What this lesson teaches
I can explain how globalisation can weaken, or dilute, a local culture.
Syllabus K336, Issue 3, Guiding Question 3, Cultural impacts of globalisation. Dilution of culture
Make a guess
Foreign music becomes more popular among Singapore teenagers. Do you think this proves local culture is disappearing?
- Yes, a rise in foreign music means local culture is fading among the young.
- No, because local culture is too deeply rooted to weaken.
- No, you need evidence of fewer people learning and practising it.
Show the answer
No, you need evidence of fewer people learning and practising it.
Dilution is shown by fewer practitioners, less use or weaker understanding over time. Popularity of other music alone does not prove it.
Cultural dilution is when a culture's practices, knowledge or meaning weaken because fewer people learn and pass them on.
Picture a family that still puts up a traditional festival decoration. But the young members no longer know how to make it or what its symbols mean. The object is still there, but the knowledge behind it has weakened. That is dilution.
Global influences can contribute when they take up time, attention or money once spent on local traditions. If fewer people learn a language, craft or custom, it becomes harder to pass on, and it may eventually be lost.
Look for evidence of change over time: fewer practitioners (people who carry out the practice), less use, fewer learners or weaker understanding. The popularity of foreign entertainment alone proves none of these. People can enjoy it while keeping other traditions. A short promotional clip also shows only selected moments. Something missing from it may still be in the full show, so check what was actually seen.
A decline can have several causes, such as changes in school, work, family life or a lack of teachers. Explain the specific link to globalisation instead of assuming it caused every change. Not all young people, and not all foreign influences, have the same effect.
- Dilution
- Weakening of cultural practices, knowledge or meaning.
- Evidence
- Fewer practitioners or learners over time.
- Caution
- Popular foreign culture alone does not prove dilution.
Real examples to use
Chinese dialects
Fewer young Singaporeans speak dialects such as Hokkien or Cantonese. Global media is one cause; language policies such as the Speak Mandarin Campaign are another.
Xinyao
Xinyao are Chinese songs about local life, written by Singaporean students in the 1980s. They are less popular with young people today, who often prefer global music such as K-pop.
Worked example: A family language used less
Ten years ago, twelve young members of a family spoke their heritage language well with older relatives. Now only three of those twelve do. They say they hear another language more often in the shows they watch, and that busier schedules leave less time with grandparents.
- Fewer of the same people use the language: evidence of dilution, stronger than a list of popular foreign shows.
- Less conversation means fewer chances for young relatives to learn expressions and their meanings.
- Foreign media may be one cause; less time with grandparents is another. There is more than one cause.
- This is one family's language use. It does not prove the family's whole culture, or the language across society, has disappeared.
Watch out for this
If foreign entertainment becomes more popular, local culture must be disappearing.
Popularity alone does not prove decline. Look for evidence that fewer people practise or learn the tradition.
Check your understanding
Which is the strongest evidence of cultural dilution?
- Far fewer young people can speak their heritage language than ten years ago.
- Several new restaurants in the area serve Korean and Japanese food.
- A foreign film is the most popular in Singapore cinemas for a whole month.
Show the answer
Far fewer young people can speak their heritage language than ten years ago.
Right. A fall in people who can practise the culture shows weakening.