Eddie Kuo
Emeritus Professor, NTU; Honorary Advisor, Centre for Chinese Studies, SUSSArticles by Eddie Kuo
Society
Is there a future for Chinese dialects in Singapore?
Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew initiated the Speak Mandarin Campaign in 1979 in an effort to bring Singapore’s ethnic Chinese community together through a common language, rather than speaking various dialects. However, there has been a resurgence of interest in dialects, and calls to relax restrictions on using dialects in public broadcasts. Eddie Kuo, Emeritus Professor at NTU, examines whether dialects still have a place in Singapore.
Eddie Kuo
05 Sep 2024
Society
Chinese language: The 'one language, two systems' road ahead
Given its pluralistic nature, the Chinese language has taken many shapes over the course of history, with its written form and the associated dialects dictated by time and place. Meanwhile, the rise of China and its growing national power have led to the emergence of Chinese as an international language that transcends national borders. Eddie Kuo, Emeritus Professor at NTU, delves into the evolution of the language in the different Chinese-speaking regions.
Eddie Kuo
08 Sep 2023
Society
Prof Eddie Kuo: Singapore's ethnic Chinese have never been a unified collective
In the 200 years of Singapore's history from 1819, the ethnic Chinese in Singapore have lived with diversity, both among themselves and within the larger Singapore community. Eddie Kuo, Emeritus Professor at NTU, traces the evolution of the Chinese Singaporean identity. This is a concept that has seen many iterations, from "guests in a foreign land" to the "overseas Chinese", "ethnic Chinese" and "Chinese Singaporeans".
Eddie Kuo
13 Jun 2023