種標志,還是真正為大眾服務的優(yōu)勢與工具？
英語在新加坡成為一種官方通用語言的地位似乎、也應該是雷打不動的,從客觀上出于多元種族和諧共處（對內）與平等共存（對外）的需要,使得新加坡為了整體利益的考量而做出的主觀選擇使然。毋庸諱言,語言從某種程度上往往也不可避免的糾纏了政治正確性、地位和身份的劃分。
問題是,當我們的服務部門在執(zhí)行相關原則的時候,是古板的生搬硬套、邯鄲學步,還是真正為民服務,充分發(fā)揮多語的優(yōu)勢？在英文書店中買書的盡管可能多數是受英文教育的讀者,也可能多數都可以講流利的英語, 但如果講華語對某些人來講更能讓他有賓至如歸感或心曠神怡的話,我們有什么理由死板的執(zhí)行這些原則？可以想見的是,即使是對于一個英語非常流利但并非母語的人來講,他如果能享受來自母語的服務,這會不會是一個“雙贏”的營銷策略？
同樣,反過來講,如果新加坡的年輕一代只可以講貧血又可憐的華語,在他們課余或工余的時間又沒有充分的自由練習、提升華文的話,新加坡怎樣真正延續(xù)她所謂的多語優(yōu)勢既為民服務,又怎樣保持新加坡在國際上左右逢源（應該是東西逢源）的有利位置？更深一層看,我們怎樣來通過實現多元共存的文化融合從而逐步建立與塑造新加坡的文化認同？
西諺說,“行動比言語更響亮”,如果真的如此,我們怎樣以實際行動來實踐和相應學習華文的號召,真正為新加坡的未來負責？如果新加坡的多語優(yōu)勢在死板執(zhí)行體制原則的過程中成為一種擺設,成為英文至上理念下的無謂犧牲,那新加坡實際上已經失去了自己的特色,而多語實際上更是一種沉重的包袱,勢必阻擋了新加坡經濟、文化等闊步前進的步伐。
多語,實在應該是一種獨特的優(yōu)勢。
Two seemingly unrelated incidents that took place recently appeared equally ironical upon closer scrutiny.
In the first case, the president of NTU found the use of Mandarin getting too popular on the campus and so urged students to speak more English.
In the second case, in response to customer complaints, an expatriate executive of Borders told staff to stick to English at work.
For historical reasons, the call by NTU which is located on the site of the former Mandarin-speaking Nantah appears to be an even bigger irony.
At a time when the government is encouraging the use of Mandarin to keep up with changes in the world, such actions that go against the trend provide much food for thought.
Yes, their concern about learning English （or the status of English） can be understood. What is baffling is who then are our multi-lingual society supposed to serve？ Is multi-lingualism a burden, a way to show off, just a symbol, or is it a tool and an advantage to benefit the public？
In the interest of the nation, we have made English the official and common language to help foster racial harmony and connect us with the world. Yet language in a way is inextricable from considerations such as political correctness, prestige and status. For a long time to come, the dominance of English as an official language is unlikely to be shakened.
The question is： When service departments deal with the public, do they just stick to the rules and not exercise any flexibility or do they make full use of our multi-lingual advantage to provide the man-in-the-street with good service？
True, most customers at an English bookshop may be English-educated and speak fluent English, but if speaking Mandarin makes some people feel more at home or comfortable, do we have to insist on speaking English？ Even someone who is extremely proficient in English which is not his mother tongue may well enjoy being spoken to in his mother tongue. Can this potentially be a “win-win” sales strategy？
And if a younger generation of Singaporeans can only express themselves in pathetic Mandarin and have no time after school or after work to improve their command of the language, how can Singapore continue to use its advantage as a multi-lingual society to benefit both from the West and the East？ To take the question further, how can we gradually forge a Singaporean cultural identity out of the co-existence of many different cultures？
If actions indeed speak louder than words, what should we do in response to the call to learn the Chinese language to truly prepare Singapore for the future？ If multi-lingualism gets only lip service in a system that is dominated by the English language and goes by the book, Singapore would lose its uniqueness. And multi-lingualism may well turn into a burden and an obstacle to our economic and cultural developments.
Multi-lingualism should rightfully be an unique advantage to us.
（The writer is a PhD candidate at NUS. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.）
新加坡是一個遠近聞名的多元種族和文化的多語國家,而且這一標志甚至逐漸內化為新加坡的文化精神特征。當然,作為一個東西方交匯與撞擊的中點,新加坡也因此嘗到了多元共存的甜頭。
前些時日發(fā)生的兩件事貌似風馬牛不相及,其實仔細想來卻呈現出同樣的吊詭。一件就是南洋理工大學校長發(fā)現校園里華語太盛行了,因此呼吁學生多講英語；另一件就是外資博德斯書局（Borders）的一名外籍主管在接到顧客投訴后,明文規(guī)定職員在書局里只能說英語,禁止使用自己的母語。
屹立于南洋大學舊址之上的南大校方的呼吁似乎因了歷史的糾纏而更富吊詭,在政府口口聲聲提倡大家多講華語以適應和跟上國際形勢的今天,這種逆風而上的舉措似乎更加耐人尋味。
自然,他們對英語學習（或地位）強調的苦心可以理解,但是我們首先疑惑的是,多語到底是為誰？到底多語是一種背負,一種炫耀,一種標志,還是真正為大眾服務的優(yōu)勢與工具？
英語在新加坡成為一種官方通用語言的地位似乎、也應該是雷打不動的,從客觀上出于多元種族和諧共處（對內）與平等共存（對外）的需要,使得新加坡為了整體利益的考量而做出的主觀選擇使然。毋庸諱言,語言從某種程度上往往也不可避免的糾纏了政治正確性、地位和身份的劃分。
問題是,當我們的服務部門在執(zhí)行相關原則的時候,是古板的生搬硬套、邯鄲學步,還是真正為民服務,充分發(fā)揮多語的優(yōu)勢？在英文書店中買書的盡管可能多數是受英文教育的讀者,也可能多數都可以講流利的英語, 但如果講華語對某些人來講更能讓他有賓至如歸感或心曠神怡的話,我們有什么理由死板的執(zhí)行這些原則？可以想見的是,即使是對于一個英語非常流利但并非母語的人來講,他如果能享受來自母語的服務,這會不會是一個“雙贏”的營銷策略？
同樣,反過來講,如果新加坡的年輕一代只可以講貧血又可憐的華語,在他們課余或工余的時間又沒有充分的自由練習、提升華文的話,新加坡怎樣真正延續(xù)她所謂的多語優(yōu)勢既為民服務,又怎樣保持新加坡在國際上左右逢源（應該是東西逢源）的有利位置？更深一層看,我們怎樣來通過實現多元共存的文化融合從而逐步建立與塑造新加坡的文化認同？
西諺說,“行動比言語更響亮”,如果真的如此,我們怎樣以實際行動來實踐和相應學習華文的號召,真正為新加坡的未來負責？如果新加坡的多語優(yōu)勢在死板執(zhí)行體制原則的過程中成為一種擺設,成為英文至上理念下的無謂犧牲,那新加坡實際上已經失去了自己的特色,而多語實際上更是一種沉重的包袱,勢必阻擋了新加坡經濟、文化等闊步前進的步伐。
多語,實在應該是一種獨特的優(yōu)勢。