There are many language spoken in mainland china. Fujian hua, Fuzhou hua, guang dong hua, Ke hua. Just to name a few. The Chinese government, in my opinion, made an excellent move to standardise the languages in China. Pu Tong Hua means 'common language' . I would not be able to communicated with them if not for mandarin.
No matter how many times our parent and the Singapore Government say or does, most Singaporeans seems not to take heed of the advice to preserve the use of mandarin.Another group of Singaporean sees the need and the benefit of mandarin, they do little or nothing to preserve the command of the language. That off course e includes me.
I must admit. Singapore is certainly not a place that is conducive to use mandarin. We're a English speaking dominated country. Come next gen, would our offspring be able to preserve this beautiful language?
On the other hand, I am grateful to our forefather, who in their wisdom,change the media of our education system to English. Though our national language is still Behasa Melayu ( Most singaporean are ignorant of this). If only we could master Mandarin and English, we could practically have access to the 2 world- East and West.
Take for instance, when I was in Thailand. On one of a guided tour, out tour guide spoke English. A Taiwanese guy had to rely on his Thai Chinese girlfriend to translate for him. In Nepal, everyone in the tourism industry is able e to converse in English but not Mandarin. In China,Taiwan and HK. I can read the road signs, place order in a restaurant, strike a conversation with my guide on the road.
Imagine a world with only 1 language. I shall call it Engdarin. Everyone can understand each other. I can go to Papua New Guinea to share the Gospel with them.
The Tower of Babel
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]they found a plain in Shinar b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b] and settled there.3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9That is why it was called Babel c]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[c] —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Acts 17:26
26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
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