2. Language in Singapore: From Multilingualism to English Plus (original) (raw)
Related papers
Language shift, mother tongue, and identity in Singapore
International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2000
A review ofthe development of Singapore reveals that äs a result ofa host ofinteractingfactors, there has appeared an intricate pattern of Islands of people within the island-state, which are constantly realigning themselves. At a basic level, three major Islands, the Chinese, the Malays, and the Indians, wereformed based on ethnicity withfurther Islands formed within each based on the regional language spoken. Education further made the pattern of Islands even more intricate. In the early days of Singapore, education was offered in the regional languages, which reinforced the ethnolinguistic Islands. In addition to the regional language, the British colonial government introduced English-medium education, which resulted in the creation of a new, socially powerful island comprising those who had had English-medium education. With time, two major Islands stood out in clear Opposition, the English-educated forming the privileged group, and the Chinese-educated forming the disadvantaged group, resulting in political unrest. The Singapore government adopted the policy of unitary language-medium of education (English) to resolve Ms. However, with English becoming more popularly used, rather than being restricted to the privileged few, the language äs used by the mass took on a localflavoring, leading interestingly to yet further Islands in Singapore today. Those who can code-switch between the "uneducated" variety of English in Singapore (Singlish) and the educated or internationally accepted variety inhabit one island, while those whose repertoire is limited to only the uneducated variety inhabit yet another island.
Multilingual Singapore: Language Policies and Linguistic Realities
Multilingual Singapore Language Policies and Linguistic Realities, 2021
This volume brings together researchers whose rich insights make for a comprehensive and upto-date account of Singapore's rich linguistic diversity. Applying a combination of empirical, theoretical, and descriptive approaches, the authors investigate not only official languages such as English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil, but also minority languages such as the Chinese vernaculars and South Asian and Austronesian languages. The chapters in this volume trace the historical development, contemporary status, and functions of these languages, as well as potential scenarios for the future. Exploring the tension between language policies and linguistic realities in Singapore, these contributions capture the shifting educational, political, and societal priorities over time. Ritu Jain is a lecturer at the Language and Communication Centre at Nanyang Technological University. Her research interests lie in the areas of language policy and planning, and language and identity. In her work, she has examined the role of language education policy in the maintenance and promotion of minority and heritage languages, and the implications this has for language maintenance and shift. She is currently exploring the interplay of language and identity among the Indian language communities of Singapore.
Asian Englishes, 2015
Fifty years on from independence, Singapore, who has long been a study for language policy and management, appears to be moving in a new direction. In this paper I offer an evaluation of the (re-)positioning of the various language varieties in Singapore’s multilingual ecology over the past five decades – including not only the official languages English and the three official ‘Mother Tongues’ Malay, Mandarin and Tamil, but also the other vernaculars, namely the Chinese ‘dialects’, the Non-Tamil Indian Languages (NTILs), and Singlish/ Singapore English. I first provide an overview of Singapore’s more well documented language policies and language management practices post-independence, highlighting how these policies led in the late 20th century to officially undesired outcomes and tensions. I go on to evaluate the apparent sea change that has occurred in the new millennium, leading up to and at the nation’s golden jubilee in 2015, whereby features of once-maligned vernaculars Singlish and the Chinese dialects are now styled as representing the Singapore identity. I end by discussing issues and challenges that need to be addressed in order for policy to remain relevant and effective in the future.
Mandarinization and the construction of Chinese ethnicity in Singapore
Chinese Language and Discourse, 2017
This paper examines the process of Mandarinization in Singapore, and the effects of this process on the construction of Chinese ethnicity in Singapore. It does this through an analysis of official government speeches, followed by a questionnaire study examining the beliefs and attitudes of Chinese Singaporeans toward three varieties of Mandarin-Chinese, as well as Chinese " dialects " and English. The discourse analysis reveals an underlying assertion of a primordial relationship between Mandarin-Chinese and Chinese ethnicity. This, however, is not reflected in the beliefs of Chinese Singaporeans, who value Mandarin-Chinese for mainly instrumental reasons, and associated with a foreign standard. Chinese ethnicity in Singapore is instead constructed through a combination of Mandarin-Chinese, " dialects " and English. Ultimately, such a discrepancy results from Mandrinization's dependence on an oversimplified understanding of language and ethnicity in Singapore.
English in Singapore: culture, capital and identity in linguistic variation
World Englishes, 2010
Singapore is placed in the Outer Circle of the Kachru's Three Circles Model, and has over the years developed an English which is uniquely Singaporean. This paper argues that in order to understand the ways in which Singapore English is developing its own standards and ways of speaking, a new model needs to be developed that takes culture, capital and identity into consideration. This sociocultural perspective is one grounded in an understanding of the dualistic role of English in Singapore both as a global language and a local language. It is argued that this duality is consistent with the cultural identity of Singaporeans who negotiate fluidly between two divergent orientations -that of the global citizen and the local Singaporean. The paper explains how a culturally focused model which examines the identities of Singaporean speakers is able to provide a finer-grained and thus more explanatorily adequate account of Singapore English than previously proposed models, in particular, the diglossic analysis.
Effect of Singapore's Language Education Policy on Chinese Singaporeans’ Identity -
In Singapore bilingual education is being promoted due to the influence of globalization, English driven lifestyle and culture have become widespread, especially among young people. On the other hand, some are concerned about the situation in which the younger generation is gradually moving away from their ethnic language, culture, and traditions. Therefore, I conducted a survey with the aim of considering how the current language education in Singapore is affecting the younger generation of Chinese Singaporeans. The survey was conducted on five National University of Singapore graduates in 2019. I conducted a semistructured interview survey on (1) the status of the language being used, (2) the activities of Chinese clan association, and (3) their own identity. The survey revealed that young Chinese Singaporeans have an English-driven lifestyle. As a symbol of that, few young Chinese Singaporeans knew the existence and activities of the Chinese clan association, which had been the emotional supports of Chinese Singaporeans. On the other hand, some people were worried about the current situation in which the Chinese dialect is declining as Mandarin is becoming more widespread due to the influence of the Speak Mandarin campaign. Young Chinese Singaporeans are still interested in dialects, languages of their ancestors. Regarding Singlish, which is used daily in Singaporean society, speaking Singlish seems to be related to their identity. I can clearly say that the identity of young Chinese Singaporeans is being established as a Singaporean from a "Chinese" identity, however the "Chinese" identity is not all gone, nevertheless ambivalent.
Singlish: an illegitimate conception in Singapore's language policies
Singapore, like many post-colonial states, longs for a common language to unite its linguistically heterogeneous population. Singlish, which comprises primarily elements of English, Malay, Hokkien, Mandarin-Chinese and Cantonese, is a language spoken by almost every Singaporean, and can be considered to be Singapore's common language. Unfortunately, this common language, Singlish, is also a language that the authorities are eager to get rid of. The Singaporean state holds the belief that Singlish is a corrupted and incorrect form of English, and is detrimental to the image and development of the nation. Singlish, has therefore, since 2000, been the subject of a large scale, state-run language campaign, the purpose of which is to delegitimise and eliminate this language. This paper traces the development of Singlish and argues that the birth of Singlish would not have been possible without the socio-political and historical factors that have created it. Applying, for the first time, Mufwene's (2001) theory of language ecology and evolution to the field of language planning and policy, I will show that Singlish is in fact an inevitable but unwelcomed conception of state language policies.
Language Policy and Social Transf ormation in Contemporary Singapore
Asian Journal of Social Science, 1983
This essay will attempt to describe some salient interrelationships between ideology, language policy, and social transformation in present-day Singapore. It will focus on the role that language policy plays in transforming the communicative structure of society in ways which are consistent with and simultaneously instrumental in creating the conditions under which the dominant ideology, and the political goals and economic interests which underlie it, can be disseminated and legitimated within the social system. To provide a basis for understanding the nature and content of ideology and language policy in Singapore today, some of the implications of the People's Action .