Describe Concepts of Dialect, Context of Situation, Native Speaker and Lingua Franca
From the list of concepts stated above, I have chosen to describe the concepts of dialect, context of situation, native speaker and lingua franca with regards to the local context in my discussion.
Dialect
In Singapore, the racial groups are categorized into their ‘dialect groups’, meaning their ‘ethnic’ groups. It is stated that “every Singaporean has an officially allocated ‘dialect group’ which normally corresponds to the paternal ancestral language, but does not necessarily to anything in the individual’s personal experience” (English in new cultural contexts, p. 117). It is mainly the Chinese and Indians who have dialect groups and this is reflected in their birth certificates. The main dialect groups for Chinese are Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, Cantonese and Hakka. Of all these, Hokkien is the most dominant dialect in Singapore. As for the Indians, the dialect groups are mainly Tamil, Malayalee, Sikh, Punjabi, Urdu, Gujarati, Sinhalese, Hindi and others (Study Guide-Block 1, p. 23). The native Chinese dialect refers to either the dialect spoken by both parents or only by one of them. On the other hand, the dominant Chinese dialect refers to the dialect spoken by the majority of the Chinese. It is often adopted by the minority groups as the lingua franca. In 1970, 42.2 per cent of the Chinese population were Hokkien, 22.4 per cent Teochew and Cantonese, Hakka and Hainanese each constituting about 17 per cent (19). These dialects are spoken mainly in their colloquial form though some have ‘implied’ formal standard varieties such as Amoy Hokkien. Indian and Malay languages have many formal and more colloquial sub-varieties. Usually, more dialects have been acquired either because the individual’s spouse comes from a different dialect group or the dialect is spoken by their peers.
Although dialects are the ethnical languages of our heritage, it is not enough for us to solely rely on them as the main language in our lives. The English language is rapidly
Dialect
In Singapore, the racial groups are categorized into their ‘dialect groups’, meaning their ‘ethnic’ groups. It is stated that “every Singaporean has an officially allocated ‘dialect group’ which normally corresponds to the paternal ancestral language, but does not necessarily to anything in the individual’s personal experience” (English in new cultural contexts, p. 117). It is mainly the Chinese and Indians who have dialect groups and this is reflected in their birth certificates. The main dialect groups for Chinese are Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, Cantonese and Hakka. Of all these, Hokkien is the most dominant dialect in Singapore. As for the Indians, the dialect groups are mainly Tamil, Malayalee, Sikh, Punjabi, Urdu, Gujarati, Sinhalese, Hindi and others (Study Guide-Block 1, p. 23). The native Chinese dialect refers to either the dialect spoken by both parents or only by one of them. On the other hand, the dominant Chinese dialect refers to the dialect spoken by the majority of the Chinese. It is often adopted by the minority groups as the lingua franca. In 1970, 42.2 per cent of the Chinese population were Hokkien, 22.4 per cent Teochew and Cantonese, Hakka and Hainanese each constituting about 17 per cent (19). These dialects are spoken mainly in their colloquial form though some have ‘implied’ formal standard varieties such as Amoy Hokkien. Indian and Malay languages have many formal and more colloquial sub-varieties. Usually, more dialects have been acquired either because the individual’s spouse comes from a different dialect group or the dialect is spoken by their peers.
Although dialects are the ethnical languages of our heritage, it is not enough for us to solely rely on them as the main language in our lives. The English language is rapidly
Bibliography: J. A. Foley, T. Kandiah, Bao Zhiming, A. F. Gupta, L. Alsagoff, Ho Chee Lick, L. Wee, I. S. Talib, W. Bokhorst-Heng, English In New Cultural Contexts (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998) 115-204. Andrew Crilly, English In New Cultural Contexts, Study Guide-Block 1, ed. T. F. Tan, (Singapore: Singapore Institute of Management, 1999) 12-23. A. Pennycook, English In New Cultural Contexts, The World in English, Reader (Singapore: Singapore Institute of Management, 1999) 38.