Anyone can't speak dialect of your own?

[1982-1994]

My mum is a teochew
My dad was a hainanese

I can understand teochew but not fully ,can't really speak too
I don't understand hainanese at all, maybe 0.01% nia

We spoke in mandarin even when my dad was around

Even for hokkien, also same

I have seen people who's a hainanese but he claimed to be better in hokkien
Also came across colleagues who's Cantonese but can speak hokkien too

 

[1982-1994]

B u m p

 

[li9ht5peed]

mine are from northeast china. never heard it spoken locally before

 

[mynickname]

Mai say dialect, 我连English rosak

 

[XiaoJinLing]

When i was young (toddler, woth grandmothgrandmother around) i can speak hainanese quite well (accordingly to my parents) now I can understand n speak not well (need to think n stammer n sometimes jus reply with mandarin n/or english)

Both my parents hainanese

 

[weiess]

B u m p

me can..

hainanese (lao peh side)
cantonese (lao bu side)
hokkien & teochew (pig & dog friends)

 

[Kaylin]

di diang kar pager?

 

[orpisia]

Dunno Cantonese except basic bad words

 

[Mancunian2]

My mum is a teochew
My dad was a hainanese

I can understand teochew but not fully ,can't really speak too
I don't understand hainanese at all, maybe 0.01% nia

We spoke in mandarin even when my dad was around

Even for hokkien, also same

I have seen people who's a hainanese but he claimed to be better in hokkien
Also came across colleagues who's Cantonese but can speak hokkien too

I can speak hokkien, cantonese, teochew
can understand hainanese, hakka, shanghainese but can't speak more than a few words

never been exposed to dialects? you how old?

 

[V-FORTY]

My mum is a teochew
My dad was a hainanese

I can understand teochew but not fully ,can't really speak too
I don't understand hainanese at all, maybe 0.01% nia

We spoke in mandarin even when my dad was around

Even for hokkien, also same

I have seen people who's a hainanese but he claimed to be better in hokkien
Also came across colleagues who's Cantonese but can speak hokkien too

my dad also hainanese
mom is hakka by roots but speak hokkien with her siblings

i can understand both
hokkien speaking maybe just 3/10

would love to get my hainanese level up
but dont know where or how

 

[jericho75]

My mum is a teochew
My dad was a hainanese

I can understand teochew but not fully ,can't really speak too
I don't understand hainanese at all, maybe 0.01% nia

We spoke in mandarin even when my dad was around

Even for hokkien, also same

I have seen people who's a hainanese but he claimed to be better in hokkien
Also came across colleagues who's Cantonese but can speak hokkien too

moi sec school in the 1990s. school got cantonese, teochew, hakka, hainan kias but all can speak hokkien.

 

[beer4105]

Army taught me Hokkien…. And I can curse with proficiency

Tvb taught me Cantonese… and I too can swear with proficiency

But I can’t speak my dialect…

 

[1982-1994]

I can speak hokkien, cantonese, teochew
can understand hainanese, hakka, shanghainese but can't speak more than a few words

never been exposed to dialects? you how old?

45
Working in an environment where hokkiens are commonly spoken but I always sit at one corner alone

 

[eggie011]

Cannot. Cause Grandma was Peranakan. Whole family sucks at Mandarin and dialects.

 

[fat_boyz]

My mum is a teochew
My dad was a hainanese

I can understand teochew but not fully ,can't really speak too
I don't understand hainanese at all, maybe 0.01% nia

We spoke in mandarin even when my dad was around

Even for hokkien, also same

I have seen people who's a hainanese but he claimed to be better in hokkien
Also came across colleagues who's Cantonese but can speak hokkien too

I'm Hainanese/Cantonese. Fluent in Hainanese and Cantonese cos always speak with Grandparents, uncle aunties and watch TVB drama since young.

Later on in life not much chance to speak after the older generation pass. The only person I speak solely in Hainanese with nowadays is my 80+ y.o. aunt.

When I was in NS, I was admin sup, work in office. The chief clerk and chief registry warrant officer of my camp were also Hainanese. They always talk about officers and gossip about this and that in Hainanese thinking no one can understand. Until one day I let out that I am also fluent in the dialect, then they got more wary about talking shiat in my presence.

I can understand Hokkien and Teochew and speak some but not fluent. Learnt from friends who I play soccer and basketball with in my teens. But must think in Chinese in head then translate before can speak.

Also had a close Hakka friend at uni, managed to understand simple Hakka in about a year, listening to him speak Hakka with his family.

 

[dereth]

I'm full Teochew... I can fully understand, but cannot keep up a fluent conversation.

I can do Hokkien a lot better, and sometimes my Teochew can accidentally gravitate towards Hokkien.

I can also speak Cantonese rather proficiently. Even read Cantonese. My wife is Cantonese/Hakka and my Canto is better than hers.

 

[Atrina_Boy]

I am a hainanese but only know few words

Jia bui
bong kang -
wah bo dai

 

[BigCannon Fairy]

I am a hainanese but only know few words

Jia bui
bong kang -
wah bo dai

Eat rice
Dumbo
I dunno

Hainanese is hard for most Singaporean Chinese because it’s so different from the rest of the dialects. For those who have no prior knowledge with tonal languages, Cantonese is more difficult due to the number of tones.

Example:
1. Heart
- mandarin: xin1
- Hokkien: sim1
- Cantonese: sum1
-Hainanese: tiom2

2. Pain
- mandarin: tong4
- Hokkien: tia3
- Cantonese: tong3
- Hainanese: hia3

3. Head
-mandarin: tou2
-Hokkien: tau2
-Cantonese: tau3
- Hainanese: hau3

Not just the pronunciation but tone often change as well.

 

[Shion]

only teochew. the rest i dunno

 

[samloi]

dad side Hainanese - Mi to bo bak
mum is khek but grew up in hokkien family - i can speak hokkien quite decently minus those weird words like "moon"