Nicole Ng 

Nicole Ng is a Master’s student in Nanyang Technological University, majoring in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies. She also attained her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from NTU in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies with a Second Major in Communication Studies. Her research primarily focuses on sociolinguistics, with a special interest in Language Maintenance and Revitalisation (LMR) within Singaporean contexts. She is currently studying the revitalisation efforts of the Teochew language in Singapore, as well as the relationship between language and trust. 

‘A Star in the Sky’: Traditional nursery rhymes as a pedagogical tool for Teochew language classes in Singapore

The status of the Teochew language in Singapore is declining. While efforts to revitalise the language have emerged, little research has been done on how to improve this urgent process, particularly for Teochew language classes. Research in foreign language teaching and other language revitalisation efforts suggest the potential of nursery rhymes as an effective pedagogical tool in language classes. Thus, this study examines the potential efficacy of traditional Teochew nursery rhymes in local Teochew classes for adults in terms of improving classroom engagement and the understanding and retention of prosody, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Twenty-eight participants, divided into two groups, received a lesson on basic Teochew. One group was taught basic Teochew without nursery rhymes and one group was introduced to a traditional nursery rhyme related to the content of the class. The participants were tested at three time points including a class evaluation survey immediately after the lesson. The findings showed that nursery rhymes did not impact engagement and learning in these classes. The lack of differences in the two groups was attributed to the sampling which may have attracted participants who are more motivated to learn Chinese vernaculars. The study, however, provides insights on the needs of aspiring Teochew speakers and how pedagogical tools may be incorporated more effectively into local revitalisation efforts. As alternatives, classroom storytelling and Master/Apprentice programmes with elder speakers may be considered in future Teochew revitalisation strategies, as they can enable long-term language immersion and contextualisation outside the classroom. Subsequent studies may reveal different results if nursery rhymes are incorporated into a more rigorous series of Teochew classes and quizzes.