Happy Birthday

“My fellow Linguafoureans …”

Having 4 national languages is rare; for each to come from a different language family is unique. Linguafour is a space for us to celebrate that treasure. This inaugural edition of our monthly newsletter is brought to you on Singapore’s 59th birthday as an expression of our commitment to being “together, united as one people.”

Singapore

Did you know that when we refer to the “Lion City” in Chinese, we are actually drawing “together as one” the diversity of people that are represented by the 4 national languages? That is because the Chinese “新加坡” (xīn jiā pō) is a sinicisation of the English “Singapore,” which is an anglicisation of the Malay “Singapura，” which - like the Tamil “சிங்கப்பூர்” (Ciṅkappūr) - was derived from the Sanskrit “सिंह” (siṃha, which means "lion") and पुर (pūra, which means "fortress" or "city").

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Fifty-Nine

Our Tamil and Chinese calendars mark cycles of 60 years, which means that as Singapore turns 59 it steps onto the threshold of a new era. A huge amount has been achieved in the first 60 years of nation building. The question now is: what will be the mark of the next 60 years?

In the Tamil calendar, the 59th year is named அக்ஷய (Akshaya), which means "imperishable" or "not decaying" and is consequently considered a good time to start something new.

In the Chinese calendar, the name of the 59th year combines 阳 (yáng, active) “water” and “dog,”* which might prompt us to be both proactively (yang) flexible (water) in our approach and protective (dog) of what we have been entrusted with.

The world has changed dramatically since 1965 and continues to change in unprecedented ways. This means we must simultaneously cherish, safeguard and nurture what we have whilst continually adjusting, adapting and innovating.

* The procession of 60 unique pairs which are used to mark the years in the Chinese calendar are produced by combining the cycles of the ten 天干 (tiān gān, “heavenly stems”) and the twelve 地支 (dì zhī, “earthly branches”). The ten stems are in turn derived from the alternating 阴 (yīn, passive or receptive) and 阳 (yáng, active or expansive) forms of each of the five elements wood, fire, earth, metal, water. The twelve branches map to the twelve animals of the zodiac.

Happy Birthday

When we wish each other “Happy Birthday” today, each language can help to draw our attention to different things and expand our imaginations as we celebrate the diversity in our unity.

Selamat Hari Jadi

• Hari is more than just a 24 hour period: it is a day of “celebration.”

• Jadi is not just about “birth:” it’s also about “being” (where we have come from) and “becoming” (where we are choosing to go).

• Selamat is not just about feeling “happy” (a word too reliant on what “happens”) but about “peace” and “security” (what holds through the ups and the downs). It is derived from the same Semitic root behind Arabic “Salam” and Hebrew “Shalom” with their connotations of wholeness.

生日快乐

• 日 (rì) is a symbol for the sun used for “day”, which reminds us of the cyclical nature of time.

• 生 (shēng) represents not just “birth” but “production,” encouraging us to remain proactive.

• 快乐 (kuài lè) is a deeper, more enduring joy than just happiness. It is comprised of 快 (kuài) meaning “quick,” for there’s an energy and vibrancy about joy, and 乐 (lè) which (with a different pronunciation) also represents “music,” that can unite us in our joy.

பிறந்த நாள் வாழ்த்துக்கள்

• பிறந்த (piṟanta) “birth” reminds us of our origins.

• நாள் (nāḷ) “day” can, in some contexts refer to a period or an era, just as Singapore is about to move from one into the next.

• வாழ்த்துக்கள் (vāḻttukkaḷ) “congratulations” or “greetings” only make sense when you give them away to others.

Drawing on all four of Singapore’s national languages, “Happy Birthday” turns from just taking a holiday for ourselves into greeting our neighbour with a heartfelt: “I wish you joy and peace! Let’s celebrate where we’ve come from and where we’ve got to. We’re on the threshold of something new. What are we going to produce next with what we have collectively. Where do we want to go together and what do we want to become in this next stage of our journey?”

Change the lens

Saying the same thing in different languages helps us to see things we might otherwise not notice; expand our cognitive horizons to stimulate our imagination and creativity; and appreciate each other more.

We face many challenges in today's interdependent globalised world (and especially in the ASEAN region) which require us to look at what is in front of us from multiple different perspectives. Different languages give us different lenses through which to view the same situation. (Read more >)

Looking at what is in front of us through the lenses of different languages enables us to see things from different perspectives, giving us a fuller picture and helping us to spot things we would otherwise have missed. That in turn helps us to work together to solve problems, build solutions and move forward. (Read more >)

The AI tools we have today can now help us not just to translate but also to find out what has been lost in translation. (Read more >) Better still, we can ask our neighbours. Here are three examples of what we might find:

• Blue Pea: the multiple faces of South East Asia’s popular flower.

• Life Jacket: an airline safety notice shows us different ways of thinking.

• Jalan: the word on the street.

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Treasure

Having four national languages from four different language families is a unique treasure that belongs to all Singaporeans. Our heritage now is less about looking back to where we came from separately and more about looking forward to where we are going together.  In that sense, Mandarin is as much a part of the Indian and Malay Singaporean’s heritage as it is of the Chinese.  Likewise for Malay, Tamil and English. (Read more >)

The national languages are a treasure to be cherished, safeguarded and nurtured by all Singaporeans because they can enable us continually to adjust, adapt and innovate.

If you like what the Linguafour community is trying to do, please encourage others to subscribe and/or follow. And please do send stories of your own experiences in to [email protected].

Enjoy the day and see you next month!

PS. If you’re curious, come and find out about Linguafour’s name and logo.

_{Linguafour is a community based in Singapore. We use a platform from Beehiiv, which is a company registered in New York at the address below.}

_{Background photo by tawatchai07 on Freepik}