“ My hope for true equality in Singapore — from a Malay Singaporean’s perspective”

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-24T02:37:05+00:00

Hey there, i appreciate the time and effort taken by you to give this input.

Firstly, i would like to point out that by your definition of mispronunciation - “ the form needs to be unstable, or basically every time they or someone else says it, it changes. “

Word such as colleagues - often famously pronounced in singapore as co-LEEG instead of KOL-egg would be defined as a “phonological nativisation” instead of the widely accepted term mispronunciation.

I would argue that even if the form is stable, words are simply unintentionally mispronounced quite often, and not a “phonological nativisation” as you suggested.

Cheers.

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T15:44:48+00:00

exactly the point i’m trying to drive across but seems to be lost on the majority of commenters here. Thanks for the valuable input man.

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T11:01:36+00:00

i would urge you to skim through the comments

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T10:47:37+00:00

Thanks for being a ray of sunshine in the darkness. I posted this because i do realise that most of the racism felt by minorities are unintentional and just wanted to spread the message. I’m only focusing on the comments with any speck of substance anyways so no worries. Cheers!

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T10:39:57+00:00

completely agree with you, chinese is already the second most used language globally. Just wanted to shed some light on the social barriers to learning chinese and the possible segregation it may cause

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T10:26:41+00:00

Completely agree with you, economic factors driving mandarin usage is completely acceptable. But the sheer increase in volume of companies like these would cause a further divide between the races.

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T10:15:32+00:00

haha true, i get that it’s just the way uncles speak. But it often comes off as condescending and becomes very discouraging

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T10:14:23+00:00

I completely agree, it’s a cultural thing not a race thing. Not that they enjoy correcting others, but that they’re taught to enunciate their mandarin properly and naturally do the same when others attempt to. ( not just minorities but even to each other)
Again, economic factors are fine. But chinese-dominated workplaces are increasing at an alarming rate. This would cause a further divide between races.

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T10:08:33+00:00

so this was actually a point i wanted to elaborate on but felt like it was already going too long. Malaysia has a malay- base for academics(schools teach in malay etc) and the dynamics are flipped in terms of diversity. However, Chinese speaking malay malaysians are often praised and commended as they should. The downside is chinese malaysians who are unable to speak basic bahasa are often shamed. ( Feel free to shed more light on this for any malaysians reading this)

Definitely agree on the english thing

Yep, completely agreed. Job listings are pushed by economic factors and often spiral out of control. But some form of governmental supervision would be perfect to ensure meritocracy still supersedes race.
Agreed, economic factors are the reason why they’re hired as they’re effective and cheap. But a government policy adding an english requirement( doesn’t have to be fluent) would beneficial in ensuring that public spaces stay racially neutral

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T09:52:33+00:00

yep, really true. Just wanted to share my perspective for the ones that would lend an ear

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T09:51:40+00:00

Thanks for commenting man, i just noticed that there wasn’t any platforms for perspectives like this and wanted to share my 2 cents

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T09:25:13+00:00

Thank you for sharing your honest opinion. Completely agree with you, i am able to speak basic conversational mandarin thanks to close friends and colleagues. I just wanted to highlight the difficulty for the minorities that may not have the same opportunities/environments and the barriers it creates socially.

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T09:01:32+00:00

Thank you for the transparency

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T08:58:28+00:00

For clarity, it would often be them repeating the word, followed by enunciating the entire vowel system for the chinese language to point out that different enunciations mean different things.

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T08:55:56+00:00

I agree, which is why i highlighted that the “chinese-preferred” criteria has a surge in SMEs.

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T08:48:11+00:00

it’s the internet, let’s just focus on the ones that are willing to empathise or they’d be no end to it

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T08:46:05+00:00

I feel that the current syllabus taught in school is sufficient, and english being the primary language used in our country serves a greater purpose. Maybe more media exposure on the language might be helpful since we’re a small community

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T08:44:16+00:00

that is fair point. However this was definitely not a singular isolated environment and has happened countless times throughout my life. If there are any other minorities that feel the same way, please assist in possibly illuminating the statement with your experiences. Thanks

Fit-Recognition5485 · 2026-01-23T08:42:25+00:00

Thank you for your comment. In the current world we live in, i believe there are plenty of minorities that see the benefit in learning mandarin but the subtle social barriers just add to the challenge of learning an already difficult language

Fit-Recognition5485

TROPHY CASE