Language use in Singapore : the case of Singlish and English

Language is a tool that most individuals use everyday for communication. The language(s) that individuals grow up learning and using are more often than not dictated by external factors such as the state’s language planning. This is the case in Singapore, where language planning has played a highly...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lin, YuTing
Other Authors: Sam Han
Format: Final Year Project
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73673
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:Language is a tool that most individuals use everyday for communication. The language(s) that individuals grow up learning and using are more often than not dictated by external factors such as the state’s language planning. This is the case in Singapore, where language planning has played a highly important role in its nation bulding. The four official languages — English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil — were the outcome of a deliberate selection process that gave precedence to economic prosperity and social stability for the nation. Despite immense effort by the government, language policies have given birth to Singlish — what is commonly defined as a colloquial form of Standard English — when put in practice. With some in support and some showing disapproval of the local vernacular, this paper seeks to explore Singaporeans’ attitudes towards Standard English and Singlish, and how they use these languages in social interactions.