We are investigating the impact of the Speak Mandarin Campaign (henceforth; SMC) on dialects in Singapore as a whole. Using two case studies to illustrate its impact on the individual level, we will try to show that events on the individual level may not be reflective of those on the group and societal levels.

The two case examples we have chosen to discuss are that of Hokkien and Teochew; firstly, because they are the two biggest dialects of the Chinese population in Singapore. These two dialects experienced the greatest decline in relative number of speakers in the domain of the home. Between 1990 and 2000, Hokkien dropped by 19.5%; Teochew followed suit with 17.1%.

Secondly, we belong to these two dialect groups, and our personal examples illustrate that, contrary to the results of Census 2000, the effects of the SMC have not been pervasive throughout all levels of society.  

The above two points are also reflected in the majority of the responses in our mini-survey.

Although the effect of the SMC has resulted in Mandarin displacing dialects in general, it is not the only reason. English is also partly accountable for this. However, this will not be examined here. 

It is the effects of the SMC on the dialects of Teochew and Hokkien that we are discussing. In the rest of our website, we will devote a fair amount of discussion to the societal imposition of the SMC on the macro scale, as well as anomalous voices at the individual and group levels on the micro scale.