Bilingualism helps the young bridge different perspectives in fragmented world: DPM Heng

SINGAPORE - Bilingualism, one of Singapore’s most fundamental policies, helps the young bridge different languages, cultures and perspectives as the world becomes increasingly fragmented.

It also has cognitive benefits, while providing Singaporeans with a competitive advantage amid Asia’s economic growth, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Saturday. 

However, with language habits evolving, everyone must help to ensure the young can reap the benefits of bilingualism and to make it a part of their lives beyond the classroom, he added. 

DPM Heng was speaking at the inaugural Bilingualism Carnival organised by SPH Media and held at community hub One Punggol in Punggol Drive on Saturday. 

The event included activities on topics such as coding, nature and culture, as well as performances and films in the three mother tongue languages of Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. It was supported by the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism, in partnership with PAP Community Foundation Sparkletots and the National Library Board.

The fund, set up in 2011, started with a call from the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew to DPM Heng, who was then Education Minister. 

DPM Heng said Mr Lee wanted to strengthen efforts in building bilingualism at a younger age, and started the fund to do so, contributing a substantial sum himself. 

He said: “Mr Lee never stopped thinking about how to help our students become bilingually proficient. He called this his lifelong challenge… On the 100th anniversary of Mr Lee’s birth, I am glad that we are continuing to take up this challenge, to make further progress.”

DPM Heng noted that almost half of residents here now speak English most frequently at home, compared with around one-third in 2010. 

But he added that, while the use of English helps connect people to each other in Singapore’s multiracial society and to the world, the use of a mother tongue connects people to their values, culture and heritage.

He said proverbs and idioms in the mother tongues capture the wisdoms of the different cultures.

For example, kong rong rang li in Chinese teaches the importance of love between siblings, while Tamil idiom thanthai thai pen emphasises the value of filial piety.

And the Malay saying ke mana tumpah kuah kalau tidak ke nasi, which translates literally as gravy needs to go with rice, suggests that children are moulded by the values of their parents. 

DPM Heng also laid out the benefits of bilingualism in his speech.

Cognitively, studies show that bilingual children have greater mental agility, and are better able to multitask and focus on complex tasks. 

He said: “Just as important, bilingualism equips us with the capacity to share, appreciate and bring together different perspectives. 

“With Asia’s economic growth and growing linkages to the world, Singapore seeks to be a global-Asia node. Bilingualism will give our people a competitive advantage and open up exciting new opportunities.” 

Addressing the audience, which included parents with children ranging from toddlers to teens, DPM Heng said parents play a key role in learning languages, and encouraged them to speak them with their children at home where possible. 

He added that, beyond pre-schools, mother tongue lessons in primary and secondary schools are becoming more relatable by tapping cultural and contemporary elements, and using information technology to make lessons more interactive. 

In her speech, SPH Media’s chief executive Teo Lay Lim said that, while young audiences are a key priority for the company, it is constantly challenged to find new ways of reaching and engaging them.

“We need to be creative in making reading and language fun, especially in our mother tongue languages,” she said.

The carnival also includes an exhibition on bilingualism that will remain at One Punggol until April 23. 

Housewife Jacqueline Wong, 40, and her husband brought their son, five, to the carnival to expose him to more activities in his mother tongue. Madam Wong said Mandarin was the predominant language at home. They also have a daughter, 14, who is more resistant to using her mother tongue. 

“She understands, but doesn’t want to reply in Mandarin. So, for my younger kid, I want to make sure he enjoys the language from young,” she said. 

Madam Radhika Gupta, 40, a finance manager, said it was important to her and her husband that their two children – aged 11 and two – are attached to their culture and roots through Tamil, while learning to converse in English to communicate with the world fluently. 

She said: “We make it a point to speak Tamil to them right from the start as a baby. If not, later on, they might not be so adaptive.”