Interview with LianHe ZaoBao

This article uses Jyut-ping to transcribe Cantonese!

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Editor note

When first published, Yukna’s chinese name was 威玉鉤 ( 威玉钩 ). This is seen in the article where the name’s meaning is explained. Yukna has changed his chinese name, and the article has since been updated to reflect this change.

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你哋好啊 ! 我叫威玉弘

( 你们好吧 ! 我叫威玉弘 )

I’m thrilled to share my recent interview with Singapore’s Chinese-medium Lianhe Zaobao newspaper! The interview focused on students and the various Chinese dialects beyond Mandarin.

A few weeks ago, I was approached by Lianhe Zaobao journalist Koh Hsiangyu to discuss my experience learning Cantonese, one of Singapore’s Chinese dialects. This followed my semester-long “Spoken Cantonese” course under the NUS Design-Your-Own-Course scheme. As a Singaporean of Indian descent with Tamil as my mother tongue, my journey learning Cantonese has been unique and rewarding.

I’m amazed that I can understand snippets and phrases, and Cantonese songs have become more meaningful to me. My karaoke repertoire has expanded, with current favorites being 海闊天空 and 夕陽之歌 (sorry 陈慧娴 , I love most of your songs, just 千千闋歌 got strong competition). I’ve also started watching TVB dramas like 衝上雲霄 1 and 2.

I’ve adopted a Chinese name: 威玉鉤 - Wai Yuhk Ngau, which phonetically matches my name (Yuknavell) and symbolizes my learning journey. The name 玉鉤 (young crescent moon) reflects my continuous growth in this new experience.

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Editor Note:

Yukna has eventually chosen to adopt the name 威玉弘 (Wai Yuhk Wahng / Wei Yu Hong) as a better reflection of who he feel he is, as well as in favour for a more familiar sounding Chinese name.

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In Singapore’s fast-paced and competitive environment, especially in education, learning dialects can often be overlooked due to cost, time, and perceived usefulness. However, workshops and non-graded courses in Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) provide a valuable opportunity for students to learn dialects without the pressures of grades, fostering a community spirit and cultural immersion.

I envision IHLs running workshops to rekindle community spirit among Singaporeans, bridging gaps between generations and communities. I hope NUS will officially recognize courses like Spoken Cantonese (and Spoken Hokkien), providing the resources and recognition they deserve. Currently, many students are unaware of these courses as they are only spread by word of mouth.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue improving my Cantonese. My older colleagues at my part-time job are impressed but remind me that practice is key; my 六 still sounds like 落 .

I hope to see more of my peers embrace the multitude of cultures we have in Singapore, reigniting the passion for Chinese dialects beyond Mandarin.

Thank you to my 老師 , Jyh Wee Sew, for making this possible! Embedded in the article is an selfie of us!