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.[1][2]
Singapore is a cosmopolitan city with 42% of its population foreign born.[3] Singaporeans, even those of the same ethnic group, have many different first languages and cultures. For example, within the Singaporean Chinese group, nearly a third speak English as their home language while almost half speak Mandarin as their home language and the rest speak various mutually unintelligible Chinese dialects as their home language[4] Due to these reasons, the English fluency level of residents in Singapore varies vastly from person to person.
Most reasonably educated Singaporeans do speak Singapore Standard English, alternatively known as Educated Singapore English, which, grammatically, is not different from standard British English, with variations being confined to accent and a few borrowed words, posing few challenges to any Anglophone.[5]
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Standard Singapore English is the standard form of English used in Singapore. Standard Singapore English follows British spelling[6] and grammar.[5] For example, the word "tyre" is used over "tire".[7] Shopping centres are named "centres" and not "centers". (E.g.: Raffles City Shopping Centre, Mustafa Centre and Paragon Shopping Centre).
Like in most Commonwealth countries, the accents of most well-educated Singaporeans who speak English as their native language approximates British Received Pronunciation (RP).[8]
The Standard Singaporean accent has always been equated with RP. However, in recent decades, a Standard Singaporean accent that is quite independent of any external standard, including RP, has emerged. A recent study by the National Institute of Education in Singapore suggests that a standard Singaporean pronunciation is emerging and is on the cusp of being standardised.[9]
Singaporean accents are largely non rhotic.
Singaporeans such as Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew, Ho Peng Kee, Edwin Thumboo etc. speak with an educated Singaporean accent.[10]
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 Pronunciation. 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.[11]
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.[12]
The Filipino accent is also commonly heard, due to the fact that there are many Filipino expatriates and low-cost workers living and working in Singapore in a variety of occupations.[13] 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.
Singlish is an English-based creole language[14] 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.[2]
Singlish has been used in several locally-produced movies, including such titles as Army Daze,[15] Mee Pok Man[16] and Talking Cock the Movie,[17] among others. Some local sitcoms, particularly the popular Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd,[18] also feature extensive use of 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. Those who are unable to speak Standard English are those uneducated Singaporeans, who are at an older age. But, most youngsters that are educated in Singapore can speak good Standard English when there is a need.
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[19] 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.[20]
Linguist David Yoong has put forward the argument that "Singaporeans who subscribe to Singlish and have a positive attitude towards the code see Singlish as a language that transcends social barriers" and that the language can be used to "forge rapport and, perhaps more importantly, the Singaporean identity".[14] 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".[21]
In 2010, there are these following groups of people in Singapore:[22]
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.
English is the second most commonly spoken language in Singaporean homes, the first being Mandarin Chinese.[4]
| Language most frequently spoken at home (%)[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language | 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| English | 18.8 | 23.0 | 29.4 | 32.3 |
| Mandarin Chinese | 23.7 | 35.0 | 36.0 | 35.6 |
| Other Chinese Languages | 39.6 | 23.8 | 18.2 | 14.3 |
| Malay | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.2 | 12.2 |
| Tamil | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
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.[23] 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.
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.[4] 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.[22]
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.[4]
English is one of Singapore's four official languages, along with Malay, Chinese and Tamil.[24] The national language of Singapore is Malay for historical reasons, as Singapore was part of the Johor Sultanate until the 19th century and was in union with Malaysia for a brief period in the 20th century. However, Malay is spoken today by only a minority of Singaporeans. Unlike in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia where Malay is dominant, English is now the dominant language in Singapore.[25] All official signs, legislation and documents in Singapore are required to be in English, although translations in the other official languages of Singapore are sometimes included. English is also the medium of instruction in Singapore's education system.[26]