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“My fellow Linguafoureans …”
Happy New Year! 2025 has just begun and Chinese New Year is around the corner. In April, we will have the Tamil New Year to celebrate, the Islamic New Year in June, and then Singapore starting not just a new year but a new era as it turns 60 in August.
Singapore is unique in having four official languages, each from a different language family. Linguafour is a space to celebrate how this linguistic treasure can strengthen and unite its people.
In this sixth edition of our monthly newsletter, we reflect on new beginnings and consider:
Winter
In Singapore we do not experience “winter” like other parts of the world that are further from the equator, but we are reminded of it nonetheless by snowy Christmas decorations.
In the Northern Hemisphere (of which we are a part - just!), the Winter Solstice on 21 December marked the shortest (and therefore darkest) day of the year. Winter is a season when so much of the life we are used to seems to have passed away: fruits, flowers and leaves have fallen from the trees leaving only skeletons behind; animals have gone into hibernation; vibrant colours have faded to grey and the ground has either become a non-descript mulchy brown or been whited out. The English word “winter” is thought to have come from ancient words for “wet” and/or “white.”
In the midst of such darkness, people have always held festivals of hope. In Scandinavia, for example, families would decorate their homes, light candles, sing and dance, and feast together around warming fires through the twelve days of Yuletide following the winter solstice. Many of these traditions have long since been incorporated into Christmas celebrations. Winter reminds us that for new life to appear we must first allow the old to pass away. This is mirrored in the Malay tradition of the new day beginning not at sunrise but at sunset - with darkness and rest.
The Chinese for “winter” is 冬 (dōng), a character which shows a “changing” (夂) of water into “ice” (冫). What once flowed freely has now frozen still. In the traditional Chinese calendar, the “setting in” of “winter” (立冬, lì dōng) is followed first by “small” and then by “large” “snow” fall (小雪, xiǎo xuě then 大雪, dà xuě) till the depths of “winter” “arrive” with the solstice (冬至, dōng zhì). The “small” and “large” “cold” (小寒, xiǎo hán and 大寒, dà hán - note the 冫(ice) again) must yet be gone through before the “setting in” of “spring” (立春, lì chūn) and the new year can begin with plum blossom bravely bursting through the winter chill out of what look like dead sticks.
The Tamil heartlands are more temperate, so in Tamil the solstice is not associated with winter but is called உத்திராயணம் (Uttarayanam): the “journey” (ஆயணம், ayanam) “northward” (உத்தர, uttara), referring to the continual upward movement of the sun over the following six months. The start of this period of renewal and growth is celebrated with the பொங்கல் (pongal) festival, which begins with cleaning and clearing out the old that is wonderfully called போகி (bhogi, meaning “enjoyment”, “pleasure” or “delight”).
Division
In Chinese, words for “division” include the character 分 (fēn), which features a “knife” (刀) separating two things from each other (八). The Malay “pembahagian” comes from the idea of an “act” (pem-) of dividing something into “shares” or “portions” (Sanskrit "bhaga", from which “bahagian” is derived). The Tamil பிரிவு (pirivu) similarly comes from பிரி (piri), a root meaning to “split” or “separate.” By contrast, the English “division” surprisingly shares a common root with “vision”: the Latin “videre” meaning “to see.”
Human sight begins with separation - with us learning to distinguish certain things from the various other things around them. The more things we are able to distinguish, the fuller our understanding. We go on to observe how those separate elements interact with each other, and then to imagine how they might interact even with elements that are not yet present. In this way our “vision” develops from picking out individual elements, to taking in a fuller scene, to picturing what could transpire. This progression from separation to integration need not only be a part of our development from infancy to adulthood; it can give us a model to follow in any new situation we find ourselves in.
Diversity
Our nation, our workplaces, and communities are wonderfully diverse and - like the wider world around us - are becoming increasingly so. The Tamil பன்மை (paṉmai) comes from பன் (paṉ) meaning "many” or “varied.” The Chinese 多样性 (duō yàng xìng) and the Malay “kepelbagaian” both similarly refer to something comprised of a multiplicity of types or kinds. By contrast, the English term is derived from the idea of turning away (diverting) from a particular path.
In organisations seeking to tackle prejudice, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” policies rightly insist that everyone be recognised, included and provided with what they need. And yet there is a danger that, unless we go beyond protection of the various individuals to a full integration of them, we will end up with people who feel lonely, prickly and defensive instead of a community that is flourishing together. For that, we need a vision of something better that we can all work towards, based not just on preserving our differences but on us each making our unique contribution to the whole. We need to see our distinctives not so much as things that separate us from others but rather as things we have been entrusted with to share with others.
What old ways of looking at things might we need to let go of to allow for us to blossom? Where do we need move from separation to integration in order for us to grow stronger? Where do we need to invite others to contribute from their differences for us flourish?
With very best wishes for 2025 and the Year of the Snake!
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Previous editions
Happy Birthday: official launch on Singapore's 59th birthday
Majulah Singapura: let our voices soar as one
Identity: unity in diversity not uniformity
Together: we need each other’s eyes
Peace: joy to the world and peace on earth
Other posts
Heritage: Singapore’s unique linguistic heritage
About: what Linguafour is and how to get involved
Name: where Linguafour’s name and logo came from
Why: why should we change the lens?
How: how do we change the lens?
What: what can we do to change the lens?
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
Leadership is language: changing language is the key to success
Perspectives: I need your eyes to see
Video
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