HOKKIEN, TEOCHEW ARE LANGUAGES, NOT DIALECTS
Linguistically, dialects are variants of a single language, of which when spoken by different dialect speakers, would still be mutually intelligible. British, American and Australian English can be considered dialects of English, because speakers of these dialects would sound different, but still can comprehend one another.
We certainly cannot say the same for Hokkien and Cantonese speakers. In fact, Hokkien and Cantonese belong to different language families. Labelling these languages “dialects” cements their status as a “non-language”.
Before Singapore gained independence, Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese were the three most commonly used languages of the Chinese population. Mandarin was made to become the common language for the Chinese due to the government’s language policies.
The Speak Mandarin Campaign, launched in 1979, also had an important role to play in speeding up their demise. The early phase of the Speak Mandarin Campaign focused on getting parents and grandparents to learn and use Mandarin in place of Chinese “dialects”.
Under the Free-To-Air Television and Radio Programme Codes, it is stated that all Chinese programmes, except operas or other programmes specifically approved, must be in Mandarin. Exceptions in dialogues and songs may be allowed provided the context justifies usage and is sparingly used. This further reduces the exposure Singaporeans have to “dialects”.
It was not until 2016 when the 10-episode Hokkien drama Jiak Ba Buay (Eat Already?) was reportedly the first “dialect” series to be aired in Singapore since 1979.