Singapore and the English language
By Puk Rasmussen
Singapore is a great country, containing many different kinds of people - and therefore also many different languages. The country has 4 official languages; English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. In some households three different languages are being spoken. Even though Singapore has 4 official languages, it’s most common language is English. It’s for example primarily being used in schools, for business and by the government. 80% of all Singaporeans can read and speak English and it various from standard British English (Standard Singaporean English) to another kind of Singaporean English called ‘Singlish’. ‘Singlish’ is being criticised by the Government because of its difference. This criticism led to a launch of a national campaign called “The Speak Good English Movement” in the year 2000. |
The history of the English language in Singapore begins in 1819 with the British colonisation of Singapore. This was happening from 1819 to 1965 – the year Singapore retrieved their independence. Because English had been the language of the colonial government and it, among other things, had evolved through the schools, the local government decided to keep English as the main language after the retrieval of independence. This was decided in order to make singapore a bigger economical powered country in the future. It has later on helped Singapore evolve faster and has integrated the country in the global economy. |