Have you watched “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies”? 

That movie has certainly made its rounds around the world and in recent weeks, it also sparked a social phenomenon across Southeast Asia, with audiences flooding social media with tear jerking reactions.

It tells the story of a teenage university dropout, M, who quits his game-caster gig to care for his grandma, more affectionately known as Amah, when she was diagnosed with end-stage cancer. And while the movie is primarily in Thai, grandmother Amah would occasionally speak Teochew, a language M struggled to understand.

How many of you can speak your dialect fluently?

On this episode of Morning Shot, Tan Ying Ying, Associate Professor for Linguistics and Multilingual Studies at the NTU School of Humanities shares her insights on why dialects are waning here in Singapore, and whether it’s important for us to revive them. 

Presented by: Audrey Siek
Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)
Photo credits: GDH 559 / Jor Kwang Films / Pat Boonnitipat