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李光耀回忆录：我一生的挑战—新加坡双语之路
★新加坡开国元老、“新加坡国父”李光耀最新亲笔自传
★简体中文版首次正式授权
★独家大量图片，完整呈现作者生平
★整本回忆录作者不自觉地透露出成功领导者迥异于失败领导者的特质：智慧、支配力、自信、知识及活动力。李光耀对新加坡在世界上所处地位的判断，他对变化着的世界的判断等等都充满了睿智。他的支配力可以从一些小事上就可窥出端倪。李先生的自信主要表现在，他推行经过深思熟虑的政策都是坚定不移的，不为众人左右。他的特质决定了他具有神召一样的影响力，有表现奇迹和预见未来的超凡能力。
★时势造英雄与英雄造时势 李光耀天生对时势具有极度的敏感，他在律师事务所当见习律师时能顺势而上，立刻组建人民行动党，提出符合人民实际意愿的行动纲领，经过曲折的过程取得政权。他作为天才的领导人，又能率领新加坡人民勇往直前，化危机为转机，从而创造了新加坡今日辉煌的成就，造就了骄人的“时势”：
1954—1959 反殖民统治；
1960—1961 人民行动党党内斗争与分裂；
1963—1965 新、马合并与分裂；
1965 独立建国；
1965—1971 经济蓬勃发展；
1980至今 领导权转移并继续发挥强势的影响力
★该回忆录充分展示了李光耀先生的治国理念：
1.精英主义 新加坡受限于土地和自然资源的匮乏，所能凭借的只有人力资源。李光耀认为政府必须由国家的精英来领导，治国者必须是最优秀的人才。书中可见，为他提出种种报告书、受命成立专门委员会的都是极其优秀的人物：吴庆瑞、杜进才、黄庆新、何品等等。
比如，李光耀和自己的精英团队几十年在教育领域精心打造的十几所特学小学、特选中学，也都是在为国家培养未来的精英团队。
2.贤能制度 李光耀回忆录用很多篇幅向读者详尽展示了他为了贯彻精英主义，如何将新加坡构建成一个任人唯贤的社会，如何在政府体系中建构独特的成就去向的业绩政治，如何通过会考制度、奖学金辅助、出国深造等方式让表现优异、学有专精的优秀分子得以在出国留学后，进入政府机关服务。
3.实用主义 回忆录处处彰显了李光耀在其领导行为中强烈的实用主义倾向。一切都要对新加坡的发展有用、有利。这一原则确保了新加坡在冷战期间能够避免东西方意识形态对立下产生的各种干扰，致力于本国工业化和现代化的建设。
4.亚洲价值 回忆录中，李光耀一直通过各种事例（例如长子李显龙的成长过程）强调，新加坡只学习西方先进的科技和管理，绝不学习他们的颓废之风。他一直致力于通过华文和华文化来保持自己人民的根和血脉，让全民保持坚忍不拔和积极进取的中华优秀美德。他极力提倡儒家思想和伦理，甚至从幼稚园和小学就开始进行儒家思想的教育。
★ 双语政策极大提升了新加坡的经济和国力。这不仅是教育兴国的成功范例，更是李光耀先生早在五六十年代就洞见了的凝聚社会人心的利器！
是双语教育对新加坡人民影响至深，帮助巨大。掌握英语，可以打开全球视野，没有语言障碍，顺利地与不同国家的朋友打交道、做生意；掌握母语，则能增强他们对文化与根的认同，特别是坚忍不拔、自强不息的品格与价值观，令人终身受益。这是李先生的洞见。
中国的崛起已经带动世界经济向亚洲转移，掌握华文华语无疑是一种优势。此书的出版，不仅让大家全面了解50年来政府制定双语政策的苦心，也更加佩服李光耀先生过人的智慧和前瞻性的眼光。他坚持不懈学习华文的精神，值得年轻一代效仿、追随。
★另外书中还用相当的篇幅显示了李光耀其他一些治国之道，例如建立廉洁、高效的政府，维护种族和谐，对外开放，全民教育等等
★简体中文版首次正式授权
★独家大量图片，完整呈现作者生平
★整本回忆录作者不自觉地透露出成功领导者迥异于失败领导者的特质：智慧、支配力、自信、知识及活动力。李光耀对新加坡在世界上所处地位的判断，他对变化着的世界的判断等等都充满了睿智。他的支配力可以从一些小事上就可窥出端倪。李先生的自信主要表现在，他推行经过深思熟虑的政策都是坚定不移的，不为众人左右。他的特质决定了他具有神召一样的影响力，有表现奇迹和预见未来的超凡能力。
★时势造英雄与英雄造时势 李光耀天生对时势具有极度的敏感，他在律师事务所当见习律师时能顺势而上，立刻组建人民行动党，提出符合人民实际意愿的行动纲领，经过曲折的过程取得政权。他作为天才的领导人，又能率领新加坡人民勇往直前，化危机为转机，从而创造了新加坡今日辉煌的成就，造就了骄人的“时势”：
1954—1959 反殖民统治；
1960—1961 人民行动党党内斗争与分裂；
1963—1965 新、马合并与分裂；
1965 独立建国；
1965—1971 经济蓬勃发展；
1980至今 领导权转移并继续发挥强势的影响力
★该回忆录充分展示了李光耀先生的治国理念：
1.精英主义 新加坡受限于土地和自然资源的匮乏，所能凭借的只有人力资源。李光耀认为政府必须由国家的精英来领导，治国者必须是最优秀的人才。书中可见，为他提出种种报告书、受命成立专门委员会的都是极其优秀的人物：吴庆瑞、杜进才、黄庆新、何品等等。
比如，李光耀和自己的精英团队几十年在教育领域精心打造的十几所特学小学、特选中学，也都是在为国家培养未来的精英团队。
2.贤能制度 李光耀回忆录用很多篇幅向读者详尽展示了他为了贯彻精英主义，如何将新加坡构建成一个任人唯贤的社会，如何在政府体系中建构独特的成就去向的业绩政治，如何通过会考制度、奖学金辅助、出国深造等方式让表现优异、学有专精的优秀分子得以在出国留学后，进入政府机关服务。
3.实用主义 回忆录处处彰显了李光耀在其领导行为中强烈的实用主义倾向。一切都要对新加坡的发展有用、有利。这一原则确保了新加坡在冷战期间能够避免东西方意识形态对立下产生的各种干扰，致力于本国工业化和现代化的建设。
4.亚洲价值 回忆录中，李光耀一直通过各种事例（例如长子李显龙的成长过程）强调，新加坡只学习西方先进的科技和管理，绝不学习他们的颓废之风。他一直致力于通过华文和华文化来保持自己人民的根和血脉，让全民保持坚忍不拔和积极进取的中华优秀美德。他极力提倡儒家思想和伦理，甚至从幼稚园和小学就开始进行儒家思想的教育。
★ 双语政策极大提升了新加坡的经济和国力。这不仅是教育兴国的成功范例，更是李光耀先生早在五六十年代就洞见了的凝聚社会人心的利器！
是双语教育对新加坡人民影响至深，帮助巨大。掌握英语，可以打开全球视野，没有语言障碍，顺利地与不同国家的朋友打交道、做生意；掌握母语，则能增强他们对文化与根的认同，特别是坚忍不拔、自强不息的品格与价值观，令人终身受益。这是李先生的洞见。
中国的崛起已经带动世界经济向亚洲转移，掌握华文华语无疑是一种优势。此书的出版，不仅让大家全面了解50年来政府制定双语政策的苦心，也更加佩服李光耀先生过人的智慧和前瞻性的眼光。他坚持不懈学习华文的精神，值得年轻一代效仿、追随。
★另外书中还用相当的篇幅显示了李光耀其他一些治国之道，例如建立廉洁、高效的政府，维护种族和谐，对外开放，全民教育等等
326 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
18 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
About the author
Lee Kuan Yew
38 books608 followersLee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore in 1923. He was educated at Raffles College, Singapore and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, England. He was called to the Bar, Middle Temple, London, in 1950 and practised law in Singapore. He became advisor to several trade unions.
In 1954, he was a founder of the People's Action Party and was Secretary General up to 1992.
Mr Lee became Singapore's Prime Minister in 1959, serving successive terms until he resigned in November 1990, when he was appointed Senior Minister by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. He was re-appointed again after the 1991, 1997 and 2001 general elections.
In August 2004, Mr Lee was appointed Minister Mentor by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and was reappointed again after the 2006 general elections. He stepped down as Minister Mentor in May 2011, and was appointed Senior Advisor to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.
In 1954, he was a founder of the People's Action Party and was Secretary General up to 1992.
Mr Lee became Singapore's Prime Minister in 1959, serving successive terms until he resigned in November 1990, when he was appointed Senior Minister by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. He was re-appointed again after the 1991, 1997 and 2001 general elections.
In August 2004, Mr Lee was appointed Minister Mentor by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and was reappointed again after the 2006 general elections. He stepped down as Minister Mentor in May 2011, and was appointed Senior Advisor to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 18, 2018
Good job, Harry! You've successfully created a bilingual nation. You hated being called Harry because you were the only kid in your school with an English name, so you re-registered as Kuan Yew.
You were English-educated, and saw how English-educated Chinese-Singaporeans had better job prospects than Chinese-educated Chinese-Singaporeans, so you made English Singapore's primary language. However, the English-educated had no confidence in themselves and were too psychologically crippled to challenge British supremacy. I love your line: No matter how well you speak English, you're not an Englishman. So you learned the importance of staying connected to your roots, and consequently required Singaporeans to learn their "mother tongue." Great!
You efforts to calm racial tensions in Singapore were successful by making Malay and Tamil official languages too, in spite of your racist policy of promoting immigration from Hong Kong to keep the Chinese majority at 75% throughout the years. Try that in the United States. You've always admired Hong Kongers for their ruggedness. And now that you've run out of Hong Kong people, you're importing migrants from China to maintain a "high level of Mandarin" and a "Chinese cultural elite" in the country. No, no, that's not racist at all.
I'm an American-educated (and raised) Taiwanese. From reading your other book, I got the sense you weren't too fond of Taiwanese people, and never tried to poach Taiwan for talent the way you did Hong Kong and China, because we were a completely useless coterie of Japanese puppets and our president one crazy samurai. I learned in this book that you've actually recruited engineers from Taiwan.
The accounts of Singaporeans experiences with bilingualism initially made me believe Singaporeans were a confused people. But then I could relate. My family moved to the USA when I was six years old, and my parents spoke English with me so I'd catch up in school, and also so they could learn to speak it better as well. So when you said many Singaporeans wanted their kids to go to "English-stream" schools, that resonated with me.
You wiped out "dialects" and forced Mandarin down everybody's throats. Dialects aren't the connection to your cultural heritage, you argue, because when a French diplomat (or whoever) asked you what 福 meant on some insignia, you were able to tell him that that meant "luck." Well, that settles it! As your fellow Hakka, I commend you for that airtight argument.
You say Mandarin is important because China has a 5,000 year glorious history. Actually, it's only 3,000 years, and mind you, Mandarin is much younger than that. And Mandarin became "Mandarin" when foreigners, the Manchus, were ruling China. And Mandarin has foreign has Manchu/Altaic influence. But it's all good, you're building a nation, not nitpicking over linguistic details.
The personal experiences section was rich. Some English-educated trying to learn Mandarin, some Chinese-educated trying to learn English. One grumpy lady who resents the fact that immigrants from China are making her a foreigner in her own country. Hahaha.
Well, look at Singapore. World center for banking, finance, shipbuilding, and logistics. People confident in themselves, sorta connected to their cultural roots. Nice work.
You were English-educated, and saw how English-educated Chinese-Singaporeans had better job prospects than Chinese-educated Chinese-Singaporeans, so you made English Singapore's primary language. However, the English-educated had no confidence in themselves and were too psychologically crippled to challenge British supremacy. I love your line: No matter how well you speak English, you're not an Englishman. So you learned the importance of staying connected to your roots, and consequently required Singaporeans to learn their "mother tongue." Great!
You efforts to calm racial tensions in Singapore were successful by making Malay and Tamil official languages too, in spite of your racist policy of promoting immigration from Hong Kong to keep the Chinese majority at 75% throughout the years. Try that in the United States. You've always admired Hong Kongers for their ruggedness. And now that you've run out of Hong Kong people, you're importing migrants from China to maintain a "high level of Mandarin" and a "Chinese cultural elite" in the country. No, no, that's not racist at all.
I'm an American-educated (and raised) Taiwanese. From reading your other book, I got the sense you weren't too fond of Taiwanese people, and never tried to poach Taiwan for talent the way you did Hong Kong and China, because we were a completely useless coterie of Japanese puppets and our president one crazy samurai. I learned in this book that you've actually recruited engineers from Taiwan.
The accounts of Singaporeans experiences with bilingualism initially made me believe Singaporeans were a confused people. But then I could relate. My family moved to the USA when I was six years old, and my parents spoke English with me so I'd catch up in school, and also so they could learn to speak it better as well. So when you said many Singaporeans wanted their kids to go to "English-stream" schools, that resonated with me.
You wiped out "dialects" and forced Mandarin down everybody's throats. Dialects aren't the connection to your cultural heritage, you argue, because when a French diplomat (or whoever) asked you what 福 meant on some insignia, you were able to tell him that that meant "luck." Well, that settles it! As your fellow Hakka, I commend you for that airtight argument.
You say Mandarin is important because China has a 5,000 year glorious history. Actually, it's only 3,000 years, and mind you, Mandarin is much younger than that. And Mandarin became "Mandarin" when foreigners, the Manchus, were ruling China. And Mandarin has foreign has Manchu/Altaic influence. But it's all good, you're building a nation, not nitpicking over linguistic details.
The personal experiences section was rich. Some English-educated trying to learn Mandarin, some Chinese-educated trying to learn English. One grumpy lady who resents the fact that immigrants from China are making her a foreigner in her own country. Hahaha.
Well, look at Singapore. World center for banking, finance, shipbuilding, and logistics. People confident in themselves, sorta connected to their cultural roots. Nice work.
August 6, 2016
Mr Lee Kuan Yew shares the story of his life and his decision in the midst of the turmoil life he had throughout his life vividly and clearly. The most important thing I learnt from this book is that you can never truly become an English man even if you tried to live like them, therefore, you should accept and be proud of your own identity, and you shall earn other's respects by doing so! It is also a great book for you if you are interested in the history of South East Asia.
September 26, 2016
Great read, written by someone utterly and passionately involved in his country multilingualism.
January 12, 2020
This book is a valuable asset to those who wish to learn more about Singapore’s history. It made me understand Singapore’s uphill battle to build a multicultural society better. As I was schooled in English-medium schools throughout my life, I had no idea of the struggles of those receiving education 50 years ago. Lee Kuan Yew’s foresight of making English language a priority for all Singaporeans was commendable. He knew the importance of English language in helping people get a job and hence building a prosperous economy. People educated in Chinese-medium schools had less job prospects compared to those English educated graduates. It's the sad truth. The decision to make all the subjects (with the exception of Mother Tongue) to be taught in English is a vote losing one yet imperative to grow Singapore into an economic powerhouse it is today.
The late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was adamant about Singaporeans learning both English and their Mother Tongue well. I always assumed that Mr Lee was supportive of Singaporean Chinese to learn Chinese because of the rising economy of China. It was more than that. He was firm that learning the language cultivates the values and culture associated with the language. I was surprised to see Mr Lee Kuan Yew commenting on the Western culture as being "laidback" or "sloppy" in contrast to the Eastern culture where it promotes diligence and efficacy. Back in the 70s and 80s, Singapore needed a pool of citizens to be productive and contribute to the country's economic activities. The Western way of living had no place in Mr Lee's 'building-Singapore' blueprint.
As a young Singaporean who grew up in a Mandarin-speaking family, I am grateful for my parents whom groomed me to have a good command of Mandarin. Chinese is not an easy language to pick up. It is not phoenetic unlike English. You may not know how to write a Chinese character even if you know how it sounds. The ability to pick up a new language deteriorates as you grow older. Based on my personal experience, many people treat Chinese langauge as their second language instead of a tool to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Even though I understand the rationale behind having every student to learn every subject in English, it is saddening to see people to be apathetic towards their roots.
The book covers how Singapore's billingual policy came about. It was insightful and enlightening to learn more about my country's history. I am thankful for what my forefathers did for my generation and I hope to reciprocate by helping the next generation of Singaporeans. Strongly recommend this book to all Singaporeans and those interested to know how Singapore's billingual policy came about!
The late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was adamant about Singaporeans learning both English and their Mother Tongue well. I always assumed that Mr Lee was supportive of Singaporean Chinese to learn Chinese because of the rising economy of China. It was more than that. He was firm that learning the language cultivates the values and culture associated with the language. I was surprised to see Mr Lee Kuan Yew commenting on the Western culture as being "laidback" or "sloppy" in contrast to the Eastern culture where it promotes diligence and efficacy. Back in the 70s and 80s, Singapore needed a pool of citizens to be productive and contribute to the country's economic activities. The Western way of living had no place in Mr Lee's 'building-Singapore' blueprint.
As a young Singaporean who grew up in a Mandarin-speaking family, I am grateful for my parents whom groomed me to have a good command of Mandarin. Chinese is not an easy language to pick up. It is not phoenetic unlike English. You may not know how to write a Chinese character even if you know how it sounds. The ability to pick up a new language deteriorates as you grow older. Based on my personal experience, many people treat Chinese langauge as their second language instead of a tool to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Even though I understand the rationale behind having every student to learn every subject in English, it is saddening to see people to be apathetic towards their roots.
The book covers how Singapore's billingual policy came about. It was insightful and enlightening to learn more about my country's history. I am thankful for what my forefathers did for my generation and I hope to reciprocate by helping the next generation of Singaporeans. Strongly recommend this book to all Singaporeans and those interested to know how Singapore's billingual policy came about!
February 13, 2024
LKY：
教育政策的基本原则，归根究底是源于政治目标和立场。
我说，你看着吧，他们到了高中就不会再看华文报。果真到了高中，他的孩子一个接一个都不看华文报了。高中生得和同学以好成绩竞争大学奖学金，要兼顾中英，必然吃亏，事情就这么简单。
我认为华校不存在，并不表示华文将在新加坡消失。我不相信我们不以第一语文水平来教导华文，便会失去文化的根。语言和文化有关联，却不等于文化。一个种族的语言和文化必须不断变革，才能解决新的问题。事实上，一个种族的语言和文化的潜在力，是在于它能否帮助这个种族随机应变，适应时代需求。
我认为华族文化的前途，不能只依赖对爆竹声和特制的新年糕点或食物的美好回忆。在我们的生活中，应该还有更多基本的华族文化特质，如子女和父母的关系，兄弟姐妹的关系，夫妻的关系，父母和子女的权利和义务，这些都是文明社会继往开来的关键要素。一旦男女草率离婚，他们的子女像足球那样，被踢来踢去，那时，即使我们会说华语，甚至还能引经据典也没有意思。华人把社会和家庭利益放在个人之上，还有孝敬父母、奉养父母等富有意义的华人传统价值观，才是更值得保留的。
虽然传统英校如莱佛士书院和英华中学正在努力提升华文水平，但是与特选学校相比，有些事是他们做不到的，也不可能做到的。例如在特选学校的任何时间，任何地点都可以高层次地学习华文，但在非特选学校，下了华文课，就必须用回英语了。非特选学校的校长要以华语讲话，学生会回家告诉父母，第二天，网络论坛里就怨声载道了。这就是非特选学校和特选学校的差异，这个差异将一直存在
但是我还是要奉劝新加坡的家长，学华文不要学过了头，对新加坡人来说，英文还是最重要的，新加坡人不能掌握英文，还有什么价值？新加坡人的价值，不在于我们能说和中国人一样好的华语，而在于我们能掌握英文，能够用英文和世界联系起来，这是我们必须牢记的。
一个人无论怎样聪明，头脑的“兆字节”是有限的，不能无限量储存记忆。方言学得越多，占据的记忆容量越多，能储存华文字、英文字、乘数表、数学、物理或化学方程式的空间也就越少。
要以英语、华语和方言牢记足够的词汇，在必要时立刻应用，这对资质中等的学生来说已经非常困难，更别说资质差的学生。
通常，一种语言用得越多，就意味着其他语言用得越少。用得多就变得流利，用得少的渐渐生疏。这是个“零和游戏”的概念。
人脑不像电脑，可以随意删除不再需要的东西，来为新资料腾出更多储存空间。烙印在人脑中的字句，并不是那么容易删除。深植在脑中的语言，特别是那些自小学习的语言，不可能完全除去。从小学习的语言，是特别容易唤回记忆。
我的意见是我们应该尽量提升华语水平，而不是停留在“新加坡式华语”的层面。这也是为什么我不赞成“新加坡式英语” 的原因，它会使这个语言的错误使用方式持续下来。这对语言学者来说也许很有趣，但对社会发展没有丝毫价值。我们学英语是为了沟通，为了让世界了解我们，也为了让我们了解世界，为什么我们需要一个属于自己的特别语言？华语也一样。我们应该尽量达到标准的水平，让所有的人，不管在香港、台湾、中国还是美国的华人都听得懂，而不是保留一个只有新加坡人才听得懂的语言
回顾这些年来的政策，我对双语教育的思考经过了两个阶段：
第一阶段，在20世纪70年代中，我认为一个人是无法达到双语同样流利的地步，一个人只能掌握一种主导语言，也就是他用以思考的语言。我这个信念成为制定双语政策的基本思路。
第二阶段，后来我终于了解到一个人的智力跟他的语言能力并不相关，我曾经以为一个智商高的人有能力掌握两种语言，所以，我认为聪明的学生学习语文的水平应该比成绩一般的学生更高。我很多年都有这样的看法，一直到有一天我的女儿玮玲，她是一个脑神经专科医生，改变了我的想法。她告诉我，一个人的语言能力和智力并不相等，因两者关系到人脑的不同部分。
我因此认为华文第二语文，不应该以“认识丰富的词汇和运用语文的高度技巧”，作为教学目标。
我们希望华社明白，双语教育是一项政治性政策，政府在维护它时，要付出一定的政治代价。在新加坡这样一个多元种族多元语言，即使华族中也有讲华语和讲英语之分的民主社会里，一项强制每个孩子学习华文的母语政策肯定是要涉及政治妥协的。而任何一个民选政府的政治资本并非无限，所以在推行涉及政治妥协的政策时，不能忽略选民对政策的反应和反对的声音，华社因此必须理解政府为什么要同时打开华文B和高级华文的两道门。
LHL: My personal experience learning the four languages leads me to a few conclusions. First, our master language is fixed early. It is not necessarily the language that you put the most effort in, but the one which you think in. Second, it is possible to learn, and get quite good, at a second or even a third language, but not quite at the same level as the first language. Third, language abilities vary from person to person, depending on individual ability, environment and interest. We can encourage students to study languages, and do a lot to help them do well, but we cannot force every student to become good at it. Finally, we need to use a language or lose it.
教育政策的基本原则，归根究底是源于政治目标和立场。
我说，你看着吧，他们到了高中就不会再看华文报。果真到了高中，他的孩子一个接一个都不看华文报了。高中生得和同学以好成绩竞争大学奖学金，要兼顾中英，必然吃亏，事情就这么简单。
我认为华校不存在，并不表示华文将在新加坡消失。我不相信我们不以第一语文水平来教导华文，便会失去文化的根。语言和文化有关联，却不等于文化。一个种族的语言和文化必须不断变革，才能解决新的问题。事实上，一个种族的语言和文化的潜在力，是在于它能否帮助这个种族随机应变，适应时代需求。
我认为华族文化的前途，不能只依赖对爆竹声和特制的新年糕点或食物的美好回忆。在我们的生活中，应该还有更多基本的华族文化特质，如子女和父母的关系，兄弟姐妹的关系，夫妻的关系，父母和子女的权利和义务，这些都是文明社会继往开来的关键要素。一旦男女草率离婚，他们的子女像足球那样，被踢来踢去，那时，即使我们会说华语，甚至还能引经据典也没有意思。华人把社会和家庭利益放在个人之上，还有孝敬父母、奉养父母等富有意义的华人传统价值观，才是更值得保留的。
虽然传统英校如莱佛士书院和英华中学正在努力提升华文水平，但是与特选学校相比，有些事是他们做不到的，也不可能做到的。例如在特选学校的任何时间，任何地点都可以高层次地学习华文，但在非特选学校，下了华文课，就必须用回英语了。非特选学校的校长要以华语讲话，学生会回家告诉父母，第二天，网络论坛里就怨声载道了。这就是非特选学校和特选学校的差异，这个差异将一直存在
但是我还是要奉劝新加坡的家长，学华文不要学过了头，对新加坡人来说，英文还是最重要的，新加坡人不能掌握英文，还有什么价值？新加坡人的价值，不在于我们能说和中国人一样好的华语，而在于我们能掌握英文，能够用英文和世界联系起来，这是我们必须牢记的。
一个人无论怎样聪明，头脑的“兆字节”是有限的，不能无限量储存记忆。方言学得越多，占据的记忆容量越多，能储存华文字、英文字、乘数表、数学、物理或化学方程式的空间也就越少。
要以英语、华语和方言牢记足够的词汇，在必要时立刻应用，这对资质中等的学生来说已经非常困难，更别说资质差的学生。
通常，一种语言用得越多，就意味着其他语言用得越少。用得多就变得流利，用得少的渐渐生疏。这是个“零和游戏”的概念。
人脑不像电脑，可以随意删除不再需要的东西，来为新资料腾出更多储存空间。烙印在人脑中的字句，并不是那么容易删除。深植在脑中的语言，特别是那些自小学习的语言，不可能完全除去。从小学习的语言，是特别容易唤回记忆。
我的意见是我们应该尽量提升华语水平，而不是停留在“新加坡式华语”的层面。这也是为什么我不赞成“新加坡式英语” 的原因，它会使这个语言的错误使用方式持续下来。这对语言学者来说也许很有趣，但对社会发展没有丝毫价值。我们学英语是为了沟通，为了让世界了解我们，也为了让我们了解世界，为什么我们需要一个属于自己的特别语言？华语也一样。我们应该尽量达到标准的水平，让所有的人，不管在香港、台湾、中国还是美国的华人都听得懂，而不是保留一个只有新加坡人才听得懂的语言
回顾这些年来的政策，我对双语教育的思考经过了两个阶段：
第一阶段，在20世纪70年代中，我认为一个人是无法达到双语同样流利的地步，一个人只能掌握一种主导语言，也就是他用以思考的语言。我这个信念成为制定双语政策的基本思路。
第二阶段，后来我终于了解到一个人的智力跟他的语言能力并不相关，我曾经以为一个智商高的人有能力掌握两种语言，所以，我认为聪明的学生学习语文的水平应该比成绩一般的学生更高。我很多年都有这样的看法，一直到有一天我的女儿玮玲，她是一个脑神经专科医生，改变了我的想法。她告诉我，一个人的语言能力和智力并不相等，因两者关系到人脑的不同部分。
我因此认为华文第二语文，不应该以“认识丰富的词汇和运用语文的高度技巧”，作为教学目标。
我们希望华社明白，双语教育是一项政治性政策，政府在维护它时，要付出一定的政治代价。在新加坡这样一个多元种族多元语言，即使华族中也有讲华语和讲英语之分的民主社会里，一项强制每个孩子学习华文的母语政策肯定是要涉及政治妥协的。而任何一个民选政府的政治资本并非无限，所以在推行涉及政治妥协的政策时，不能忽略选民对政策的反应和反对的声音，华社因此必须理解政府为什么要同时打开华文B和高级华文的两道门。
LHL: My personal experience learning the four languages leads me to a few conclusions. First, our master language is fixed early. It is not necessarily the language that you put the most effort in, but the one which you think in. Second, it is possible to learn, and get quite good, at a second or even a third language, but not quite at the same level as the first language. Third, language abilities vary from person to person, depending on individual ability, environment and interest. We can encourage students to study languages, and do a lot to help them do well, but we cannot force every student to become good at it. Finally, we need to use a language or lose it.
November 29, 2023
English and Chinese languages are the most important subjects we must keep learning and improving through out our lives.
September 28, 2025
本书讲述李光耀把新加坡从多语混乱社会到1+N多语环境的艰辛和努力。一步一步说来为什么和怎么做到的。 我很喜欢前半段。清晰有力。后半段像是凑字数。把前半段的故事又重复啰嗦说了一遍。
April 3, 2018
There are some out there who perhaps deem the book tiresome and full of plain narratives but I think otherwise. The book influenced me actually by compelling me to embark on a journey attempting to be more bilingual.The inspiration I drew from the book made it so special .
I felt it an enormous regret for not having read this cautiously before. I remembered looking it through once in a sloppy way by fliting from pages to pages. All the details eluded me now. But that is no matter .Different time, Different perceptions about the same book. New insights may emerge when a book is read for a second time.
Once again, I camnot get an English copy . There is only a few Chinese hardcovers available out there, so I thought I have no other choice but to understand it vicariously by reading a translation copy.
The book didn't offer me direct answers for a few questions haunting me for the last couple of months, but the glows from it indeed gave me some lights on them.
These questions are:
Why the president of the Chinese mainland and the president of Taiwan both aquiescintly choose Singapore as the destination for their historical meeting? Why not H.K or any other city in mainland or Taiwan?
Why Mark Zukerberg ,the CEO of Facebook insisted that he shoud deliver his speech in Chinese,even not quite fluently,in his tour to Tinghua university, a very prominent university in China?
And the last one, what an essential role Singapore is playing in the Sino-Us relationships as well as the Sino-ASEAN connections？And a less important one, why the annually hosted Shangri-La dialogue becomes a beneficial mechanism in mitigating East Asia pressure?
The fundamental thread of the book is apparently on how and why Singapore choosed bilingualism as a national policy.But from reading those lines, I guess I can deduce something for the questions above and have got some clues now.
As the name implied,to advance and implement the bilingual policy is a“life long” challenge and there must have been moments that really exhausted Mr Lee. The challenge could be harsh, the obstacles immense and he must have used both compromises and “iron fist” to make it happen. The first language of the nation must be English, through which most of advanced technologies and cultural fruits are transmitted. But the root of the nation's cultures is Chinese , an inseparable link to the thousands of years of civilization. If Singapore wants to survive in the global world, English language is a must and more important than Chinese. If it wants to maintain the source river of its culture, Chinese is also vital and the nation cannot afford to lose it. So Singapore becomes a singular bilingual country like no other one by its national choice.
As explicitly put in the book, this bilingual national policy is one of the undermining factors contributing to Singapore's rapid full rise and emergence.
The book mentioned that when China determined to carry out its reform and opening up, the bestmodel for China to emulate and learn is no other but Singapore. It supplied China with talents who are both versed in western technologies ,brilliant managerial skills and at the same time, fluent in Chinese and who knew Chinese culture well.
Though China have been sending its talents to the west to learn what they need and bring them back, it still needs several decades to truly understand the west as well as Singapore did. The culture barriers and gulf are immense and the process of mutual genuine understanding is gonna take a very long time . Now that a city state Singapore would need a “life long” arduous efforts to get a full understanding of the west, there shall be no sensible reason to expect China, a giant country,to accomplish the feat in a short period.
If Singapore can still play the role as an Nexus to help China and the United States to understand each other better and worked as a catalytic agent between China and its neighboring nations of ASEAN, it will continue to demonstrate its unique and singular values,which serve the maximum interests for Singapore. And I kinda agree with this statement.
But another thing to be concerned about,will Singapore always evolve with the time and make its policy adjustable to any changes. ? Will it survive any vicissitudes in the future just as they brilliantly advanced its bilingual policy in the first place.?Perhaps I shoud have every confidence about that because that policy,as we know it, is a perfect paradigm which integrated wisdom from both east and west. Why we don't expect better things to happen.
I felt it an enormous regret for not having read this cautiously before. I remembered looking it through once in a sloppy way by fliting from pages to pages. All the details eluded me now. But that is no matter .Different time, Different perceptions about the same book. New insights may emerge when a book is read for a second time.
Once again, I camnot get an English copy . There is only a few Chinese hardcovers available out there, so I thought I have no other choice but to understand it vicariously by reading a translation copy.
The book didn't offer me direct answers for a few questions haunting me for the last couple of months, but the glows from it indeed gave me some lights on them.
These questions are:
Why the president of the Chinese mainland and the president of Taiwan both aquiescintly choose Singapore as the destination for their historical meeting? Why not H.K or any other city in mainland or Taiwan?
Why Mark Zukerberg ,the CEO of Facebook insisted that he shoud deliver his speech in Chinese,even not quite fluently,in his tour to Tinghua university, a very prominent university in China?
And the last one, what an essential role Singapore is playing in the Sino-Us relationships as well as the Sino-ASEAN connections？And a less important one, why the annually hosted Shangri-La dialogue becomes a beneficial mechanism in mitigating East Asia pressure?
The fundamental thread of the book is apparently on how and why Singapore choosed bilingualism as a national policy.But from reading those lines, I guess I can deduce something for the questions above and have got some clues now.
As the name implied,to advance and implement the bilingual policy is a“life long” challenge and there must have been moments that really exhausted Mr Lee. The challenge could be harsh, the obstacles immense and he must have used both compromises and “iron fist” to make it happen. The first language of the nation must be English, through which most of advanced technologies and cultural fruits are transmitted. But the root of the nation's cultures is Chinese , an inseparable link to the thousands of years of civilization. If Singapore wants to survive in the global world, English language is a must and more important than Chinese. If it wants to maintain the source river of its culture, Chinese is also vital and the nation cannot afford to lose it. So Singapore becomes a singular bilingual country like no other one by its national choice.
As explicitly put in the book, this bilingual national policy is one of the undermining factors contributing to Singapore's rapid full rise and emergence.
The book mentioned that when China determined to carry out its reform and opening up, the bestmodel for China to emulate and learn is no other but Singapore. It supplied China with talents who are both versed in western technologies ,brilliant managerial skills and at the same time, fluent in Chinese and who knew Chinese culture well.
Though China have been sending its talents to the west to learn what they need and bring them back, it still needs several decades to truly understand the west as well as Singapore did. The culture barriers and gulf are immense and the process of mutual genuine understanding is gonna take a very long time . Now that a city state Singapore would need a “life long” arduous efforts to get a full understanding of the west, there shall be no sensible reason to expect China, a giant country,to accomplish the feat in a short period.
If Singapore can still play the role as an Nexus to help China and the United States to understand each other better and worked as a catalytic agent between China and its neighboring nations of ASEAN, it will continue to demonstrate its unique and singular values,which serve the maximum interests for Singapore. And I kinda agree with this statement.
But another thing to be concerned about,will Singapore always evolve with the time and make its policy adjustable to any changes. ? Will it survive any vicissitudes in the future just as they brilliantly advanced its bilingual policy in the first place.?Perhaps I shoud have every confidence about that because that policy,as we know it, is a perfect paradigm which integrated wisdom from both east and west. Why we don't expect better things to happen.
April 5, 2021
Several interesting takeaways:
1. Lee Kwan Yew's pragmatic positioning of language education. His education philosophy is flexible, practical, and economy/society-oriented. An education practitioner, I appreciate Lee's candor, and 80% buy in this approach.
One counterargument to Lee's position is that you cannot predict everything. Singapore implement Chinese/Mandarin education for the purpose of preserving national/ethnic/cultural identity, but it is the rise of Chinese economy that helps Singaporean students who learnt Chinese. If we take this philosophy further, it's basically planned economy versus market economy. While the former has merits, the policy makers instead of market will effectively take the responsibility for potential failure.
2. Singapore's unique demographics and geographic position also shapes Lee's policy making. Singapore's education policy is based on the fact that it is a small island Southeast Asian country.
If you want to read a book on education philosophy, this one is too specific and shallow. If you want one on education policy, I don't think Lee goes in too much depth on the thinking, law-making, and policy framework. Only recommend to ppl who are interested in Singapore's education policy history.
1. Lee Kwan Yew's pragmatic positioning of language education. His education philosophy is flexible, practical, and economy/society-oriented. An education practitioner, I appreciate Lee's candor, and 80% buy in this approach.
One counterargument to Lee's position is that you cannot predict everything. Singapore implement Chinese/Mandarin education for the purpose of preserving national/ethnic/cultural identity, but it is the rise of Chinese economy that helps Singaporean students who learnt Chinese. If we take this philosophy further, it's basically planned economy versus market economy. While the former has merits, the policy makers instead of market will effectively take the responsibility for potential failure.
2. Singapore's unique demographics and geographic position also shapes Lee's policy making. Singapore's education policy is based on the fact that it is a small island Southeast Asian country.
If you want to read a book on education philosophy, this one is too specific and shallow. If you want one on education policy, I don't think Lee goes in too much depth on the thinking, law-making, and policy framework. Only recommend to ppl who are interested in Singapore's education policy history.
July 22, 2013
This is really part of LKY's memoirs and the canary in the coal mine for Western education. From the quantity of reviews and ratings across several sites it looks like a chronically small number are listening. I am more inspired by his lifetime of hard work and ability to write books at almost 90 years old than to argue and dispute his historical education policies. Even though there are a large number of expats living and working in Singapore(and respective international schools), this book is about Singapore Public Education past, present and future. Like all his books it includes some wisdom about life in general and his philosophy.
January 23, 2016
Mastering 2 languages as diverse as English and Chinese is not easy for general folks who are not language-gifted. Although it is difficult, I agree with many of the thinking of LKY that it is absolutely necessary for Singaporeans to learn 2 languages - a mother tongue for cultural reasons, and English for social, business, education, commercial reasons. LKY is one of the most brilliant thinkers in the world, and the ideas in this book should be mandatory reading for any Singaporean.
June 29, 2013
The first part of the book was interesting for me because it explored the development of the education system in Singapore. It felt like LKY was talking to me directly as it followed his style of speech relatively accurately.
The second half of the book is a compilation of the language journey of several people.
The second half of the book is a compilation of the language journey of several people.
November 28, 2011
A personal look at Singapore's bilingual education system, and how it has evolved over the years, in tandem with political developments. Perhaps just one man's view, but definitely an important one. Some of the other stories by the various contributors were interesting, but still, just a sideshow.
April 8, 2013
All are about politic and strategy. I could see the courage and bold action taken by the former No.1 of Singapore to instill English in every heart of his people. Similiarly to PPSMI, I think, there's blessing in disguise, but, yup, the data which is the fact, has shown the otherwsie.
March 21, 2015
The contents are great but as far as the book title goes, the subject can be pretty dry. The book basically details down the journey of how LKY diminishes the usage of dialects among its people and promotes English and Mandarin in a dialect populated country.
December 28, 2016
筚路蓝缕 胼手胝足
May 3, 2021
关于为何实行双语制度，以及西学为用中学为体的思想
September 6, 2015
小国大智慧，星加坡多亏了李先生
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