If a name is a mere code, the ease of use should be the key in deciding a suitable choice. Picking one that is easy to remember, sounds right, helps facilitate communication at social gatherings and others to recall you will be the factors to consider.
    But Chinese names invariably connote a long list of ideas and expectations, some even carry the parents‘ memory of, and metaphor for, life. A name not only conveys a basic attitude and character, but can also be a value statement for one to succeed in life and make a name for himself.
    In short, it can turn out to be a tremendous burden. This is why some Chinese parents are happy to do away with the trouble of giving their children Chinese names.
    A recent survey by The Straits Times showed that a growing number of children have only English names. The reasons behind the trend are worth examining.
    The pronunciation of Chinese names can be tricky - much like the way Chinese find it tough to distinguish and remember the names of their Malay or Indian friends. A Chinese name, which strings together two or three different words that may not be related can be a tongue-twister for foreigners or friends from other ethnic groups.
    Still, if Chinese resort to some over-used English names for the sake of convenience, we are not doing justice to our tradition.
    While we have grown out of the parochial view of absolute obedience to parents, we still hold our ancestors and elders in high regard. The society and family remain significant in terms of exercising some restrictions over us and providing us a sense of continuity - and Chinese names are the symbols and manifestation of such cultural values.
    Ancient Chinese were rather particular about names. They could be known by more than one name and nicknames as well. Naming was truly a complicated process then.
    But if new generations of parents find even two or three Chinese words troublesome, something must have gone wrong in the way they perceive our cultural identity. Other Chinese communities will probably be puzzled by the casual way Chinese Singaporeans treat Chinese names.
    When parents do not even insist on maintaining this tradition and are happy to get rid of Chinese names for their children for whatever reasons, what will we have left in a fast-changing consumer society？
    The strong desire to drop Chinese names is probably unrelated to the mentality in the past to fawn over things foreign. The dominance of the English language in business and daily life has likely caused some Chinese to look down on the status of the Chinese language.
    They have also failed to see the link between culture and language. They believe that a perfect command of the English language equals a good understanding of the Western culture. They are even convinced that the English language is all that is needed to survive and thrive. To them, Singapore is only a base and they will have nothing to do whatsoever with Chinese culture, history and tradition.
    Some find Chinese names old-fashioned and outdated. In fact, to someone who is IT-savvy and recognises only English letters and numbers on a computer, not having a Chinese name is no big deal.
    I believe this is the way some people look at the matter. Furthermore, for various reasons, the young find learning the Chinese language an unpleasant task. When they become parents, they would be very reluctant emotionally to give their children Chinese names which have little practical value in real life.
    The more fundamental reason is that one has nothing to lose by not having a Chinese name. And for many, material gain is the basis by which things are judged and measured. Issues such as culture, tradition and identity, which are abstract, are strange and far-fetched and may even evoke in them a sense of fear and resistance.
    Not to give a child a Chinese name is a simple act that speaks volumes.
    （The writer is a correspondent with the Political Desk, Lianhe Zaobao. Translated by Yap Gee Poh）
    華人姓名與文化認(rèn)同
    ● 蔡深江
    如果名字只是一個(gè)代號,使用上的方便與否就成了重要的考量。取一個(gè)容易記,符合整體感覺的名字,以便能在社交場合與人溝通,進(jìn)出別人記憶的門窗,是命名的出發(fā)點(diǎn)。
    孩童的華文名附帶一長串的期待和意義？
    偏偏華文名老愛附帶一長串的期待和意義,甚至承載了父母看待生命的某種隱喻和記憶,名字不但是一種人格的基本態(tài)度,還可能引伸成為安身立命的價(jià)值,變成一個(gè)沉重的負(fù)擔(dān)。對一些華人來說,不為孩子取華文名,反而省去不少麻煩。
    據(jù)《海峽時(shí)報(bào)》的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查,越來越多本地孩童僅用洋名,而省略了華文名字,相信這樣的趨勢有其形成的背景。
    正如我們不容易辨別或記牢馬來和印度同胞的名字,華文名字的發(fā)音也讓人費(fèi)神記憶,特別是對外國人和異族朋友,要把兩三個(gè)只有音符而沒有關(guān)聯(lián)、意義的單字拼湊起來,并不容易。
    反過來說,如果華人只取一個(gè)熟口熟面的洋名,圖方便順手,那么,也的確太小覷自己的傳統(tǒng)了。
    雖然我們在形式上已經(jīng)超越身體發(fā)膚受之父母的狹隘觀念,然而,在精神上,祖先長輩的地位還是高高在上的,社會和家庭結(jié)構(gòu)對我們而言,還是有某種約束與傳承的意義,而名字正是此一精神價(jià)值的延續(xù)和象征。
    過去華人講究名、字、號等不同稱呼,的確相當(dāng)復(fù)雜?？墒?如果連簡單直接的三兩個(gè)字也嫌麻煩累贅的話,新一代父母對文化的認(rèn)同肯定出了偏差,其他華人社會相信也不會諒解本地華人處理姓名的草率方式。
    倘若父母連這一點(diǎn)微弱的傳承都不再堅(jiān)持,以任何理由把華文名字也從孩子身上根除,在一個(gè)快速消化和消費(fèi)的時(shí)代,剩下的會是什么呢？
    急于丟棄自己姓名的現(xiàn)象相信和過去崇洋媚外的想法沒有關(guān)系。也許是英語在商業(yè)和實(shí)用價(jià)值的優(yōu)勢,使部分華人在觀念上矮化了華文的地位,也分不清文化和語文的認(rèn)同關(guān)系。他們以為口操標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英語就等同了解了西方文化,甚至在情感上也只以新加坡為基地,和華族文化、歷史、傳統(tǒng)劃清界線,認(rèn)定英語能夠完全應(yīng)付個(gè)人的生活和生存需要。
    華文名字對某些人來說,也許是老土和保守外衣。對一個(gè)在電腦上只以字母和數(shù)字為代號的新資訊公民來說,有沒有華文名真的不是那么重要。
    這樣的想法相信應(yīng)該是存在的。加上部分年輕一代因種種因素,把學(xué)習(xí)華文也視為苦差,為下一代取華文名這類的事,對他們而言,情感上很不情愿,現(xiàn)實(shí)生活也覺得沒有必要。根本的是,不取華文名沒有任何實(shí)質(zhì)上的損失,而現(xiàn)實(shí)的利害關(guān)系,正是一部分人賴以判斷事物的基礎(chǔ)。連帶的,抽象的文化、傳統(tǒng)、認(rèn)同等課題,就變得陌生而遙遠(yuǎn),甚至產(chǎn)生一種莫明的恐懼排斥心態(tài)。
    少為孩子取一個(gè)華文名,看似簡單,其實(shí),別有用心。