Singapore English

Singapore English refers to varieties of English spoken in Singapore.

There are two main forms of English spoken in Singapore - Standard Singapore English (SSE) and Singapore Colloquial English, or Singlish.. It is common to see Singaporeans code-switching between Standard Singapore English and Singapore Colloquial English.

Since Singapore is a multilingual and cosmopolitan city with 36% of the population made up of foreigners, most of whom do not speak English as their first language, the English fluency level of residents in Singapore varies vastly.

Standard Singapore English (SSE)

Standard Singapore English is the standard form of English used in Singapore. Standard Singapore English follows British spelling and grammar. For example, the word "tyre" is used over "tire" . Shopping centres are named "centres" and not "centers". (Eg: Raffles City Shopping Centre, Mustafa Centreand Paragon Shopping Centre).

However, some naming conventions are a mixture of American and British spellings. For instance, local media have "sports pages" (“sport” in British English) and "soccer coverage" (the use of the word "soccer" is not common in British media).

Standard Singaporean accent

The Standard Singaporean accent can be best described as having a British base but with local Singaporean influences. The Standard Singaporean accent is largely non rhotic.

Speakers with a Standard Singaporean accent

Singaporeans such as Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew and Ho Peng Kee speak with a Standard Singaporean accent.

Some older Singaporeans who were born before 1965, when Singapore was still a British colony, speak with a near-British or near- Received Pronunciation accent. Such speakers include Edwin Thumboo and Kenneth Jeyaretnam.

History of Standard Singapore English

Singapore English derives its roots from the 146 years of British colonial rule over Singapore, from 1819 to 1965. Prior to 1965, the standard form of English in Singapore had always been British English and Received Pronounciation. After Singapore declared independence in 1965, English in Singapore began to take a life of its own, leading to the development of modern day Singapore Englishes.

English had been the administrative language of the colonial government, and when Singapore gained self-government in 1959 and independence in 1965, the local government decided to keep English as the main language in order to maximize economic prosperity. The use of English as the nation's first language serves to bridge the gap between the diverse ethnic groups in Singapore. As the global language for commerce, technology and science, the promotion of English also helps to expedite Singapore's development and integration into the global economy.

Foreign accents in Singapore

See also: Filipinos in Singapore, Indians in Singapore, and Eurasians in Singapore

A wide range of foreign English accents can be heard in Singapore. American and British accents are often heard on local television and radio due to the frequent airing of foreign television programmes.

The Filipino accent is also commonly heard, due to the fact that there are many Filipino expatriates living and working in Singapore in a variety of occupations. The Indian accent, which is spoken by Indian expatriates, can also be heard daily on the streets of Singapore. In addition, accents originating from Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Australia and Malaysia can also be heard amongst the population.

Singapore Colloquial English / Singlish

Main article: Singlish

Singlish is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore. Unlike Standard Singapore English, Singlish includes many discourse particles and loan words from Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien.

Singlish is commonly regarded with low prestige in Singapore, and so is not used in formal communication.

Singlish in media

Singlish has been used in several locally-produced movies, including such titles as Army Daze, Mee Pok Man and Talking Cock the Movie, among others. Some local sitcoms, particularly the popular Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, also feature extensive use of Singlish.

File:Pckandtheothersmaincharacters2.jpg

Phua Chu Kang and the main characters of Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd (Year 2006 promotional wallpaper)

Criticisms about Singlish

The proliferation of Singlish has been controversial. Although many Singlish speakers are also able to speak Standard English, some are not able to do so.

The Singaporean government's official position is that Singaporeans should all be able to speak Standard English. To promote Standard English, the government launched the Speak Good English Movement in the year 2000.

The use of Singlish is greatly frowned on by the government, and two former prime ministers, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, have publicly declared that Singlish is a substandard variety that handicaps Singaporeans, presents an obstacle to learning Standard English, and renders the speaker incomprehensible to everyone except another Singlish speaker.

Current prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has also said that Singlish should not be part of Singapore's identity.

Proponents of Singlish

Singaporeans such as linguist David Yoong have put forward the argument that Singlish can be seen as an integral part of the identity of the people, just as any language variety of any country..

Sociolinguist Dr. Anthea Fraser Gupta argues that Singlish and standard English can and do co-exist. According to Dr. Gupta, "there is no evidence that the presence of Singlish causes damage to standard English".

English language trends in Singapore

In 2010, there are these following groups of people in Singapore:

1. Those who know no English (very few people, mostly drawn from those born before the 1950s)

2. Those for whom English is a foreign language they have little ability in and seldom speak (mostly older people, but also some less educated younger people)

3. Those who learnt English at school and can use it but who have a dominant other language (many people, of all ages)

4. Those who learnt English at school and for whom it has become the dominant language (many people, of all ages)

5. Those who learnt English as a native language (sometimes a sole native language, but usually alongside other languages) and for whom English is still the dominant language ( an increasingly common pattern in younger age groups

English is the second most commonly spoken language in Singaporean homes. The first being Mandarin Chinese.

Language most frequently spoken at home (%)
Language	1990	2000	2005
English	18.8	23.0	29.4
Mandarin Chinese	23.7	35.0	36.0
Other Chinese Languages	39.6	23.8	18.2
Malay	14.3	14.1	13.2
Tamil	2.9	3.2	3.1

There is an increasing trend of Singaporeans speaking English at home. For children who started primary school in 2009, 60% of Chinese along with 60% Indian pupils; and 35% of Malay pupils predominantly speak English at home. This means that 56% of Singaporean families with children in Primary 1 predominantly speak English at home. Because many Singaporeans grew up with English as their first language in school, some Singaporean Chinese may not be able to speak Mandarin. Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor of Singapore is one such Singaporean Chinese.

English usage amongst different groups of Singaporeans

40% of Indian Singaporeans speak English as their main language at home. 30% of Chinese Singaporeans and 15% of Malay Singaporeans speak English as their main language at home. In addition, most Caucasian and Eurasian Singaporeans speak English as their main language at home.

Generally, the younger/more educated/richer a Singaporean is, the more likely it is for he/she to speak English as his/her first language and the more likely it is for him/her to speak Standard English instead of Singlish.

For example, among Singaporean Chinese, 48.5% of those with university education speak English as their main language at home. While only 5.3% of Singaporean Chinese with below secondary school education speak English as their main language at home. The same applies for the Singaporean Malays. 46% of Singaporean Malays with university education speak English as their main language at home, while only 3.3% of those with below secondary school education speak English as their main language at home.

Notable Singaporeans

Singapore is known as a debating powerhouse and is one of the most successful teams at the World Schools Debating Championships, often finishing as runner up and semi finalist in the competition. Singapore has also found success at the World Universities Debating Championships, which is widely regarded as the most prestigious debating tournament in the world. Since the competition began in 1981, three Singaporeans have won the "Best Speaker" crown: Li Shengwu (2009), Chitra Jenardhanan (1995) amd Tan Wu Meng (2003). All Asian winners of the "Best Speaker" crown have been from Singapore. Despite Singapore's small population of 5 million people, Singapore is ranked fourth in terms of "Best Speaker" winners; behind Australia, Canada and England.

Many international news agencies employ Singaporeans. Internationally known Singaporean news broadcasters include Lian Pek (CNN anchor, CNBC, Al jazeera). and Sharanjit Leyl(CBC,BBC).

Singapore has also produced a few renowned writers such as Dr Catherine Lim and Edwin Thumboo.

Other official languages in Singapore

English is one of Singapore's four official languages, along with Malay, Chinese and Tamil. The national language of Singapore is Malay for historical reason as Singapore was once part of the Johor Sultanate two centuries ago. However, most Singaporeans are unable to speak Malay. Only about 13.2% of Singaporeans are able to speak Malay. Unlike in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia where Malay is dominant, English is the dominant language in Singapore. All official signs, legislation and documents in Singapore are in English. English is also the medium of instruction in Singapore's education system.

See also

• Singapore English
• Standard Singapore English
• IPA chart for English dialects
• English Language
• Mandarin Chinese
• Papia Kristang
• Peranakans
• Singlish
• Singaporean Mandarin
• Singdarin
• Singaporean Hokkien
• Tamil Language
• Indian languages in Singapore