英文摘要 |
Since the independence of Singapore in 1965, the bilingual education policy has become a cornerstone of the mainstream education system. This requirement to learn two languages is implemented in pursuance to the government's dual education objectives of learning English to make a living and learning an ethnic “mother tongue” for the transmission of culture. Having a critical impact on the language ecosystem of the Singapore Chinese community and the teaching of Chinese, this major policy is a pivotal cause of the language shift “from Chinese dialects to Mandarin” and “from Mandarin to English” in the household language of the younger Chinese generation. With different goals, target audience and content at different stages, the “Speak Mandarin Campaign” became a catalyst for the switchover “from Chinese dialects to Mandarin”. Through undertaking a literature analysis and a historical overview, this paper seeks to analyze the evolution of the Singapore bilingual education system and the new opportunities it faces ahead, and to further examine and rethink the past three major Chinese language pedagogical reforms. The effect and remaining problems of the Special Assistance Plan schools and the Chinese Language “B” syllabus are further discussed. This paper also sets out a number of pedagogical practices, including the Bilingual Approach to the Teaching of Chinese and the Bicultural Studies Programme. An outline of the new opportunities that the Chinese language in Singapore faces ahead is further addressed from a global language perspective. |