Beijing Mandarin’s rise from a language without any native speakers in Malaysia and many places in East Asia a century ago to one that is decimating our mother tongues is undeniably linked to the schools switching their medium of instruction away from southern Chinese. This can also be seen in the rise of English in Singapore after non-English schools ceased to exist on the island.

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The subject matter of this exhibition is ideology, not individuals. Historical figures mentioned in the exhibition are merely examples to demonstrate a point.

 

This exhibition is intended to help educators, policymakers and the general public to reflect on their own attitudes and presumptions. The content also sets out to challenge the mainstream narrative that puts the blame on parents for not speaking their mother tongue to their children, and also to challenge the idea that language extinction is just a matter of course.

 

It is largely ignored that education, particularly the language of instruction in schools, has an immense influence on the linguistic behaviour of the younger generations in society. Parents who switch their family language are simply bowing to the pressure of the education system in order to prepare their children for school. The education system is therefore the prime mover in the large-scale linguistic change of our society. If parents are to be blamed for not passing on their mother tongue at home, then policymakers and educators are accountable for creating the very conditions which give them no choice.

The reader will find this exhibition full of facts, statistics, and historical events. It is only when we learn this history that we are able to understand where our ideas and beliefs come from. And only then will we be equipped to take action to undo the system that is currently decimating our languages and cultures.