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This article was downloaded by: [Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen] On: 08 March 2014, At: 02:32 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Critical Inquiry in Language Studies Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hcil20 Planning for Development or Decline? Education Policy for Chinese Language in Singapore Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen a a Nanyang Technological University , Singapore Published online: 07 Mar 2014. To cite this article: Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen (2014) Planning for Development or Decline? Education Policy for Chinese Language in Singapore, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 11:1, 1-26, DOI: 10.1080/15427587.2014.871621 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2014.871621 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan,
Transcript

This article was downloaded by [Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen]On 08 March 2014 At 0232Publisher RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number 1072954Registered office Mortimer House 37-41 Mortimer Street London W1T 3JHUK

Critical Inquiry in LanguageStudiesPublication details including instructions forauthors and subscription informationhttpwwwtandfonlinecomloihcil20

Planning for Development orDecline Education Policy forChinese Language in SingaporeXiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen aa Nanyang Technological University SingaporePublished online 07 Mar 2014

To cite this article Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen (2014) Planning for Developmentor Decline Education Policy for Chinese Language in Singapore Critical Inquiry inLanguage Studies 111 1-26 DOI 101080154275872014871621

To link to this article httpdxdoiorg101080154275872014871621

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor amp Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the ldquoContentrdquo) contained in the publications on our platformHowever Taylor amp Francis our agents and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy completenessor suitability for any purpose of the Content Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor amp Francis The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verified withprimary sources of information Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses actions claims proceedings demands costs expenses damagesand other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with in relation to or arising out of the use of theContent

This article may be used for research teaching and private study purposesAny substantial or systematic reproduction redistribution reselling loan

sub-licensing systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone isexpressly forbidden Terms amp Conditions of access and use can be found athttpwwwtandfonlinecompageterms-and-conditions

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4

PLANNING FOR DEVELOPMENT OR DECLINE

EDUCATION POLICY FOR CHINESE LANGUAGE IN

SINGAPORE

XIAO LAN CURDT-CHRISTIANSEN

Nanyang Technological University Singapore

This article examines how political discourse language ideologies recent Chinesecurriculum reforms and their representations in the media are inextricablyrelated Using the Speak Mandarin Campaign as background for the inquiryI focus on textual features of the various media sources TV advertisementscampaign slogans official speeches and newspaper excerpts to illuminate thestatus and changing role of the Chinese language in Singaporersquos socioculturaleconomic and political development Using critical discourse analysis as ananalytical framework I examine the contradictory ideologies that underpin thegovernmentrsquos language policies and planning activities On the one hand thegovernment emphasizes the cultural and economic values of the Chineselanguage on the other hand government schools teach Chinese as a subjectIn particular the recent reforms in Chinese language curriculum have arguablyfurther diluted the content of teaching In addition I point out how conflictingideologies behind language policies can lead to cultural confusion andeducational uncertainty These mixedmessages make it difficult for schools to offera consistent language education curriculum that will help students appreciate thevalue be it economic cultural or educational of the Chinese language

How does political discourse represent language policy in themass media What language ideologies does the governmentpresent through public media How are our attitudes to andbeliefs about languages influenced and shaped by politicaldiscourse through print and audio-visual media This articleexamines a prominent language planning movement inSingaporemdashthe annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC)mdashandrecent Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms to reflect on the

1

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen English Language and Literature Academic Group National Institute ofEducation Nanyang Technological University 1 Nanyang Walk Singapore 637616 E-mailxiaolanchristiansennieedusg

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies 11(1)1ndash26 2014Copyright q Taylor amp Francis Group LLCISSN 1542-7587 print1542-7595 onlineDOI 101080154275872014871621

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ideologies underpinning the governmentrsquos language planningand bilingual policy It traces briefly the historical trajectory of thecampaign and looks at the ideology-laden texts that emerged invarious political contexts during 2004ndash10 Focusing on textualfeatures of the various media sources I use TV advertisementscampaign slogans official speeches and newspaper excerpts toilluminate the status and changing role of the Chinese languagein Singaporersquos sociocultural economic and political develop-ment In particular the analysis focuses on the contradictoryideologies that on the one hand emphasize the cultural andeconomic values of the Chinese language and on the other treatMandarin (Chinese) as a subject in schools The analysis issituated in the context of Singaporersquos language shift phenom-enon during the past 20 years and recent Chinese languagecurriculum reforms Using language shift as a starting point thearticle highlights how the prestige and image of a languagecontributes to the successful implementation of a language policy

Language Ideologies and Language Planning

Language ideologies are social constructs that reflect the socio-historical role value and function of a language variety(Blommaert 2006 van Dijk 2000 2005 Woolard 1998) They arelanguageusersrsquo evaluative perceptions and conceptions of languageand languageuse basedon theperceived value power andutility ofa language (Curdt-Christiansen 2009 2013 Blommaert 2000)

Within the theory of language policy and planning (LPP)language ideologies are concerned with the status of languages aswell as the political social and cultural roles the status of alanguage plays in a given society (Baldauf 2005 Kaplan ampBaldauf 2003) A language planning framework involves typicallyfour types of planning status planning (about society) corpusplanning (about language) language-in-education planning(about schools and learning) and prestige planning (aboutimage) (Baldauf 2005) Although all four types of planning areimportant in an effective language policy implementationldquolanguage-in-education planning through schooling canbecome the sole language change agentrdquo (Baldauf 2005p 961) However changes in language behavior are also highly

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4

related to individualsrsquo attitudes toward the planning activitiesHaarmann (1990) argues that prestige planning represents aseparate receptive range of language planning activities Itincludes both the plannersrsquo perceptions ie the perspective ofproduction and the individual speakersrsquo perceptions ie theperspective of reception He maintains that ldquoany kind of planninghas to attract positive values that is planning activities must havesuch prestige as to guarantee a favorable engagement on the partof the planners and moreover on the part of those who aresupposed to use the planned languagerdquo (p 104)

Ager (2005) has further developed the notion of prestigeplanning into prestige planning and image planning Prestigeplanning contains two theoretical constructs status and prestigeThe status of a language refers to its position relative to otherlanguages in a given society Prestige describes peoplersquos attitudestowards that language in the society Image planning involves twoconcepts identity and image Identity refers to the self-perception ofthe speakers of a language it is ldquothe social personality theyallocate to their own grouprdquo (Ager 2005 p 1041) The image of alanguage is about how the speakersrsquo identity is perceived by boththemselves and others

For Ager status and identity are socio-historico-politicalconstructs which can be measured or ldquoat least described factuallyrdquo(p 1041) However prestige and image are less tangible andmoredifficult to measure because they are socio-psychologicalconstructs that reflect peoplersquos attitudes towards a language andits speakers When it comes to actual planning activities prestigeplanning is normally implemented through coercive top-downmeasures such as language-in-education policies or legislativeregulations while image planning tends to use more bottom-upand persuasive means such as campaigns Prestige planningmakes changes to promote a languagersquos status and enhance thefunctions of its use image manipulation aims at developingpositive images in order to confirm maintain and value identityFor LPP to be successful it needs to take into consideration bothprestige planning and image manipulation Quebec for examplerepresents a successful story Its prestige planning implemen-tation gives emphasis to both institutional support andeducational regulations In image planning it stresses the valuesof the French language by organizing cultural events such as Juste

Planning for Development or Decline 3

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4

pour rire and the Montreal Jazz Festival In Singapore although abilingual policy has been considered a cornerstone of Singaporersquoseducational system the promotion of English and mothertongues has used different planning approaches Zhao and Liu(2010) identified that more prestige-associated approaches havebeen used in English language promotion whereas more image-associated methods have been used in Chinese languagepromotion For example the Chinese language policy empha-sizes cultural values as the foundation of identity whereas Englishis promoted for its economic prestige by increasing itsfunctionality in public domains and education While theseplanning activities seem to promote Singaporersquos bilingual policythe enactment of the policy reveals different and contradictorygoals that are likely to cause confusion and even educationaluncertainty

Critical Discourse Analysis

Prestige and image planning can take place on different levelsorganized by government agencies individuals and groups andoften these stakeholders employ media to achieve impact In ordertodeconstruct theconfusingmessages and impliedhiddenagendasit is necessary to look at text features used in discourse to constructparticular representations of a language (Gee 2005)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offers both a theoreticaland methodological framework for uncovering explicit andimplicit meanings in any given text (Fairclough 2001) CDAfocuses on the examination of the relationship between languagein use and the exercise of power (Fairclough 2001) It aims touncover how discourse is ldquoproduced circulated distributed[and] consumed in societyrdquo (Bloomaert amp Bulcaen 2000 p 448)CDA views language as a form of social practice that is relationaldialectical and transdisciplinary (Fairclough 2010) It isrelational because its primary focus of analysis is on complexsocial relations between discourse and society It is dialecticalbecause it examines the patterns of language choice byscrutinizing how language in use is manifested in multiple layersof interactive contextmdashthe immediate the institutional and thewider societal context (Wodak amp Meyer 2009) It demystifies the

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4

elements of particular historical sociocultural and politicalcontexts that permeate and foreground discourse and at thesame time also shows how discourse determines social structuresIt is transdisciplinary as the analysis of discourse and its relationswith other social elements and contexts cut across boundariesbetween disciplines such as linguistics politics education andsociology (Fairclough 2010)

One of the most salient characteristics of CDA is that it notonly reveals how power relations are enacted and how ideologiesare transmitted and reproduced through structures and proper-ties of discourse it also provokes changes in the way power isexercised in social relationships Power is established throughhegemonic domination across ldquoeconomic political cultural andideological domains of a societyrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 61)Hegemony is a form of indirect domination of a political entityand denotes how dominant social forces engineer and shape thesocial and cultural changes (Gramsci 1971) It is materialized notthrough coercive forces but rather through concessionspersuasion and consent Typically the process of concessioninvolves what Fairclough (2010) calls ldquotechnologisation ofdiscourserdquo where language policy and planning is implementedthrough ldquodominant social forces to direct and control the courseof the major social and cultural changes which are affectingcontemporary societiesrdquo (p 126) For Fairclough technologisa-tion of discourse is a variety of technologies of government in thatby means of techniques strategies and procedures governmentagencies are able to ensure that programs or policy implemen-tations are operable and connections between the aspirations ofauthorities and activities of individualsgroups are facilitated

Methodologically CDA typically but not exclusively employssystemic linguistics (Halliday 1994 Martinez 2007) A wide rangeof linguistic devices such as agent time tense and modality aswell as lexicogrammatical and discourse semantic structures havebeen used as analytical instruments to interpret texts While thelinguistic categories may be fundamental to understand howlanguage operates in transmitting knowledge and representingsocial hierarchy the analysis of texts has to take into considerationthe context of discursive practices (Woodak amp Meyer 2009)Fairclough suggests that discourse analysis should includeldquolinguistic description of the language text interpretation of the

Planning for Development or Decline 5

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4

relationship between the discursive processes and the text andexplanation of the relationship between the discursive processesand the social processesrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 132 emphasis inoriginal) The integration of ldquomicrordquo discourse analysis andldquomacrordquo level of social relations allows a more systematicapproach to understanding social production of inequalitypower ideology authority and manipulation (Bloomaert 2006)

In what follows I situate the context of the article andhighlight the historical and ideological development of Singa-porersquos bilingual policy with focus on the Speak MandarinCampaign Then I provide a discussion on the effects ofprestigeimage planning of Chinese language by linking theanalysis of the themes and objectives in the recent Speak MandarinCampaigns to the content reduction in the Chinese languagecurriculum

Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy andthe Speak Mandarin Campaign

Singaporersquos language policy was established against a backgroundof ethno-linguistic and historical concerns (Stroud amp Wee 2010)Inhabited by four major ethnic groupsmdashChinese MalaysIndians and Eurasiansmdashwho speak a range of languages andlanguage varieties Singapore has been struggling to maintain itsracial harmony Taking over from the British colonial politicalsystem in 1959 the Peoplersquos Action Party (the currentgovernment) adopted a bilingual policy which recognizes fourofficial languages English and three mother tongues that isMandarin Malay and Tamil Although the four major ethnicgroups speak a multitude of language varieties Mandarin wasdesignated as the mother tongue for the Chinese Malay for theMalays and Tamil for the Indians In this politics of languagerecognition English was given a premier position as it wasbelieved that its ethno-political neutrality would help establish anonconflictual and more interethnically harmonious nationMost importantly it was and still is believed that English with itswider communication value can provide Singaporeans with accessto modernity and economic development The status of Englishhas been further promoted as the working language in the public

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4

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

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201

4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

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201

4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

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4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

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201

4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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02

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4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

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istia

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

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istia

nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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by [

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

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istia

nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

sub-licensing systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone isexpressly forbidden Terms amp Conditions of access and use can be found athttpwwwtandfonlinecompageterms-and-conditions

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4

PLANNING FOR DEVELOPMENT OR DECLINE

EDUCATION POLICY FOR CHINESE LANGUAGE IN

SINGAPORE

XIAO LAN CURDT-CHRISTIANSEN

Nanyang Technological University Singapore

This article examines how political discourse language ideologies recent Chinesecurriculum reforms and their representations in the media are inextricablyrelated Using the Speak Mandarin Campaign as background for the inquiryI focus on textual features of the various media sources TV advertisementscampaign slogans official speeches and newspaper excerpts to illuminate thestatus and changing role of the Chinese language in Singaporersquos socioculturaleconomic and political development Using critical discourse analysis as ananalytical framework I examine the contradictory ideologies that underpin thegovernmentrsquos language policies and planning activities On the one hand thegovernment emphasizes the cultural and economic values of the Chineselanguage on the other hand government schools teach Chinese as a subjectIn particular the recent reforms in Chinese language curriculum have arguablyfurther diluted the content of teaching In addition I point out how conflictingideologies behind language policies can lead to cultural confusion andeducational uncertainty These mixedmessages make it difficult for schools to offera consistent language education curriculum that will help students appreciate thevalue be it economic cultural or educational of the Chinese language

How does political discourse represent language policy in themass media What language ideologies does the governmentpresent through public media How are our attitudes to andbeliefs about languages influenced and shaped by politicaldiscourse through print and audio-visual media This articleexamines a prominent language planning movement inSingaporemdashthe annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC)mdashandrecent Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms to reflect on the

1

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen English Language and Literature Academic Group National Institute ofEducation Nanyang Technological University 1 Nanyang Walk Singapore 637616 E-mailxiaolanchristiansennieedusg

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies 11(1)1ndash26 2014Copyright q Taylor amp Francis Group LLCISSN 1542-7587 print1542-7595 onlineDOI 101080154275872014871621

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ideologies underpinning the governmentrsquos language planningand bilingual policy It traces briefly the historical trajectory of thecampaign and looks at the ideology-laden texts that emerged invarious political contexts during 2004ndash10 Focusing on textualfeatures of the various media sources I use TV advertisementscampaign slogans official speeches and newspaper excerpts toilluminate the status and changing role of the Chinese languagein Singaporersquos sociocultural economic and political develop-ment In particular the analysis focuses on the contradictoryideologies that on the one hand emphasize the cultural andeconomic values of the Chinese language and on the other treatMandarin (Chinese) as a subject in schools The analysis issituated in the context of Singaporersquos language shift phenom-enon during the past 20 years and recent Chinese languagecurriculum reforms Using language shift as a starting point thearticle highlights how the prestige and image of a languagecontributes to the successful implementation of a language policy

Language Ideologies and Language Planning

Language ideologies are social constructs that reflect the socio-historical role value and function of a language variety(Blommaert 2006 van Dijk 2000 2005 Woolard 1998) They arelanguageusersrsquo evaluative perceptions and conceptions of languageand languageuse basedon theperceived value power andutility ofa language (Curdt-Christiansen 2009 2013 Blommaert 2000)

Within the theory of language policy and planning (LPP)language ideologies are concerned with the status of languages aswell as the political social and cultural roles the status of alanguage plays in a given society (Baldauf 2005 Kaplan ampBaldauf 2003) A language planning framework involves typicallyfour types of planning status planning (about society) corpusplanning (about language) language-in-education planning(about schools and learning) and prestige planning (aboutimage) (Baldauf 2005) Although all four types of planning areimportant in an effective language policy implementationldquolanguage-in-education planning through schooling canbecome the sole language change agentrdquo (Baldauf 2005p 961) However changes in language behavior are also highly

X L Curdt-Christiansen2

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related to individualsrsquo attitudes toward the planning activitiesHaarmann (1990) argues that prestige planning represents aseparate receptive range of language planning activities Itincludes both the plannersrsquo perceptions ie the perspective ofproduction and the individual speakersrsquo perceptions ie theperspective of reception He maintains that ldquoany kind of planninghas to attract positive values that is planning activities must havesuch prestige as to guarantee a favorable engagement on the partof the planners and moreover on the part of those who aresupposed to use the planned languagerdquo (p 104)

Ager (2005) has further developed the notion of prestigeplanning into prestige planning and image planning Prestigeplanning contains two theoretical constructs status and prestigeThe status of a language refers to its position relative to otherlanguages in a given society Prestige describes peoplersquos attitudestowards that language in the society Image planning involves twoconcepts identity and image Identity refers to the self-perception ofthe speakers of a language it is ldquothe social personality theyallocate to their own grouprdquo (Ager 2005 p 1041) The image of alanguage is about how the speakersrsquo identity is perceived by boththemselves and others

For Ager status and identity are socio-historico-politicalconstructs which can be measured or ldquoat least described factuallyrdquo(p 1041) However prestige and image are less tangible andmoredifficult to measure because they are socio-psychologicalconstructs that reflect peoplersquos attitudes towards a language andits speakers When it comes to actual planning activities prestigeplanning is normally implemented through coercive top-downmeasures such as language-in-education policies or legislativeregulations while image planning tends to use more bottom-upand persuasive means such as campaigns Prestige planningmakes changes to promote a languagersquos status and enhance thefunctions of its use image manipulation aims at developingpositive images in order to confirm maintain and value identityFor LPP to be successful it needs to take into consideration bothprestige planning and image manipulation Quebec for examplerepresents a successful story Its prestige planning implemen-tation gives emphasis to both institutional support andeducational regulations In image planning it stresses the valuesof the French language by organizing cultural events such as Juste

Planning for Development or Decline 3

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4

pour rire and the Montreal Jazz Festival In Singapore although abilingual policy has been considered a cornerstone of Singaporersquoseducational system the promotion of English and mothertongues has used different planning approaches Zhao and Liu(2010) identified that more prestige-associated approaches havebeen used in English language promotion whereas more image-associated methods have been used in Chinese languagepromotion For example the Chinese language policy empha-sizes cultural values as the foundation of identity whereas Englishis promoted for its economic prestige by increasing itsfunctionality in public domains and education While theseplanning activities seem to promote Singaporersquos bilingual policythe enactment of the policy reveals different and contradictorygoals that are likely to cause confusion and even educationaluncertainty

Critical Discourse Analysis

Prestige and image planning can take place on different levelsorganized by government agencies individuals and groups andoften these stakeholders employ media to achieve impact In ordertodeconstruct theconfusingmessages and impliedhiddenagendasit is necessary to look at text features used in discourse to constructparticular representations of a language (Gee 2005)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offers both a theoreticaland methodological framework for uncovering explicit andimplicit meanings in any given text (Fairclough 2001) CDAfocuses on the examination of the relationship between languagein use and the exercise of power (Fairclough 2001) It aims touncover how discourse is ldquoproduced circulated distributed[and] consumed in societyrdquo (Bloomaert amp Bulcaen 2000 p 448)CDA views language as a form of social practice that is relationaldialectical and transdisciplinary (Fairclough 2010) It isrelational because its primary focus of analysis is on complexsocial relations between discourse and society It is dialecticalbecause it examines the patterns of language choice byscrutinizing how language in use is manifested in multiple layersof interactive contextmdashthe immediate the institutional and thewider societal context (Wodak amp Meyer 2009) It demystifies the

X L Curdt-Christiansen4

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4

elements of particular historical sociocultural and politicalcontexts that permeate and foreground discourse and at thesame time also shows how discourse determines social structuresIt is transdisciplinary as the analysis of discourse and its relationswith other social elements and contexts cut across boundariesbetween disciplines such as linguistics politics education andsociology (Fairclough 2010)

One of the most salient characteristics of CDA is that it notonly reveals how power relations are enacted and how ideologiesare transmitted and reproduced through structures and proper-ties of discourse it also provokes changes in the way power isexercised in social relationships Power is established throughhegemonic domination across ldquoeconomic political cultural andideological domains of a societyrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 61)Hegemony is a form of indirect domination of a political entityand denotes how dominant social forces engineer and shape thesocial and cultural changes (Gramsci 1971) It is materialized notthrough coercive forces but rather through concessionspersuasion and consent Typically the process of concessioninvolves what Fairclough (2010) calls ldquotechnologisation ofdiscourserdquo where language policy and planning is implementedthrough ldquodominant social forces to direct and control the courseof the major social and cultural changes which are affectingcontemporary societiesrdquo (p 126) For Fairclough technologisa-tion of discourse is a variety of technologies of government in thatby means of techniques strategies and procedures governmentagencies are able to ensure that programs or policy implemen-tations are operable and connections between the aspirations ofauthorities and activities of individualsgroups are facilitated

Methodologically CDA typically but not exclusively employssystemic linguistics (Halliday 1994 Martinez 2007) A wide rangeof linguistic devices such as agent time tense and modality aswell as lexicogrammatical and discourse semantic structures havebeen used as analytical instruments to interpret texts While thelinguistic categories may be fundamental to understand howlanguage operates in transmitting knowledge and representingsocial hierarchy the analysis of texts has to take into considerationthe context of discursive practices (Woodak amp Meyer 2009)Fairclough suggests that discourse analysis should includeldquolinguistic description of the language text interpretation of the

Planning for Development or Decline 5

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4

relationship between the discursive processes and the text andexplanation of the relationship between the discursive processesand the social processesrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 132 emphasis inoriginal) The integration of ldquomicrordquo discourse analysis andldquomacrordquo level of social relations allows a more systematicapproach to understanding social production of inequalitypower ideology authority and manipulation (Bloomaert 2006)

In what follows I situate the context of the article andhighlight the historical and ideological development of Singa-porersquos bilingual policy with focus on the Speak MandarinCampaign Then I provide a discussion on the effects ofprestigeimage planning of Chinese language by linking theanalysis of the themes and objectives in the recent Speak MandarinCampaigns to the content reduction in the Chinese languagecurriculum

Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy andthe Speak Mandarin Campaign

Singaporersquos language policy was established against a backgroundof ethno-linguistic and historical concerns (Stroud amp Wee 2010)Inhabited by four major ethnic groupsmdashChinese MalaysIndians and Eurasiansmdashwho speak a range of languages andlanguage varieties Singapore has been struggling to maintain itsracial harmony Taking over from the British colonial politicalsystem in 1959 the Peoplersquos Action Party (the currentgovernment) adopted a bilingual policy which recognizes fourofficial languages English and three mother tongues that isMandarin Malay and Tamil Although the four major ethnicgroups speak a multitude of language varieties Mandarin wasdesignated as the mother tongue for the Chinese Malay for theMalays and Tamil for the Indians In this politics of languagerecognition English was given a premier position as it wasbelieved that its ethno-political neutrality would help establish anonconflictual and more interethnically harmonious nationMost importantly it was and still is believed that English with itswider communication value can provide Singaporeans with accessto modernity and economic development The status of Englishhas been further promoted as the working language in the public

X L Curdt-Christiansen6

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4

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

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4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

X L Curdt-Christiansen8

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201

4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

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4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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201

4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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02

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201

4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

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02

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8 M

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

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Xia

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-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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by [

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

PLANNING FOR DEVELOPMENT OR DECLINE

EDUCATION POLICY FOR CHINESE LANGUAGE IN

SINGAPORE

XIAO LAN CURDT-CHRISTIANSEN

Nanyang Technological University Singapore

This article examines how political discourse language ideologies recent Chinesecurriculum reforms and their representations in the media are inextricablyrelated Using the Speak Mandarin Campaign as background for the inquiryI focus on textual features of the various media sources TV advertisementscampaign slogans official speeches and newspaper excerpts to illuminate thestatus and changing role of the Chinese language in Singaporersquos socioculturaleconomic and political development Using critical discourse analysis as ananalytical framework I examine the contradictory ideologies that underpin thegovernmentrsquos language policies and planning activities On the one hand thegovernment emphasizes the cultural and economic values of the Chineselanguage on the other hand government schools teach Chinese as a subjectIn particular the recent reforms in Chinese language curriculum have arguablyfurther diluted the content of teaching In addition I point out how conflictingideologies behind language policies can lead to cultural confusion andeducational uncertainty These mixedmessages make it difficult for schools to offera consistent language education curriculum that will help students appreciate thevalue be it economic cultural or educational of the Chinese language

How does political discourse represent language policy in themass media What language ideologies does the governmentpresent through public media How are our attitudes to andbeliefs about languages influenced and shaped by politicaldiscourse through print and audio-visual media This articleexamines a prominent language planning movement inSingaporemdashthe annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC)mdashandrecent Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms to reflect on the

1

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen English Language and Literature Academic Group National Institute ofEducation Nanyang Technological University 1 Nanyang Walk Singapore 637616 E-mailxiaolanchristiansennieedusg

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies 11(1)1ndash26 2014Copyright q Taylor amp Francis Group LLCISSN 1542-7587 print1542-7595 onlineDOI 101080154275872014871621

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ideologies underpinning the governmentrsquos language planningand bilingual policy It traces briefly the historical trajectory of thecampaign and looks at the ideology-laden texts that emerged invarious political contexts during 2004ndash10 Focusing on textualfeatures of the various media sources I use TV advertisementscampaign slogans official speeches and newspaper excerpts toilluminate the status and changing role of the Chinese languagein Singaporersquos sociocultural economic and political develop-ment In particular the analysis focuses on the contradictoryideologies that on the one hand emphasize the cultural andeconomic values of the Chinese language and on the other treatMandarin (Chinese) as a subject in schools The analysis issituated in the context of Singaporersquos language shift phenom-enon during the past 20 years and recent Chinese languagecurriculum reforms Using language shift as a starting point thearticle highlights how the prestige and image of a languagecontributes to the successful implementation of a language policy

Language Ideologies and Language Planning

Language ideologies are social constructs that reflect the socio-historical role value and function of a language variety(Blommaert 2006 van Dijk 2000 2005 Woolard 1998) They arelanguageusersrsquo evaluative perceptions and conceptions of languageand languageuse basedon theperceived value power andutility ofa language (Curdt-Christiansen 2009 2013 Blommaert 2000)

Within the theory of language policy and planning (LPP)language ideologies are concerned with the status of languages aswell as the political social and cultural roles the status of alanguage plays in a given society (Baldauf 2005 Kaplan ampBaldauf 2003) A language planning framework involves typicallyfour types of planning status planning (about society) corpusplanning (about language) language-in-education planning(about schools and learning) and prestige planning (aboutimage) (Baldauf 2005) Although all four types of planning areimportant in an effective language policy implementationldquolanguage-in-education planning through schooling canbecome the sole language change agentrdquo (Baldauf 2005p 961) However changes in language behavior are also highly

X L Curdt-Christiansen2

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by [

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4

related to individualsrsquo attitudes toward the planning activitiesHaarmann (1990) argues that prestige planning represents aseparate receptive range of language planning activities Itincludes both the plannersrsquo perceptions ie the perspective ofproduction and the individual speakersrsquo perceptions ie theperspective of reception He maintains that ldquoany kind of planninghas to attract positive values that is planning activities must havesuch prestige as to guarantee a favorable engagement on the partof the planners and moreover on the part of those who aresupposed to use the planned languagerdquo (p 104)

Ager (2005) has further developed the notion of prestigeplanning into prestige planning and image planning Prestigeplanning contains two theoretical constructs status and prestigeThe status of a language refers to its position relative to otherlanguages in a given society Prestige describes peoplersquos attitudestowards that language in the society Image planning involves twoconcepts identity and image Identity refers to the self-perception ofthe speakers of a language it is ldquothe social personality theyallocate to their own grouprdquo (Ager 2005 p 1041) The image of alanguage is about how the speakersrsquo identity is perceived by boththemselves and others

For Ager status and identity are socio-historico-politicalconstructs which can be measured or ldquoat least described factuallyrdquo(p 1041) However prestige and image are less tangible andmoredifficult to measure because they are socio-psychologicalconstructs that reflect peoplersquos attitudes towards a language andits speakers When it comes to actual planning activities prestigeplanning is normally implemented through coercive top-downmeasures such as language-in-education policies or legislativeregulations while image planning tends to use more bottom-upand persuasive means such as campaigns Prestige planningmakes changes to promote a languagersquos status and enhance thefunctions of its use image manipulation aims at developingpositive images in order to confirm maintain and value identityFor LPP to be successful it needs to take into consideration bothprestige planning and image manipulation Quebec for examplerepresents a successful story Its prestige planning implemen-tation gives emphasis to both institutional support andeducational regulations In image planning it stresses the valuesof the French language by organizing cultural events such as Juste

Planning for Development or Decline 3

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4

pour rire and the Montreal Jazz Festival In Singapore although abilingual policy has been considered a cornerstone of Singaporersquoseducational system the promotion of English and mothertongues has used different planning approaches Zhao and Liu(2010) identified that more prestige-associated approaches havebeen used in English language promotion whereas more image-associated methods have been used in Chinese languagepromotion For example the Chinese language policy empha-sizes cultural values as the foundation of identity whereas Englishis promoted for its economic prestige by increasing itsfunctionality in public domains and education While theseplanning activities seem to promote Singaporersquos bilingual policythe enactment of the policy reveals different and contradictorygoals that are likely to cause confusion and even educationaluncertainty

Critical Discourse Analysis

Prestige and image planning can take place on different levelsorganized by government agencies individuals and groups andoften these stakeholders employ media to achieve impact In ordertodeconstruct theconfusingmessages and impliedhiddenagendasit is necessary to look at text features used in discourse to constructparticular representations of a language (Gee 2005)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offers both a theoreticaland methodological framework for uncovering explicit andimplicit meanings in any given text (Fairclough 2001) CDAfocuses on the examination of the relationship between languagein use and the exercise of power (Fairclough 2001) It aims touncover how discourse is ldquoproduced circulated distributed[and] consumed in societyrdquo (Bloomaert amp Bulcaen 2000 p 448)CDA views language as a form of social practice that is relationaldialectical and transdisciplinary (Fairclough 2010) It isrelational because its primary focus of analysis is on complexsocial relations between discourse and society It is dialecticalbecause it examines the patterns of language choice byscrutinizing how language in use is manifested in multiple layersof interactive contextmdashthe immediate the institutional and thewider societal context (Wodak amp Meyer 2009) It demystifies the

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elements of particular historical sociocultural and politicalcontexts that permeate and foreground discourse and at thesame time also shows how discourse determines social structuresIt is transdisciplinary as the analysis of discourse and its relationswith other social elements and contexts cut across boundariesbetween disciplines such as linguistics politics education andsociology (Fairclough 2010)

One of the most salient characteristics of CDA is that it notonly reveals how power relations are enacted and how ideologiesare transmitted and reproduced through structures and proper-ties of discourse it also provokes changes in the way power isexercised in social relationships Power is established throughhegemonic domination across ldquoeconomic political cultural andideological domains of a societyrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 61)Hegemony is a form of indirect domination of a political entityand denotes how dominant social forces engineer and shape thesocial and cultural changes (Gramsci 1971) It is materialized notthrough coercive forces but rather through concessionspersuasion and consent Typically the process of concessioninvolves what Fairclough (2010) calls ldquotechnologisation ofdiscourserdquo where language policy and planning is implementedthrough ldquodominant social forces to direct and control the courseof the major social and cultural changes which are affectingcontemporary societiesrdquo (p 126) For Fairclough technologisa-tion of discourse is a variety of technologies of government in thatby means of techniques strategies and procedures governmentagencies are able to ensure that programs or policy implemen-tations are operable and connections between the aspirations ofauthorities and activities of individualsgroups are facilitated

Methodologically CDA typically but not exclusively employssystemic linguistics (Halliday 1994 Martinez 2007) A wide rangeof linguistic devices such as agent time tense and modality aswell as lexicogrammatical and discourse semantic structures havebeen used as analytical instruments to interpret texts While thelinguistic categories may be fundamental to understand howlanguage operates in transmitting knowledge and representingsocial hierarchy the analysis of texts has to take into considerationthe context of discursive practices (Woodak amp Meyer 2009)Fairclough suggests that discourse analysis should includeldquolinguistic description of the language text interpretation of the

Planning for Development or Decline 5

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4

relationship between the discursive processes and the text andexplanation of the relationship between the discursive processesand the social processesrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 132 emphasis inoriginal) The integration of ldquomicrordquo discourse analysis andldquomacrordquo level of social relations allows a more systematicapproach to understanding social production of inequalitypower ideology authority and manipulation (Bloomaert 2006)

In what follows I situate the context of the article andhighlight the historical and ideological development of Singa-porersquos bilingual policy with focus on the Speak MandarinCampaign Then I provide a discussion on the effects ofprestigeimage planning of Chinese language by linking theanalysis of the themes and objectives in the recent Speak MandarinCampaigns to the content reduction in the Chinese languagecurriculum

Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy andthe Speak Mandarin Campaign

Singaporersquos language policy was established against a backgroundof ethno-linguistic and historical concerns (Stroud amp Wee 2010)Inhabited by four major ethnic groupsmdashChinese MalaysIndians and Eurasiansmdashwho speak a range of languages andlanguage varieties Singapore has been struggling to maintain itsracial harmony Taking over from the British colonial politicalsystem in 1959 the Peoplersquos Action Party (the currentgovernment) adopted a bilingual policy which recognizes fourofficial languages English and three mother tongues that isMandarin Malay and Tamil Although the four major ethnicgroups speak a multitude of language varieties Mandarin wasdesignated as the mother tongue for the Chinese Malay for theMalays and Tamil for the Indians In this politics of languagerecognition English was given a premier position as it wasbelieved that its ethno-political neutrality would help establish anonconflictual and more interethnically harmonious nationMost importantly it was and still is believed that English with itswider communication value can provide Singaporeans with accessto modernity and economic development The status of Englishhas been further promoted as the working language in the public

X L Curdt-Christiansen6

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4

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

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4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

X L Curdt-Christiansen8

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4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

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4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

Dow

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4

to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

ideologies underpinning the governmentrsquos language planningand bilingual policy It traces briefly the historical trajectory of thecampaign and looks at the ideology-laden texts that emerged invarious political contexts during 2004ndash10 Focusing on textualfeatures of the various media sources I use TV advertisementscampaign slogans official speeches and newspaper excerpts toilluminate the status and changing role of the Chinese languagein Singaporersquos sociocultural economic and political develop-ment In particular the analysis focuses on the contradictoryideologies that on the one hand emphasize the cultural andeconomic values of the Chinese language and on the other treatMandarin (Chinese) as a subject in schools The analysis issituated in the context of Singaporersquos language shift phenom-enon during the past 20 years and recent Chinese languagecurriculum reforms Using language shift as a starting point thearticle highlights how the prestige and image of a languagecontributes to the successful implementation of a language policy

Language Ideologies and Language Planning

Language ideologies are social constructs that reflect the socio-historical role value and function of a language variety(Blommaert 2006 van Dijk 2000 2005 Woolard 1998) They arelanguageusersrsquo evaluative perceptions and conceptions of languageand languageuse basedon theperceived value power andutility ofa language (Curdt-Christiansen 2009 2013 Blommaert 2000)

Within the theory of language policy and planning (LPP)language ideologies are concerned with the status of languages aswell as the political social and cultural roles the status of alanguage plays in a given society (Baldauf 2005 Kaplan ampBaldauf 2003) A language planning framework involves typicallyfour types of planning status planning (about society) corpusplanning (about language) language-in-education planning(about schools and learning) and prestige planning (aboutimage) (Baldauf 2005) Although all four types of planning areimportant in an effective language policy implementationldquolanguage-in-education planning through schooling canbecome the sole language change agentrdquo (Baldauf 2005p 961) However changes in language behavior are also highly

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4

related to individualsrsquo attitudes toward the planning activitiesHaarmann (1990) argues that prestige planning represents aseparate receptive range of language planning activities Itincludes both the plannersrsquo perceptions ie the perspective ofproduction and the individual speakersrsquo perceptions ie theperspective of reception He maintains that ldquoany kind of planninghas to attract positive values that is planning activities must havesuch prestige as to guarantee a favorable engagement on the partof the planners and moreover on the part of those who aresupposed to use the planned languagerdquo (p 104)

Ager (2005) has further developed the notion of prestigeplanning into prestige planning and image planning Prestigeplanning contains two theoretical constructs status and prestigeThe status of a language refers to its position relative to otherlanguages in a given society Prestige describes peoplersquos attitudestowards that language in the society Image planning involves twoconcepts identity and image Identity refers to the self-perception ofthe speakers of a language it is ldquothe social personality theyallocate to their own grouprdquo (Ager 2005 p 1041) The image of alanguage is about how the speakersrsquo identity is perceived by boththemselves and others

For Ager status and identity are socio-historico-politicalconstructs which can be measured or ldquoat least described factuallyrdquo(p 1041) However prestige and image are less tangible andmoredifficult to measure because they are socio-psychologicalconstructs that reflect peoplersquos attitudes towards a language andits speakers When it comes to actual planning activities prestigeplanning is normally implemented through coercive top-downmeasures such as language-in-education policies or legislativeregulations while image planning tends to use more bottom-upand persuasive means such as campaigns Prestige planningmakes changes to promote a languagersquos status and enhance thefunctions of its use image manipulation aims at developingpositive images in order to confirm maintain and value identityFor LPP to be successful it needs to take into consideration bothprestige planning and image manipulation Quebec for examplerepresents a successful story Its prestige planning implemen-tation gives emphasis to both institutional support andeducational regulations In image planning it stresses the valuesof the French language by organizing cultural events such as Juste

Planning for Development or Decline 3

Dow

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pour rire and the Montreal Jazz Festival In Singapore although abilingual policy has been considered a cornerstone of Singaporersquoseducational system the promotion of English and mothertongues has used different planning approaches Zhao and Liu(2010) identified that more prestige-associated approaches havebeen used in English language promotion whereas more image-associated methods have been used in Chinese languagepromotion For example the Chinese language policy empha-sizes cultural values as the foundation of identity whereas Englishis promoted for its economic prestige by increasing itsfunctionality in public domains and education While theseplanning activities seem to promote Singaporersquos bilingual policythe enactment of the policy reveals different and contradictorygoals that are likely to cause confusion and even educationaluncertainty

Critical Discourse Analysis

Prestige and image planning can take place on different levelsorganized by government agencies individuals and groups andoften these stakeholders employ media to achieve impact In ordertodeconstruct theconfusingmessages and impliedhiddenagendasit is necessary to look at text features used in discourse to constructparticular representations of a language (Gee 2005)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offers both a theoreticaland methodological framework for uncovering explicit andimplicit meanings in any given text (Fairclough 2001) CDAfocuses on the examination of the relationship between languagein use and the exercise of power (Fairclough 2001) It aims touncover how discourse is ldquoproduced circulated distributed[and] consumed in societyrdquo (Bloomaert amp Bulcaen 2000 p 448)CDA views language as a form of social practice that is relationaldialectical and transdisciplinary (Fairclough 2010) It isrelational because its primary focus of analysis is on complexsocial relations between discourse and society It is dialecticalbecause it examines the patterns of language choice byscrutinizing how language in use is manifested in multiple layersof interactive contextmdashthe immediate the institutional and thewider societal context (Wodak amp Meyer 2009) It demystifies the

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elements of particular historical sociocultural and politicalcontexts that permeate and foreground discourse and at thesame time also shows how discourse determines social structuresIt is transdisciplinary as the analysis of discourse and its relationswith other social elements and contexts cut across boundariesbetween disciplines such as linguistics politics education andsociology (Fairclough 2010)

One of the most salient characteristics of CDA is that it notonly reveals how power relations are enacted and how ideologiesare transmitted and reproduced through structures and proper-ties of discourse it also provokes changes in the way power isexercised in social relationships Power is established throughhegemonic domination across ldquoeconomic political cultural andideological domains of a societyrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 61)Hegemony is a form of indirect domination of a political entityand denotes how dominant social forces engineer and shape thesocial and cultural changes (Gramsci 1971) It is materialized notthrough coercive forces but rather through concessionspersuasion and consent Typically the process of concessioninvolves what Fairclough (2010) calls ldquotechnologisation ofdiscourserdquo where language policy and planning is implementedthrough ldquodominant social forces to direct and control the courseof the major social and cultural changes which are affectingcontemporary societiesrdquo (p 126) For Fairclough technologisa-tion of discourse is a variety of technologies of government in thatby means of techniques strategies and procedures governmentagencies are able to ensure that programs or policy implemen-tations are operable and connections between the aspirations ofauthorities and activities of individualsgroups are facilitated

Methodologically CDA typically but not exclusively employssystemic linguistics (Halliday 1994 Martinez 2007) A wide rangeof linguistic devices such as agent time tense and modality aswell as lexicogrammatical and discourse semantic structures havebeen used as analytical instruments to interpret texts While thelinguistic categories may be fundamental to understand howlanguage operates in transmitting knowledge and representingsocial hierarchy the analysis of texts has to take into considerationthe context of discursive practices (Woodak amp Meyer 2009)Fairclough suggests that discourse analysis should includeldquolinguistic description of the language text interpretation of the

Planning for Development or Decline 5

Dow

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4

relationship between the discursive processes and the text andexplanation of the relationship between the discursive processesand the social processesrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 132 emphasis inoriginal) The integration of ldquomicrordquo discourse analysis andldquomacrordquo level of social relations allows a more systematicapproach to understanding social production of inequalitypower ideology authority and manipulation (Bloomaert 2006)

In what follows I situate the context of the article andhighlight the historical and ideological development of Singa-porersquos bilingual policy with focus on the Speak MandarinCampaign Then I provide a discussion on the effects ofprestigeimage planning of Chinese language by linking theanalysis of the themes and objectives in the recent Speak MandarinCampaigns to the content reduction in the Chinese languagecurriculum

Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy andthe Speak Mandarin Campaign

Singaporersquos language policy was established against a backgroundof ethno-linguistic and historical concerns (Stroud amp Wee 2010)Inhabited by four major ethnic groupsmdashChinese MalaysIndians and Eurasiansmdashwho speak a range of languages andlanguage varieties Singapore has been struggling to maintain itsracial harmony Taking over from the British colonial politicalsystem in 1959 the Peoplersquos Action Party (the currentgovernment) adopted a bilingual policy which recognizes fourofficial languages English and three mother tongues that isMandarin Malay and Tamil Although the four major ethnicgroups speak a multitude of language varieties Mandarin wasdesignated as the mother tongue for the Chinese Malay for theMalays and Tamil for the Indians In this politics of languagerecognition English was given a premier position as it wasbelieved that its ethno-political neutrality would help establish anonconflictual and more interethnically harmonious nationMost importantly it was and still is believed that English with itswider communication value can provide Singaporeans with accessto modernity and economic development The status of Englishhas been further promoted as the working language in the public

X L Curdt-Christiansen6

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4

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

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4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

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4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

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4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

Dow

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02

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

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This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

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by [

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02

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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by [

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istia

nsen

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02

32 0

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201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

related to individualsrsquo attitudes toward the planning activitiesHaarmann (1990) argues that prestige planning represents aseparate receptive range of language planning activities Itincludes both the plannersrsquo perceptions ie the perspective ofproduction and the individual speakersrsquo perceptions ie theperspective of reception He maintains that ldquoany kind of planninghas to attract positive values that is planning activities must havesuch prestige as to guarantee a favorable engagement on the partof the planners and moreover on the part of those who aresupposed to use the planned languagerdquo (p 104)

Ager (2005) has further developed the notion of prestigeplanning into prestige planning and image planning Prestigeplanning contains two theoretical constructs status and prestigeThe status of a language refers to its position relative to otherlanguages in a given society Prestige describes peoplersquos attitudestowards that language in the society Image planning involves twoconcepts identity and image Identity refers to the self-perception ofthe speakers of a language it is ldquothe social personality theyallocate to their own grouprdquo (Ager 2005 p 1041) The image of alanguage is about how the speakersrsquo identity is perceived by boththemselves and others

For Ager status and identity are socio-historico-politicalconstructs which can be measured or ldquoat least described factuallyrdquo(p 1041) However prestige and image are less tangible andmoredifficult to measure because they are socio-psychologicalconstructs that reflect peoplersquos attitudes towards a language andits speakers When it comes to actual planning activities prestigeplanning is normally implemented through coercive top-downmeasures such as language-in-education policies or legislativeregulations while image planning tends to use more bottom-upand persuasive means such as campaigns Prestige planningmakes changes to promote a languagersquos status and enhance thefunctions of its use image manipulation aims at developingpositive images in order to confirm maintain and value identityFor LPP to be successful it needs to take into consideration bothprestige planning and image manipulation Quebec for examplerepresents a successful story Its prestige planning implemen-tation gives emphasis to both institutional support andeducational regulations In image planning it stresses the valuesof the French language by organizing cultural events such as Juste

Planning for Development or Decline 3

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4

pour rire and the Montreal Jazz Festival In Singapore although abilingual policy has been considered a cornerstone of Singaporersquoseducational system the promotion of English and mothertongues has used different planning approaches Zhao and Liu(2010) identified that more prestige-associated approaches havebeen used in English language promotion whereas more image-associated methods have been used in Chinese languagepromotion For example the Chinese language policy empha-sizes cultural values as the foundation of identity whereas Englishis promoted for its economic prestige by increasing itsfunctionality in public domains and education While theseplanning activities seem to promote Singaporersquos bilingual policythe enactment of the policy reveals different and contradictorygoals that are likely to cause confusion and even educationaluncertainty

Critical Discourse Analysis

Prestige and image planning can take place on different levelsorganized by government agencies individuals and groups andoften these stakeholders employ media to achieve impact In ordertodeconstruct theconfusingmessages and impliedhiddenagendasit is necessary to look at text features used in discourse to constructparticular representations of a language (Gee 2005)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offers both a theoreticaland methodological framework for uncovering explicit andimplicit meanings in any given text (Fairclough 2001) CDAfocuses on the examination of the relationship between languagein use and the exercise of power (Fairclough 2001) It aims touncover how discourse is ldquoproduced circulated distributed[and] consumed in societyrdquo (Bloomaert amp Bulcaen 2000 p 448)CDA views language as a form of social practice that is relationaldialectical and transdisciplinary (Fairclough 2010) It isrelational because its primary focus of analysis is on complexsocial relations between discourse and society It is dialecticalbecause it examines the patterns of language choice byscrutinizing how language in use is manifested in multiple layersof interactive contextmdashthe immediate the institutional and thewider societal context (Wodak amp Meyer 2009) It demystifies the

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4

elements of particular historical sociocultural and politicalcontexts that permeate and foreground discourse and at thesame time also shows how discourse determines social structuresIt is transdisciplinary as the analysis of discourse and its relationswith other social elements and contexts cut across boundariesbetween disciplines such as linguistics politics education andsociology (Fairclough 2010)

One of the most salient characteristics of CDA is that it notonly reveals how power relations are enacted and how ideologiesare transmitted and reproduced through structures and proper-ties of discourse it also provokes changes in the way power isexercised in social relationships Power is established throughhegemonic domination across ldquoeconomic political cultural andideological domains of a societyrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 61)Hegemony is a form of indirect domination of a political entityand denotes how dominant social forces engineer and shape thesocial and cultural changes (Gramsci 1971) It is materialized notthrough coercive forces but rather through concessionspersuasion and consent Typically the process of concessioninvolves what Fairclough (2010) calls ldquotechnologisation ofdiscourserdquo where language policy and planning is implementedthrough ldquodominant social forces to direct and control the courseof the major social and cultural changes which are affectingcontemporary societiesrdquo (p 126) For Fairclough technologisa-tion of discourse is a variety of technologies of government in thatby means of techniques strategies and procedures governmentagencies are able to ensure that programs or policy implemen-tations are operable and connections between the aspirations ofauthorities and activities of individualsgroups are facilitated

Methodologically CDA typically but not exclusively employssystemic linguistics (Halliday 1994 Martinez 2007) A wide rangeof linguistic devices such as agent time tense and modality aswell as lexicogrammatical and discourse semantic structures havebeen used as analytical instruments to interpret texts While thelinguistic categories may be fundamental to understand howlanguage operates in transmitting knowledge and representingsocial hierarchy the analysis of texts has to take into considerationthe context of discursive practices (Woodak amp Meyer 2009)Fairclough suggests that discourse analysis should includeldquolinguistic description of the language text interpretation of the

Planning for Development or Decline 5

Dow

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4

relationship between the discursive processes and the text andexplanation of the relationship between the discursive processesand the social processesrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 132 emphasis inoriginal) The integration of ldquomicrordquo discourse analysis andldquomacrordquo level of social relations allows a more systematicapproach to understanding social production of inequalitypower ideology authority and manipulation (Bloomaert 2006)

In what follows I situate the context of the article andhighlight the historical and ideological development of Singa-porersquos bilingual policy with focus on the Speak MandarinCampaign Then I provide a discussion on the effects ofprestigeimage planning of Chinese language by linking theanalysis of the themes and objectives in the recent Speak MandarinCampaigns to the content reduction in the Chinese languagecurriculum

Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy andthe Speak Mandarin Campaign

Singaporersquos language policy was established against a backgroundof ethno-linguistic and historical concerns (Stroud amp Wee 2010)Inhabited by four major ethnic groupsmdashChinese MalaysIndians and Eurasiansmdashwho speak a range of languages andlanguage varieties Singapore has been struggling to maintain itsracial harmony Taking over from the British colonial politicalsystem in 1959 the Peoplersquos Action Party (the currentgovernment) adopted a bilingual policy which recognizes fourofficial languages English and three mother tongues that isMandarin Malay and Tamil Although the four major ethnicgroups speak a multitude of language varieties Mandarin wasdesignated as the mother tongue for the Chinese Malay for theMalays and Tamil for the Indians In this politics of languagerecognition English was given a premier position as it wasbelieved that its ethno-political neutrality would help establish anonconflictual and more interethnically harmonious nationMost importantly it was and still is believed that English with itswider communication value can provide Singaporeans with accessto modernity and economic development The status of Englishhas been further promoted as the working language in the public

X L Curdt-Christiansen6

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4

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

Dow

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4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

X L Curdt-Christiansen8

Dow

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201

4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

Dow

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201

4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

Dow

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4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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02

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

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nsen

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02

32 0

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

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Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

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201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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02

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4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

pour rire and the Montreal Jazz Festival In Singapore although abilingual policy has been considered a cornerstone of Singaporersquoseducational system the promotion of English and mothertongues has used different planning approaches Zhao and Liu(2010) identified that more prestige-associated approaches havebeen used in English language promotion whereas more image-associated methods have been used in Chinese languagepromotion For example the Chinese language policy empha-sizes cultural values as the foundation of identity whereas Englishis promoted for its economic prestige by increasing itsfunctionality in public domains and education While theseplanning activities seem to promote Singaporersquos bilingual policythe enactment of the policy reveals different and contradictorygoals that are likely to cause confusion and even educationaluncertainty

Critical Discourse Analysis

Prestige and image planning can take place on different levelsorganized by government agencies individuals and groups andoften these stakeholders employ media to achieve impact In ordertodeconstruct theconfusingmessages and impliedhiddenagendasit is necessary to look at text features used in discourse to constructparticular representations of a language (Gee 2005)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offers both a theoreticaland methodological framework for uncovering explicit andimplicit meanings in any given text (Fairclough 2001) CDAfocuses on the examination of the relationship between languagein use and the exercise of power (Fairclough 2001) It aims touncover how discourse is ldquoproduced circulated distributed[and] consumed in societyrdquo (Bloomaert amp Bulcaen 2000 p 448)CDA views language as a form of social practice that is relationaldialectical and transdisciplinary (Fairclough 2010) It isrelational because its primary focus of analysis is on complexsocial relations between discourse and society It is dialecticalbecause it examines the patterns of language choice byscrutinizing how language in use is manifested in multiple layersof interactive contextmdashthe immediate the institutional and thewider societal context (Wodak amp Meyer 2009) It demystifies the

X L Curdt-Christiansen4

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4

elements of particular historical sociocultural and politicalcontexts that permeate and foreground discourse and at thesame time also shows how discourse determines social structuresIt is transdisciplinary as the analysis of discourse and its relationswith other social elements and contexts cut across boundariesbetween disciplines such as linguistics politics education andsociology (Fairclough 2010)

One of the most salient characteristics of CDA is that it notonly reveals how power relations are enacted and how ideologiesare transmitted and reproduced through structures and proper-ties of discourse it also provokes changes in the way power isexercised in social relationships Power is established throughhegemonic domination across ldquoeconomic political cultural andideological domains of a societyrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 61)Hegemony is a form of indirect domination of a political entityand denotes how dominant social forces engineer and shape thesocial and cultural changes (Gramsci 1971) It is materialized notthrough coercive forces but rather through concessionspersuasion and consent Typically the process of concessioninvolves what Fairclough (2010) calls ldquotechnologisation ofdiscourserdquo where language policy and planning is implementedthrough ldquodominant social forces to direct and control the courseof the major social and cultural changes which are affectingcontemporary societiesrdquo (p 126) For Fairclough technologisa-tion of discourse is a variety of technologies of government in thatby means of techniques strategies and procedures governmentagencies are able to ensure that programs or policy implemen-tations are operable and connections between the aspirations ofauthorities and activities of individualsgroups are facilitated

Methodologically CDA typically but not exclusively employssystemic linguistics (Halliday 1994 Martinez 2007) A wide rangeof linguistic devices such as agent time tense and modality aswell as lexicogrammatical and discourse semantic structures havebeen used as analytical instruments to interpret texts While thelinguistic categories may be fundamental to understand howlanguage operates in transmitting knowledge and representingsocial hierarchy the analysis of texts has to take into considerationthe context of discursive practices (Woodak amp Meyer 2009)Fairclough suggests that discourse analysis should includeldquolinguistic description of the language text interpretation of the

Planning for Development or Decline 5

Dow

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4

relationship between the discursive processes and the text andexplanation of the relationship between the discursive processesand the social processesrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 132 emphasis inoriginal) The integration of ldquomicrordquo discourse analysis andldquomacrordquo level of social relations allows a more systematicapproach to understanding social production of inequalitypower ideology authority and manipulation (Bloomaert 2006)

In what follows I situate the context of the article andhighlight the historical and ideological development of Singa-porersquos bilingual policy with focus on the Speak MandarinCampaign Then I provide a discussion on the effects ofprestigeimage planning of Chinese language by linking theanalysis of the themes and objectives in the recent Speak MandarinCampaigns to the content reduction in the Chinese languagecurriculum

Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy andthe Speak Mandarin Campaign

Singaporersquos language policy was established against a backgroundof ethno-linguistic and historical concerns (Stroud amp Wee 2010)Inhabited by four major ethnic groupsmdashChinese MalaysIndians and Eurasiansmdashwho speak a range of languages andlanguage varieties Singapore has been struggling to maintain itsracial harmony Taking over from the British colonial politicalsystem in 1959 the Peoplersquos Action Party (the currentgovernment) adopted a bilingual policy which recognizes fourofficial languages English and three mother tongues that isMandarin Malay and Tamil Although the four major ethnicgroups speak a multitude of language varieties Mandarin wasdesignated as the mother tongue for the Chinese Malay for theMalays and Tamil for the Indians In this politics of languagerecognition English was given a premier position as it wasbelieved that its ethno-political neutrality would help establish anonconflictual and more interethnically harmonious nationMost importantly it was and still is believed that English with itswider communication value can provide Singaporeans with accessto modernity and economic development The status of Englishhas been further promoted as the working language in the public

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4

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

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4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

X L Curdt-Christiansen8

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underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

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Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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201

4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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02

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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istia

nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

elements of particular historical sociocultural and politicalcontexts that permeate and foreground discourse and at thesame time also shows how discourse determines social structuresIt is transdisciplinary as the analysis of discourse and its relationswith other social elements and contexts cut across boundariesbetween disciplines such as linguistics politics education andsociology (Fairclough 2010)

One of the most salient characteristics of CDA is that it notonly reveals how power relations are enacted and how ideologiesare transmitted and reproduced through structures and proper-ties of discourse it also provokes changes in the way power isexercised in social relationships Power is established throughhegemonic domination across ldquoeconomic political cultural andideological domains of a societyrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 61)Hegemony is a form of indirect domination of a political entityand denotes how dominant social forces engineer and shape thesocial and cultural changes (Gramsci 1971) It is materialized notthrough coercive forces but rather through concessionspersuasion and consent Typically the process of concessioninvolves what Fairclough (2010) calls ldquotechnologisation ofdiscourserdquo where language policy and planning is implementedthrough ldquodominant social forces to direct and control the courseof the major social and cultural changes which are affectingcontemporary societiesrdquo (p 126) For Fairclough technologisa-tion of discourse is a variety of technologies of government in thatby means of techniques strategies and procedures governmentagencies are able to ensure that programs or policy implemen-tations are operable and connections between the aspirations ofauthorities and activities of individualsgroups are facilitated

Methodologically CDA typically but not exclusively employssystemic linguistics (Halliday 1994 Martinez 2007) A wide rangeof linguistic devices such as agent time tense and modality aswell as lexicogrammatical and discourse semantic structures havebeen used as analytical instruments to interpret texts While thelinguistic categories may be fundamental to understand howlanguage operates in transmitting knowledge and representingsocial hierarchy the analysis of texts has to take into considerationthe context of discursive practices (Woodak amp Meyer 2009)Fairclough suggests that discourse analysis should includeldquolinguistic description of the language text interpretation of the

Planning for Development or Decline 5

Dow

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4

relationship between the discursive processes and the text andexplanation of the relationship between the discursive processesand the social processesrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 132 emphasis inoriginal) The integration of ldquomicrordquo discourse analysis andldquomacrordquo level of social relations allows a more systematicapproach to understanding social production of inequalitypower ideology authority and manipulation (Bloomaert 2006)

In what follows I situate the context of the article andhighlight the historical and ideological development of Singa-porersquos bilingual policy with focus on the Speak MandarinCampaign Then I provide a discussion on the effects ofprestigeimage planning of Chinese language by linking theanalysis of the themes and objectives in the recent Speak MandarinCampaigns to the content reduction in the Chinese languagecurriculum

Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy andthe Speak Mandarin Campaign

Singaporersquos language policy was established against a backgroundof ethno-linguistic and historical concerns (Stroud amp Wee 2010)Inhabited by four major ethnic groupsmdashChinese MalaysIndians and Eurasiansmdashwho speak a range of languages andlanguage varieties Singapore has been struggling to maintain itsracial harmony Taking over from the British colonial politicalsystem in 1959 the Peoplersquos Action Party (the currentgovernment) adopted a bilingual policy which recognizes fourofficial languages English and three mother tongues that isMandarin Malay and Tamil Although the four major ethnicgroups speak a multitude of language varieties Mandarin wasdesignated as the mother tongue for the Chinese Malay for theMalays and Tamil for the Indians In this politics of languagerecognition English was given a premier position as it wasbelieved that its ethno-political neutrality would help establish anonconflictual and more interethnically harmonious nationMost importantly it was and still is believed that English with itswider communication value can provide Singaporeans with accessto modernity and economic development The status of Englishhas been further promoted as the working language in the public

X L Curdt-Christiansen6

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201

4

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

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4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

X L Curdt-Christiansen8

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4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

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4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

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by [

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istia

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02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

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by [

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an C

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-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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02

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

relationship between the discursive processes and the text andexplanation of the relationship between the discursive processesand the social processesrdquo (Fairclough 2010 p 132 emphasis inoriginal) The integration of ldquomicrordquo discourse analysis andldquomacrordquo level of social relations allows a more systematicapproach to understanding social production of inequalitypower ideology authority and manipulation (Bloomaert 2006)

In what follows I situate the context of the article andhighlight the historical and ideological development of Singa-porersquos bilingual policy with focus on the Speak MandarinCampaign Then I provide a discussion on the effects ofprestigeimage planning of Chinese language by linking theanalysis of the themes and objectives in the recent Speak MandarinCampaigns to the content reduction in the Chinese languagecurriculum

Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy andthe Speak Mandarin Campaign

Singaporersquos language policy was established against a backgroundof ethno-linguistic and historical concerns (Stroud amp Wee 2010)Inhabited by four major ethnic groupsmdashChinese MalaysIndians and Eurasiansmdashwho speak a range of languages andlanguage varieties Singapore has been struggling to maintain itsracial harmony Taking over from the British colonial politicalsystem in 1959 the Peoplersquos Action Party (the currentgovernment) adopted a bilingual policy which recognizes fourofficial languages English and three mother tongues that isMandarin Malay and Tamil Although the four major ethnicgroups speak a multitude of language varieties Mandarin wasdesignated as the mother tongue for the Chinese Malay for theMalays and Tamil for the Indians In this politics of languagerecognition English was given a premier position as it wasbelieved that its ethno-political neutrality would help establish anonconflictual and more interethnically harmonious nationMost importantly it was and still is believed that English with itswider communication value can provide Singaporeans with accessto modernity and economic development The status of Englishhas been further promoted as the working language in the public

X L Curdt-Christiansen6

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201

4

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

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4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

X L Curdt-Christiansen8

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201

4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

Dow

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201

4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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201

4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

Dow

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4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

Dow

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

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istia

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

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istia

nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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by [

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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nsen

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02

32 0

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

domain including government administration law and businessMost importantly English is also the medium of instruction in allschools for all subjects except mother tongues (Ministry ofEducation [MOE] 2012)

While English has gained recognition and become a de factonational language through prestige planning ldquothe mothertongue is constituted as the cultural repository of values andtraditions for its associated ethnic grouprdquo (Stroud amp Wee 2010p 183) Although English and mother tongues are given an equalstatus the allocation of educational time is unequal English asthe medium of instruction is used for content teaching of allsubjects which amounts to six to seven hours daily whereasmother tongues are taught as a subject for only two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly depending on the grade level and thestreaming group (MOE 2006)

While the government may expect Singaporeans to beproficient in English and the mother tongues the dichotomizedview of English as having instrumental values and mother tonguesas having cultural functions has generated different attitudestowards these languages especially because different levels ofEnglish proficiency can place individuals in different social strata(Silver 2005) Thus societal pressure and attitude have led to amassive language shift from mother tongues to English languageamong all ethnic groups (Lim 2009 Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010)

With regard to the Chinese community another visible shifthas also occurred in addition to the significant shift fromMandarin to English namely from Chinese varieties to Mandarin(Li Saravanan amp Ng 1997 Xu Chew amp Chen 2003) Changingthe linguistic repertoire of Chinese ldquodialectrdquo speakers was adeliberate political intention in the young state of Singaporewhere 11 major dialects were spoken by Chinese SingaporeansIn 1979 the annual Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) waslaunched to promote Mandarin as the ldquosocial glue to unite theChinese communityrdquo (Teo 2005 p 123) Apart from emphasizingthe social value of Mandarin the government also established theinstitutional role of Mandarin as the literary language based onits literary and socio-historical value while demoting ldquodialectsrdquo asunderdeveloped language varieties and considering dialectspeakers as undereducated (Li et al 1997) Negative connota-tions of ldquodialectsrdquo appeared through media in the political

Planning for Development or Decline 7

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4

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

X L Curdt-Christiansen8

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4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

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4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

Dow

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4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

Dow

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the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

Dow

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02

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

Dow

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4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

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istia

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] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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02

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

rhetoric in the early years of the campaign For example thenPrime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (1980) stressed that ldquodialect willhinder the learning of the child ( ) to speak dialect withyour child is to ruin his futurerdquo (para 1)

Over the years the thematic foci of the SMC have had varioustarget audiences such as hawkers bus and taxi drivers and white-collar workers There are three major periods of this movement(Teo 2005) 1) 1979ndash89 emphasizing cultural values andpromotes social cohesion 2) 1990ndash97 stressing the economicand instrumental value of Mandarin as China begins to emerge asa powerful economy and 3) 1998ndash2004 urging Singaporeans tobecome not only bilingual but also bicultural in order to takeadvantage of the many possibilities offered by the huge Chinesemarket Such linguistic instrumentalism has been repeatedlyreinforced through political speeches and media propagandaLee Kwan Yew (2004) made the following remarks ldquoBilingualismgets us through the front door but it is only through biculturalismthat we can reach deep inside China and work with themrdquo

SMC has been relaunched annually ever since its inaugura-tion in 1979 It has facilitated the governmental interventions byshifting Singaporeansrsquo Chinese linguistic repertoire from dialectsto Mandarin Within a short period of 20 years census dataindicate that the use of Mandarin has increased from 10 in 1980to 30 in 1990 to almost 48 in 2010 While these statistics maytruly reflect the linguistic behavior of Singaporeans thecompulsory education in English and the status of English inthe political and economic sphere have resulted in Englishlanguage use penetrating into home domains The MOErsquos schoolentry registration of studentsrsquo home language in 2004 indicatesthat more than 50 of primary 1 students use English as thedominant home language (MOE 2004)

Despite the SMCrsquos promotion of Mandarin the bilingualpolicy has not been successful in producing proficient bilingualsOn the contrary MOE has revised the Chinese language syllabusseveral times to ldquosolverdquo the problem of increasing ldquolanguagelearning difficultiesrdquo by reducing the content of curriculumTo accommodate the needs of students from English speakingbackgrounds MOE introduced a ldquoBrdquo syllabus at the secondarylevel in 2004 and a Modular Approach at the primary level in 2007(see discussion below) In 2009 the Chinese curriculum

X L Curdt-Christiansen8

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201

4

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

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4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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201

4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

Dow

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201

4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

Dow

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

Dow

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201

4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

Dow

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nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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by [

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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02

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

underwent further changes to allow the use of English in teachingChinese (MOE 2010) These curricular changes have clearlyindicated that the SMC has not succeeded in elevating Chinese toa position of prestige (Zhao amp Liu 2008)

In the following section I argue that the content reduction inthe Chinese curriculum will have little effect on promoting thepositive image of Chinese as a prestigious language in SingaporeI do so through examining prestige and image planning activitiesthe former in educational policy and the latter in ldquotechnologizeddiscourserdquo used in advertisements campaign slogans andpolitical speeches

Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language CurriculumReforms

Language promotion is a complex issue as it involves bothattitudinal changes and language behavioral changes Ager(2005) argues that change of behavior is difficult to achieveldquounless hearts and minds are convincedrdquo (p 1039) In thefollowing section I discuss how Singaporersquos government employsimage planning (SMC) and prestige planning (Chinese languagecurriculum) to persuade and convince people about bilingualismand Chinese language

2004ndash06 华语 COOL and Chinese ldquoBrdquo

While the image planning of Chinese language during 2004ndash06featured Chinese as a lsquocoolrsquo language this move was triggered bythe visible language shift from dialectMandarin to English Thisimage planning suggests that political discourse its ideologicalrepresentations and historical context are inextricably linkedIn his 2005 SMC speech Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2005)acknowledged

Because of the common use of English at work and in schools youngerSingaporeans are increasingly more comfortable in English than [in]Mandarin English is also becoming the preferred language at homemdashabout half of our Chinese students now come from English-speakinghomes outnumbering those in Chinese-speaking homes Therefore the

Planning for Development or Decline 9

Dow

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201

4

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

Dow

nloa

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02

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201

4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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istia

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02

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arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

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by [

Xia

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

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-Chr

istia

nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

Speak Mandarin Campaign is now reaching out to English-educatedChinese Singaporeans encouraging them to stay in touch with Mandarinand keep the language alive in our society (Lee 2005)

While an ldquoapparent concessionrdquo (van Dijk 2000 p 40) seems toacknowledge that the language shift to English amongSingaporean Chinese is caused by ldquothe common use of Englishat work and in schoolsrdquo the fundamental issue of why such a shifthas occurred is not in focus To avoid further discussion about thereal cause ldquoEnglishrdquo is used as the subject in the second sentenceldquoEnglish is also becoming the preferred language at homerdquo Thisshift of subject shapes readersrsquo position in the negotiation of thefocus in discussion Following that the immediate introduction ofthe conjunction ldquothereforerdquo indicates a causal relationshipbetween the cause of language shift and the result of actiontaken by SMC So obviously SMC does promote Chineselanguage use among the English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans

The theme of the SMC of the period was to make Mandarin aliving language A series of actions were taken by the campaigncouncil and its partners to promote Mandarin by using a lifestyle-oriented approach implying that Chinese is not only a languagefor keeping traditions and maintaining culture but also a ldquocoolrdquolanguage Thus the campaign slogan employed a mixed codeof Chinese and English ldquo华语 COOLrdquo (Mandarin COOL) toconstruct the image of Chinese as a living language which can beused as a fashionable mode of communication (see image athttpuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen55aSpeak_mandarin_campaign_posterJPG)

To promote the new image and re-conceptualize represen-tations of Mandarin local celebrities Hossan Leong (actor) JJ Lin(singer) and Fanny Lai (singer) featured in the campaignadvertisement reinforcing the thematic focus of ldquo华语 COOLUse it Donrsquot lose itrdquo The major English newspaper The StraitsTimes began to publish ldquo成语 cool - 成语365 一 天 一 句rdquo (IdiomCool ndash idioms 365 an idiom a Day) in order to deepen theappreciation of Chinese language and facilitate communicationin elegant and metaphoric Mandarin

Through media release the Chairman of the PromoteMandarin Council Kenneth Tan (2006) reiterated the messageof ldquo华语 COOLrdquo at the official launch of SMC in 2006

X L Curdt-Christiansen10

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201

4

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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201

4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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201

4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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4

to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

Dow

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201

4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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02

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201

4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

Dow

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] at

02

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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02

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

We aim to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to take advantage of not onlythe day-to-day communication advantages and commercial benefits of theMandarin language but also to enjoy a better understanding andappreciation of Chinese heritage and culture

The Campaign aims to bring the perspective of the post-65ers beyondseeing Mandarin as a subject that had to be passed in school examinationsand attract their interest to explore the language further Using a lifestyle-oriented approach we are extending the theme of ldquo华语 COOLrdquo andworking with our partners to engage the audience in their daily livesthrough movies music and metaphor

The message was clear the value of Mandarin goes beyondcommunication and economic benefits The use of ldquonot onlybut alsordquo shows that although ldquoday-to-day communicationrdquo andldquocommercial benefitsrdquo are equally positioned with ldquoappreciationof Chinese heritage and culturerdquo the latter is progressive inmeaning This cohesive devise signals the intended message ofthe campaign To catch the attention of the target audience(English-speaking Singaporeans) the speech brought in a topicwith which the public is deeply concerned that is schoolexaminations This has a special appeal for the audience as theresponsibility for the language shift again lies with theeducational system and its exams So by using a lifestyle-oriented approach (ldquosnob-appealing techniquerdquo) the campaignimplicitly suggested that the middle-class English-speakingSingaporeans who enjoy life ldquowith movies music and meta-phorsrdquo should also have a high-cultural appreciation of theChinese language

While the promotion of the Chinese Language for itsrichness and beauty was underway the educational discourse tooka different turn In 2004 MOE announced a Chinese curriculumreform for secondary schools and introduced the ldquoBrdquo syllabusTeaching time allotment was 35 hours weekly (MOE 2006) Butthe content had been diluted and the curriculum no longeremphasized full command of Chinese literacy skills The focus wasnow on oral communication skills where 50 of teaching timewas allocated to ldquolistening and speaking skillsrdquo 30 to ldquoreadingskillsrdquo and 20 to ldquowriting skillsrdquo (MOE 2010 p 7)

Despite the governmentrsquos claims that it provided ldquogreaterflexibility and choice in the study of studentsrsquo Mother Tongue

Planning for Development or Decline 11

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4

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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4

to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

Dow

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02

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201

4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

Dow

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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02

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

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an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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02

32 0

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

Language (MTL)rdquo (MOE 2004) the introduction of the ldquoBrdquosyllabus generated great debate about the standard of MandarinThen Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (2004) made the followingremarks in The Straits Times

It was extensively debated in Parliament and in the media Some MPslamented the decline in the standard of Mandarin however the majoritysupported the Mandarin pedagogy reforms out of a sense of realism AllMPS agreed on the importance of learning Mandarin

The debate in the media was intense The English press praised theGovernment for moving away from the lsquoone-size-fits-allrsquo approach ofteaching Chinese It liked the custom-tailored modular approach whichrecognizes that students have different language learning abilities TheChinese media also welcomed the changes But it lamented the lack of aconducive environment which encourages the use of Mandarin Theirconcerns are understandable (Goh 2004 p A2)

Acknowledging the debate on Chinese Curriculum Reform andthe concerns of declining standard Mr Goh used theconjunction ldquohoweverrdquo to immediately establish that ldquothemajority supported the Mandarin pedagogy reformsrdquo He alsoused the general quantitative nouns ldquomajorityrdquo and ldquoallrdquo to assertan authoritative position assuring the audience that ldquothereformrdquo was necessary and legitimized Moving forward hechose the two major representative language newspapers toestablish the discussion of politics of reforms Strong verbs asldquopraisedrdquo and ldquolikedrdquo were employed about the reaction of theEnglish press creating a perception of popular agreementRelating to the verb ldquopraiserdquo the catching phrase ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo was used to portray the earlier approach to teaching Chineseas nonproductive and ineffective To further establish the logicaldevelopment Mr Goh employed the antonym metaphor theldquocustom-tailoredrdquo to reinforce the suitability of the reform Whenit comes to concerns about the reform the verb ldquolamentrdquo wasused to show the newspaper readers how concerned he wasabout ldquothe lack of a conducive environment which encouragesthe use of Mandarinrdquo

Such concerns led to a new theme in image planning andmore reform in prestige planning in the following years

X L Curdt-Christiansen12

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201

4

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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02

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201

4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

Dow

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201

4

to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

Dow

nloa

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by [

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nsen

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02

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201

4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

Dow

nloa

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4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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02

32 0

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arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

2007ndash09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007

The discontent withChinese language pedagogy in public speechesand the media made SMC prioritize a new focus Chinese languageshould be fun and enjoyable While continuing with the lifestyleapproach and adhering to the theme of ldquo 华语 COOLrdquo the majoradvertisement now featured celebrity athletes with a football orother sports equipment in their hands (see image at httpbpObloggercom_DnfZ9KZRqkYR5wyiOw7dclAAAAAAAAAY4qEJbp76__X8s1600-hmain-bannerjpg)

Looking determined the athletes in the advertisement seemto imply that Speaking Mandarin is both fun and challengingThe eyes of the athletes stare at the readers with a stern expressionwhich seems to say ldquoare you readyrdquo This implied messagematchesthe tagline of the advertisement ldquo讲华语你肯吗 SpeakMandarin ndash Are you gamerdquo At first glance the advertisement isnot directly associated with the political campaign It may beinterpreted as an ad for a sport event and this is the explicitintention of the campaignmdashto be ldquoedgy vibrant and contem-poraryrdquo (Promote Mandarin Council [PMC] 2008) ldquoAREYOU GAMErdquo is positioned in the middle of the ad betweenldquo华语 COOLrdquo and ldquo你肯吗rdquo The size of the letters immediatelycatches the viewersrsquo attention Although juxtaposed on the rightside of the English tagline the Chinese version is not bolded orhighlighted This again shows that the target audience is English-speaking Chinese Singaporeans It should be noted that thetagline ldquoARE YOU GAMErdquo together with the facial expression ofthe athletes is begging the interpretation that ldquolearning Chinese ishard but fun Are you ready to take on the challengerdquo

Reconceptualizing Chinese language as fun and ldquocoolrdquo forSingaporeans mismatches the image often conveyed in themediaChinese is not only presented as a difficult language to master butalso a language that is unsuccessfully taught in schools While thetopic is highly debatable The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao animportant Chinese newspaper have published reader lettersforums editorial comments and news reports presenting Chinesepedagogy as ldquoboringrdquo ldquoun-motivatingrdquo ldquoinflexiblerdquo and ldquolearningby roterdquo In a news broadcast on Channel NewsAsia Lee Kuan Yew(2009) confirmed such views saying

Planning for Development or Decline 13

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4

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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02

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201

4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

Dow

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201

4

to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

Dow

nloa

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by [

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02

32 0

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201

4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

Dow

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4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

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-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

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an C

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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02

32 0

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

We started the wrong way We insisted on ting xie [listening] mo xie[dictation] ndash madness We had teachers who were teaching in completelyChinese schools And they did not want to use any English to teachEnglish-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely

In this speech there is a presupposition that ting xie andmo xie prevent students from learning Chinese and create anonenjoyable and nonconducive learning environment Mr Leedid not comment on the nature of the Chinese languagea logographic language where a character represents firstmeaning and secondly sound Chinese literacy acquisitionrequires a different method as the language does not have thegraphic-phonic association which alphabetic and syllabiclanguages have The early stages of literacy acquisition requirechildren to practice and memorize various morphemes that arebasic elements of characters (Taylor amp Taylor 1995) In hisargument Mr Lee explicitly associates the passivity of Chineselearners (ldquoturned them offrdquo) with non-use of English language inChinese teaching This direct association implicitly signals thatthe negative attitudes toward Chinese language were caused bynonmotivating pedagogy This allegation has gone hand in handwith some ideological debates in the media to make Chineseteaching fun and relevant Most importantly it has spurredfurther reduction in the Chinese syllabus

In 2006 a new modular Chinese curriculum was adopted andfully implanted in 2009 in all schools from Primary 1 to 6accentuating oral communication skills In particular it givesldquogreater emphasis to character recognition and less emphasis toscript writing in the lower primary years to facilitate early readingrdquo(MOE 2005 p 3) Table 1 shows the changes in 2002 and 2007syllabus regarding the total number of Chinese charactersrequired for different levels of primary students as well as thedifference between receptive (character recognition) andproductive (character writing) knowledge

Table 1 illustrates the major changes in character knowledgefrom 2002 to 2007 Although the total number of characters to beacquired remains almost same the difference between receptiveand productive knowledge is accentuated in the 2007 syllabusTaking grades 1 and 2 as an example the total number ofcharacters to be acquired by the students in 2002 was 600 in 2007

X L Curdt-Christiansen14

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201

4

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

Dow

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

Dow

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by [

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4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

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istia

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02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

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-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

almost the same 600ndash650 But in 2007 a distinction wasintroduced between productive and receptive characters andonly 300ndash350 productive characters were now required

In addition to the reduction in productive knowledgea Modular Curriculum is also introduced in the 2007 syllabus ldquotocater to students of different language backgrounds languageaptitudes and various Chinese proficiency levelsrdquo (MOE 2006p 7) Four modular components are provided Bridging ModuleCore Module School-Based Curriculum and Enrichment Module TheBridging Module is designed for Primary 1 children who have littleexposure to Chinese language at home to build up their oral andlistening abilities in the early years of primary before taking theCore Module Within this curriculum the Core Module is required byall students and examined in Primary Schools LeavingExamination (emphasis is given to basic literacy and oralcommunication) For those with interest and proficiency inChinese language the Enrichment Module is available to allow them

TABLE 1 Number of Productive and Receptive Chinese Characters in Syllabi2002 and 2007

年级

Level课程

Streams大纲

Syllabus

写用字字数

Number ofproductivecharacters

认读字字数

Additionalnumber ofreceptivecharacters

合计

Total

1ndash2 Chinese 2002 600 o 6002007 300ndash350 250ndash300 600ndash650

Higher Chinese 2002 600 0 6002007 400ndash450 150ndash200 600ndash650

3ndash4 Chinese 2002 1080 0 10802007 700ndash750 500ndash550 1200ndash1300

Higher Chinese 2002 1200 0 12002007 950ndash1000 250ndash300 1200ndash1300

5ndash6 EM3 2002 1500 0 1500Chinese 2002 1800 0 1800

2007 1000ndash1100 600 1600ndash1700Higher Chinese 2002 2000 0 2000

2007 1400ndash1500 400 1800ndash1900

All Singaporean classes are streamed based on studentsrsquo academic performances intotwo levels basic and high Students were grouped into EM1 EM2 and EM3 at grade 5ndash6before the 2007 syllabus was implemented

Planning for Development or Decline 15

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to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

Dow

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

Dow

nloa

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by [

Xia

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nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

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urdt

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istia

nsen

] at

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201

4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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nsen

] at

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4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

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These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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02

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4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

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istia

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] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

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02

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arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

to maximize their potential (reading and writing skills areemphasized) (MOE 2010) As for the School-Based Curriculumit allows schools to customize curriculum materials to meet thedifferent learning needs of the students

While the Modular Curriculum aims at a more differentiatedapproach for different ability students in order to motivate themto learn Chinese up to a realistic level the weekly instructionhours have not been brought up to a realistic level Timeallotment per week for the basic stream (华文 Chinese) hasdecreased from 65 hours (grade 1) to 55 hours (grade 2) to45ndash5 hours (grade 3) and 25ndash4 hours (grade 4ndash6) and thesame pattern is seen for the higher stream (高级华文 higherChinese) where 75 hours are given to grade 1 65 hours to grade2 and 5 hours to grades 4ndash6 (MOE 2006 p 9)The allocation ofinstruction hours per week does not recognize the needs thatlower proficiency students have ndash adequate language input andlanguage exposure required for language acquisition On thecontrary the time allotment seems to widen the differences asstudents in the upper stream (higher Chinese) are allocated morecurricular time (5ndash75 hours) than the lower stream students(25ndash65 hours)

The Modular Curriculum reiterates that ldquo华文课程应重视学生

的个别差异为来自不同语言背景具有不同于语言能力的学生提

供不同的选择rdquo (the curriculum should take into consideration thedifferences in student aptitudes and provide different choices for studentswith different linguistics backgrounds and language abilities) (MOE2006 p 3) But it fails to distinguish lower standards incurriculum contents from increasing studentsrsquo interest inlearning It also fails to distinguish differences in studentaptitudes and linguistic backgrounds from shorter curriculartime and lower language standard

The public debate was intensified by both English-speakingand Chinese-speaking individuals whose concerns were whetherhome language was a barrier to learning Chinese Oon (2010)a senior political correspondent of The Straits Times used herpersonal learning experiences to emphasize that ldquoChinese wasalways hard work as it has been for the friends I know who spokeEnglish at homerdquo and ldquothere are those from English speakingbackgrounds who dislike and struggle with Chineserdquo But that

X L Curdt-Christiansen16

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4

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

Dow

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number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

Dow

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02

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201

4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

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arch

201

4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

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ded

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Xia

o L

an C

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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ded

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02

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

should not be sufficient reason to ldquocompromise Chinesestandardsrdquo Her concerns were

Further tweaks to the system could inadvertently lower the bar in Chineselanguage proficiency for the average Chinese Singaporean student evenas MOE says overall standards will remain acceptable and goodstudents can still go as far as they want with the language But averagestudents matters too

Everyone has different aptitudes for different subjects why shouldChinese be singled out for special scrutiny (Oon 2010 p B4)

Addressing these concerns and many other questions publicspeeches have been made by politicians to rationalize theunderlying policy In his interview with Channel NewsAsia PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong (2009) clarified the governmentrsquosposition

We are trying in an English-speaking environment to maintain a level ofworking proficiency in Chinese and other mother tongues for all of thepopulation But different levels of proficiency depending on the ability ofthe person and language background which he comes from his homebackground

Some can reach almost first-language standard and join the biculturalprogramme A majority should have a functional mastery of the languagendash some from Mandarin-speaking homes some from English-speakinghomes too

The first sentence is constructed to emphasize the English-speaking environment in Singapore The adverbial phrase ldquoin anEnglish-speaking environmentrdquo contains a connoted meaning toindicate an unnatural context for mother-tongue maintenanceWithout elaborating on what a working level proficiency is PrimeMinister Lee immediately shifted the focus from proficiency toindividual language ability and home-language background Theshift of focus seems logical leads naturally to a matter-of-fact andself-evident result that is some can achieve first-language level ofproficiency whereas the ldquomajority should have a functionalmastery of the languagerdquo (emphasis added) The popular theoryof language aptitude and language background seems coherentbut the argument lacks scientific persuasion First the emotiveverb ldquoshouldrdquo is used to indicate that the ldquomajorityrdquo an assumed

Planning for Development or Decline 17

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4

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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02

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

Dow

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4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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nsen

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02

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201

4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

Dow

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nsen

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

Dow

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by [

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

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02

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8 M

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201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

number of students may obtain a functional level of masteryThere is no evidence that the majority cannot achieve a higherlevel of mastery Second the ldquomajorityrdquo comes from both Englishand Chinese speaking homes which is somewhat contradictory tothe original requests for curriculum reforms which referred tochildren from English-speaking backgrounds However in thesubsequent interview Lee emphasized again that ldquosome studentsfrom English speaking homes are going to have a lot of difficultieswith Chinese however hard they tryrdquo He continued

So we have to set standards for this group which are realistic which theycan aim for but without bringing down standards for everybody else Thatis why we introduced CL B Therefore we need a tailored approach whichis adapted to the whole range of language backgrounds and abilities Wehave to acknowledge that as a reality and make our system work on thatbasis

Having paved the way around the major obstacle of English-speaking background his argument for setting ldquostandards for thisgrouprdquo comes naturally This logical reasoning appears convin-cing especially when the word ldquostandardsrdquo is used without theadjective ldquolowerrdquo but with ldquorealistic which they can aim forrdquoAgain the immediate use of ldquobutrdquo signals the adversative relationbetween the subordinate clause ldquowithout bringing downstandards for everybody elserdquo and the main clause Here the twophases ldquoset up standardsrdquo and ldquowithout bringing down standardsrdquoare used to convince the audience and address directly theconcerns of the public about the adequacy of the new curriculumA logical connection is also made here with the adverb ldquothereforerdquoto collocate the reality of ldquolanguage backgrounds and abilitiesrdquowith the ldquotailored approachrdquo In addition to shaping thehearersrsquo view with this grammatical device the auxiliary verbphrase ldquohave tordquo is also used to emphasize the necessity to adoptthe new modular approach and to take into consideration thereality

While PM Leersquos interview has both informing and persuadingfunctions regarding the governmentrsquos policy decision it has littleeffect on raising the status of the Chinese language The newcurriculum policy implementation sets back the positive Chineselanguage image promoted by SMC By reducing the number ofproductive characters and introducing the modular approach

X L Curdt-Christiansen18

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o L

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nsen

] at

02

32 0

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4

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

Dow

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by [

Xia

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-Chr

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nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

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Xia

o L

an C

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istia

nsen

] at

02

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8 M

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201

4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

Dow

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by [

Xia

o L

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istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

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nsen

] at

02

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8 M

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201

4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

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o L

an C

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istia

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02

32 0

8 M

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201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

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ded

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Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

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ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

the prestige planning with its coercive force would bring littlepositive change in Singaporeansrsquo attitudes toward Chinese thusexacerbating the gap between prestige planning and imageplanning as shown in the following years

2009ndash10 华文谁怕谁 ndash The Chinese Challengeand Examination Alternative

2009rsquos SMC marked the 30th anniversary of the Speak MandarinCampaign Continuing with the ideology of Chinese as a pragmatictool for economic advancement the Promote Mandarin Councilproposed a new theme 华文谁怕谁-The Chinese Challenge Thisthematic promotion not only encouraged Singaporeans to usemetaphors and ascribe prestige to the Chinese language it alsoprovided a ldquoparticipatory environment for Singaporeans to enjoyand improve their Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese culturerdquo(PMC 2009 para 2) As a nationwide initiative the campaignemployed a contest through both online and traditional mediaplatforms to engage Singaporeans in using more MandarinGeneral knowledge questions were posed including topics aboutthe language literary arts and popular culture The winnerswere awarded $10000 in prizes According to the PMCrsquos mediarelease (2010) 15000 people participated in the contest Thecontest is on-going new questions have been posed every threemonths until present and a special website was launched in 2010At the 31st SMC launch event campaign chairperson Lim SauHoogn (2010) reiterated the importance of The ChineseChallenge

We want the public to use The Chinese Challenge as an interactive and funplatform to enhance their learning experience with the Chinese languageStudents can use the website to enrich their learning skills teachers canuse it for their lessons and grandparents and parents can use it as a familyactivity to bond with their grandchildren and children

Evidently the campaign wants to reach out to every SingaporeanChinese Here the message is more on the personal level about thelearning experience of the individual groups concerned includingstudents teachers parents and grandparentsWithoutmentioningany of the great values ascribed to the Chinese language or the

Planning for Development or Decline 19

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

glorious benefits of mastering it Ms Lim highlights what TheChinese Challenge can do thus making the Campaign a morepersonal event This naturally ties in with one of MOErsquos mothertongue curriculum objectives that is to increase pupilsrsquo interestsand motivate them to learn the language (MOE 2010)

To further increase the positive image of Chinese and portraythe language as an international language (Chua 2010) the PMChasalsoproduceda seriesof advertisingfilms showcasingchildrenofdifferentnationalities fromallover theworld speakingChinese (seeastill image from one such advertisement at httpsbrcomsgsitesdefaultfilesnewsSpeak2OMandarin2OCampaignjpg)

In this short advertisement a little Caucasian girl is reciting apopular nursery rhyme ldquo小白兔白又白rdquo (Little white rabbit so verywhite) The rhyme gains its popularity from the cute image of alittle white rabbit in words and rhymes The Chinese wording iscolorful concise and evocative therefore it is easy for children toremember it and chant it aloud with prosody Other advertise-ments in this series show similar images with foreign childrenretelling fables or introducing themselves in Chinese (for detailsgo to wwwmandarinorgsg)

While the campaign aims at promoting Chinese as a globallanguage by demonstrating that even Westerners are learningChinese the actual status of Chinese as a second languageconceptualized by the government has made MOE considerfurther review of the Chinese curriculum this time onexamination alternatives On April 21 2010 The Straits Timespublished the article ldquoMother tongue weighting in PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) could be cutrdquo The articlequotes Dr Ng Eng Hen (2010) the Education Minister assaying

ldquoHigh weighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could bereducedrdquo He [Ng] added that his ministry is ldquostudyingrdquo whether ldquoit is educationallysound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much atthe Primary 6 levelrdquoldquoThe worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducation pathway even if he did well in other subjectsrdquo said Dr Ng in aninterview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao

X L Curdt-Christiansen20

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

This discourse of cutting down the weighting is situated in ahistorical development of mother tongue language policy Until1985 English and mother tongue had a double weighting in thePSLE Up to 2004 students were required to include their mothertongue grade in their overall score for university admissionCurrently mother tongue has a weighting of 25 similar to thatof English mathematics and science However the mothertongue grade is not required for junior college and universityadmission any more The only examination where the mothertongue grade really matters is the PSLE

In this news report Dr Ngrsquos voice is undoubtedlyauthoritative and firm through configuration of grammaticalfeatures A passive voice with a complex noun phrase ldquohighweighting given to mother tongue languages in the PrimarySchool Leaving Examination (PSLE)rdquo as the subject situatesclearly the topic in the specific context of mother tongue reformsThe temporal adverb ldquonowrdquo in the first quote adds urgency to thecurrent situation of mother tongue education In the next quotealthough with a general informal tone ldquocount for so muchrdquo thelexical choices of ldquostudyingrdquo and ldquoeducationally soundrdquo give thetask a serious and scientific undertone The last quote starts withldquothe worryrdquo as the subject leaving the viewers or listeners withoutany opportunity to negotiate the meaning further as to whocaused the worry Two subordinate clauses are included in thelong sentence ldquoIt could exclude someone from progressing in hiseducational pathwayrdquo is the main subordinate clause where thesubject ldquoitrdquo has a direct object ldquosomeone with rdquo affected by theverb ldquoexcluderdquo So the ldquoweightingrdquo has a serious consequence fora student in his educational pathway The second subordinateclause ldquoeven if he did well in the other subjectsrdquo is furthersubordinated to the previous clause as background informationsupporting the claim that weighting in PSLE is harmful

This news report has raised concerns among manySingaporeans who have reacted with letters-to-the-editor andcontributed to newspaper forums in Lianhe Zaobao May 1 2010

Reducing the weighting of mother tonguemay lower the quality of mothertongue education How can we establish long-term ties with China whenwe are unable to discuss issues in depth Will Singaporeans still be able tosay they have a bilingual edge in 10 to 20 years (Zhou 2010 p 18)

Planning for Development or Decline 21

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

These concerns have urged the government to reconsider thedecision In a subsequent MOE press release Dr Ng Eng Hen(2010) clarified

Inmy interview (April 21) I said MOE was looking at options to address theover-emphasis on exams where ldquoMTL counts for so much in the PSLErdquoSingaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce theweighting of MTL in PSLE The MTL Review Committee has not proposedany change to PSLE scoring system But I shouldhave chosenmywordsmorecarefully and apologize for creating the wrong impression (Ng 2010)

After apologizing for his un-careful selection of words he explainsthat the MTL Review Committee is exploring alternative examin-ationmodels pegged to different levels of language proficiency Hecontinues that the alternativemodels will ldquohave to take into accountthe changing language environment and the wider spread oflanguage backgrounds and abilities among future cohorts ofstudentsrdquo Although careful in his choice of words this time there isan implied message and presumption that the future cohorts ofstudents will be even weaker in their mother tongues Thus furtherreviews of the weighting of mother tongue may be inevitable

Conclusion

In this article I have explored the recent historical development ofChinese language policy in Singapore Specifically I have analyzedpolitical speeches newspaper articles and advertisement withregard to the relationship between the image planningmdashtheSpeak Mandarin Campaign and the prestige planningmdashrecentChinese curriculum reforms (2004ndash10)

Singaporersquos linguistic landscape features four officiallanguages However not all four languages are equally recognizeddespite the official bilingual policy which theoretically grants equalpolitical status to mother tongue languages and English Althoughtheofficial bilingualpolicy requiresSingaporeans tobebilingual andbicultural the government has established English as the languageof instruction in all schools across all subjects This prestige planningapproach has not only guaranteed English a high economic valuebut alsoafforded itpolitical andsocial valueThedistinctionbetweenEnglish and Chinese linguistic capital has shaped Singaporeansrsquo

X L Curdt-Christiansen22

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

attitudes (Zhao amp Liu 2008 2010) thus enabling English topenetrate even the social sphere of family domains (Lim 2009)

Theanalysis of themediadiscourse indicates clear conflicts andtensions underlying Singaporersquos language policies While thegovernment tries to maintain a realistic level of proficiency ofChinese language among Singaporeans andpromotes the languageby emphasizing its cultural and economic values it treats Chinese asa subject in educational institutions Instead of increasing thequantity and quality of language input in Chinese the MOE hassimplified the Chinese language curriculum by introducing a Bsyllabus and implementing the Modular Approach Instead of re-examining the philosophy and ideology of the bilingual policy andevaluate thecurrent linguistic situation the government reproachesChinese pedagogy and rebukes parents for not using Chinese athome The question remains that if all school subjects are taught inEnglish and financial benefits are awarded to those who masterEnglish what can be expected of parents After all parents do notwant their children to fall behind in their academic performanceand be unemployed or have low-income careers

Reforms are necessary especially when linguistic ecology hasevolved but what are the ramifications of lowering the quality of theChinese curriculum First childrenrsquos interest in learning Chinesewill not be stimulated On the contrary the urge and inspiration tomaintain ahigher level of proficiencywill witherdespite the vigorouspromotion of the Speak Mandarin Campaign Second the status ofMandarin will not be raised rather the image of the Chineselanguage will be further tarnished when themajority of children arenot required to have full command of the language Mostimportantly conflicting ideologies behind language policieswill lead to cultural confusion and educational uncertainty Themixed messages make it difficult for schools to offer a consistentlanguage education curriculum that will help students appreciatethe value be it economic cultural or educational of the Chineselanguage

References

Ager D E (2005) Prestige and image planning In E Hinkel (Ed) Handbook ofresearch in second language teaching and learning (pp 1035ndash1054) Mahwah NJErlbaum

Planning for Development or Decline 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

Baldauf R B Jr (2005) Language planning and policy research an overview InE Hinkel (Ed) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning(pp 957ndash970) Mahwah NJ Erlbaum

Blommaert J (2006) Language policy and national identity In T Ricento(Ed) An introduction to language policy Theory and method (pp 238ndash254)Malden MA Blackwell

Blommaert J amp Bulcaen C (2000) Critical discourse analysis Annual Review ofAnthropology 29 447ndash466

Chua C S K (2010) Singaporersquos language policy and its globalizedconcept of bi(tri)lingualism Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4)413ndash429

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2009) Visible and invisible language planningIdeological factor in the family language policy of Chinese immigrantfamilies in Quebec Language Policy 8(4) 351ndash375

Curdt-Christiansen X L (2013) Family language policy Realities andcontinuities Language Policy 13(1) 1ndash7

Fairclough N (2001) Language and power Harlow England LongmanFairclough N (2010) Critical discourse analysis The critical study of language

Harlow England LongmanGee J (2005) An introduction to discourse analysis Theory and method New York

NY RoutledgeGoh C T (2004 December 18) Groom our young to be bicultural The Straits

Times A2Gramsci A (1971) Selections from the prison notebooks London England

Lawrence amp WishartHaarmann H (1990) Language planning in the light of a general theory of

language A methodological framework International Journal of the Sociology ofLanguage 86 103ndash126

Halliday M A K (1994) An introduction to functional grammar London EnglandEdward Arnold

Kaplan R B amp Baldauf R B Jr (2003) Language and language-in-educationplanning in the Pacific Basin Dordrecht The Netherlands Kluwer

Lee Hsien Loong (2005 November 15) Speech at launch of the 26th SpeakMandarin Campaign Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgcategoryover-the-years-1984-2005official-speeches-1984-2005

Lee Hsien Loong (2009 December 3) Teaching of Chinese needs to cater torange of abilities Interview Channel NewsAsia

Lee Kuan Yew (1980 November 17) PM to dialect speakers Sacrifice for yourchildren The Straits Times p1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedArticlestraitstimes19801117-1210aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2004 June 24) Go beyondMandarin to connect with China TheStraits Times p 1 Retrieved from httpnewspapersnlsgDigitisedIssuestraitstimes20040624aspx

Lee Kuan Yew (2009 November 17) Insistence on bilingualism in early years ofeducation policy was wrong Speech at the official opening of the SingaporeCentre for Chinese Language Channel NewAsia

X L Curdt-Christiansen24

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

Li W Saravanan V amp Ng J (1997) Language shift in the Teochew communityin Singapore A family domain analysis Journal of Multilingual andMulticultural Development 18(5) 364ndash384

Lim L (2009) Beyond fear and loathing in SG The real mother tongues andlanguage policies in multilingual Singapore AILA Review 22 52ndash71

Lim Sau Hoogn (2010 July 6) Speech at the 31st anniversary of the SpeakMandarin Campaign Promote Mandarin Council

Martinez D F (2007) From theory to method A methodologicalapproach within critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Studies 4(2)125ndash140

Ministry of Education (MOE) (2004) Report of the Chinese language curriculumand pedagogy review committee Singapore Author

Ministry of Education (2005) Contact ndash differentiated objectives in new modularChinese curriculum Retrieved from httpwww3moeedusgcorporatecontactonline2005Issue16big_picbigpichtm

Ministry of Education (2006) 2007 syllabus Chinese language primary SingaporeCurriculum Planning amp Development Division Author

Ministry of Education (2010) Strengthening language skills to prepare our studentswell for the future Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediapress200909improving-language-and-communiphp

Ministry of Education (2012) Education in Singapore Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgaboutfilesmoe-corporate-brochurepdf

Ng Eng Hen (2010 May 11) Teaching mother tongue language [Press release]Retrieved from httpwwwmoegovsgmediaspeeches20100511teaching-mother-tongue-languagephp

Oon C (2010 January 17) English home Chinese class The Straits Times p B4Retrieved from httpwwwasiaonecomNewsEducationStoryA1Story20100111-191137html

PromoteMandarin Council (PMC) (2008) Sports enthusiasts to be game for Mandarintoo Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2009) Take challenge to experience Chinese languageand culture Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Promote Mandarin Council (2010) The Chinese challengendashan online contest topromote Chinese as a living language Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgindexphpoptionfrac14com_content

Silver R E (2005) The discourse of linguistic capital Language and economicpolicy planning in Singapore Language Policy 4(1) 47ndash66

Stroud C amp Wee L (2010) Language policy and planning in Singaporean latemodernity In L Lim A Pakir amp L Wee (Eds) Asian Englishes today English inSingaporemdashmodernity and management (pp 181ndash204) Hong Kong Hong KongUniversity Press

Tan K (2006) ldquo华语 Coolrdquo official Launch of SMC Retrieved from httpwwwmandarinorgsgimagesstoriesdownloadsInterview_KennethTan_May06pdf

Planning for Development or Decline 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

Taylor I amp Taylor M M (1995) Writing and literacy in Chinese Korean andJapanese Philadelphia PA John Benjamins

Teo P (2005) Mandarinising Singapore A critical analysis of slogans inSingaporersquos ldquoSpeak Mandarinrdquo campaign Critical Discourse Studies 2(2)121ndash142

Van Djik T A (2000) New(s) racism A discourse analytical approach InS Cottle (Ed) Ethnic minorities and the media (pp 33ndash49) Milton KeynesEngland Open University Press

Van Djik T A (2005) Contextual knowledge management in discourseproduction A CDA perspective In R Wodak amp P Chilton (Eds) A newagenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp 71ndash100) Philadelphia PA JohnBenjamins

Wodak R amp Meyer M (2009) Critical discourse analysis History agendatheory and methodology In R Wodak amp M Meyer (Eds) Methods of criticaldiscourse analysis (pp 1ndash34) Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Woolard K A (1998) Introduction Language ideology as a field of inquiryIn B B Schieffelin K A Woolard amp P V Kroskrity (Eds) Language ideologiesPractice and theory (pp 3ndash47) New York NY Oxford University Press

Xu D M Chew C H amp Chen S C (2003) Language use and languageattitudes in Singaporersquos Chinese community In S Gopinathan A PakerW K Ho amp V Saravanan (Eds) Language society and education in SingaporeIssues and trends (pp 133ndash154) Singapore Marshall Cavendish International

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2008) Home language shift and its implications for languageplanning in Singapore From the perspective of prestige planning The AsiaPacific-Education Researcher 16(2) 111ndash126

Zhao S amp Liu Y (2010) Chinese education in Singapore Constraints ofbilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planningLanguage Problems and Language Planning 34(3) 236ndash258

Zhou Zhao Cheng (2010 May 1) 小学会考母语重量 [PSLE Mother TongueWeightage] Lianhe Zaobao p 18

X L Curdt-Christiansen26

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Xia

o L

an C

urdt

-Chr

istia

nsen

] at

02

32 0

8 M

arch

201

4

  • Abstract
  • Language Ideologies and Language Planning
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Situating the Context Language Ideologies Bilingual Policy and the Speak Mandarin Campaign
  • Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese Language Curriculum Reforms
    • 2004-06 ampx534Eampx8BED COOL and Chinese ``B
    • 2007-09 SMC and Chinese Syllabus 2007
    • 2009-10 ampx534Eampx6587ampx8C01ampx6015ampx8C01 - The Chinese Challenge and Examination Alternative
      • Conclusion

Recommended