Any Chinese Singaporeans here that cant or can barely speak Chinese? Do you ever feel ostracised or alien in Singapore among your peers?
I’m one of those losers who’s Chinese but can’t speak Chinese but it’s also just my upbringing. I was born into an English-speaking Chinese family and even on my Chinese grandparents’ side it is the same case.
I’m probably one of those very rare cases in Singapore unfortunately…. but it’s also been quite a detriment to me now being really bad in my Chinese.
Don’t get me wrong, I still try to brush up on my Chinese even as an adult today, but it’s really really hard when I have zero opportunities to practice speaking anyway. My parents dont speak Chinese and my friend groups dont speak Chinese either (even though they can def speak decently compared to me).
Does anyone else feel ostracised in society like this? I have those typical co-workers who speak Chinese and I cant converse back with them in Chinese making it harder to build rapport.
Or when ordering at Chinese restaurants where there’s Chinese national staff, it’s also sometimes a problem. I also cant help but feel inferior at times when I see all my friends speak Chinese just fine or when people find out I cant speak the language properly.
Here are what netizens think
- i come from an english-speaking chinese family and the only time i talk in chinese is in chinese lessons, my grandparents or people who can only speak in chinese.
ever since i graduated from secondary school, i no longer have to take any chinese lessons and my usage of chinese deteriorated and now i struggle to phrase basic sentences and sometimes i feel embarrassed because of this, because it really takes some time for me to pause, think, and piece the words together.
i don’t really feel ostracised though but maybe because my friends also speak in english as well. but of course when i have to talk to chinese aunties/uncles, then of course i will struggle but eventually i will manage to relay my point in chinese to them. As long as they understand what i say to them, it’s fine. - Don’t ever feel bad for not being able to speak Chinese to PRC workers who (only) speak Chinese. They work in Singapore, they should be prepared to speak at least basic English to cater to non-Chinese speaking people (regardless of race). Particularly very public-facing ones like bus drivers. Too many PRC workers get by because many Chinese Singaporeans will just speak Chi to them anyway.
From the more personal / cultural side, I guess it depends on how you view Chinese. Some would say that dialects are our real mother tongue instead.