singapore english essay

singapore english essay

The Influence of Singapore English

1. Introduction

It is against this background that a detailed study of English in Singapore will indicate how the master/slave or core/periphery language relationships affect the language used in different social institutions such as the law, education, and social stratification. In today’s globalisation, it is not only the British who exert an influence over an overseas variety of English. Singapore English exerts a growing influence worldwide. This paper examines the various factors which influence the spread of this form of the English language. Singaporeans who take pride in their ability in the English language and who are interested in their variety of the language appeal to one or some of the following factors. Some take pride in their unique English personality or identity while most aim to gain a competitive advantage over other younger speakers. An understanding of these factors might lead to an insight into the motivation of university students to strive to improve their English conversational skills. The non-native speakers of this form of English further add to the number of the speakers, contributing to the spread of the language worldwide.

The development of Singapore English has interested many people, particularly because Singapore is a small country which is home to a mix of speakers of different races and religions, and in which transplanted Western institutions first took root during the 19th century. Through various programmes to attract investment and develop industries, Singapore has become one of the most admired and studied societies in East Asia. While in the midst of the problems of nation-building, the people of the society managed on the one hand to establish a bilingual education system with English and the ethnic language as coequal subjects, and on the other to unify the people by the following government policies: official procedures and characters of ethnic languages at the nation-building stage were dropped, the equal press licensing act for both English and ethnic language newspapers was abandoned, and so on. The people’s faith in the education policy and the strongly centralised political system has led to almost universal literacy in English in the society. This situation has given most users a feeling of confidence in their English language ability and a sense of ownership of the language itself.

2. History and Development

There is also no clear unified consensus as to how the language started to come to the attention of the Singapore populace. The exact date and circumstances are not recorded. There has been a realization that this is a local language together with the recognized features of the language. Although no one knows exactly how many people speak this language in Singapore, it is not wrong to assume that more than 4 million citizens of Singapore speak this language. The origin of this language is a person named Sir Thomas Stanford Ruffles. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826) was a British administrator and considered to be the modern founder of the City of Singapore. Stamford was sent by England to the British East India Company and the Helper, where he served as Lieutenant Governor, as well as a former Dutch colony administrator. In 1819, Raffles came to the island of Singapore and established a trading center for the British Empire. Under his administration, Singapore established itself as a multicultural center. He behaves as an advocate of ethnic, social, and religious freedom. As a language researcher, citizens have witnessed evidence of indicating that Raffles can speak and write in Malay. He is known for having the best artistic taste in contemporary languages; he published a number of articles of various grammatical features including Malayo English and numerous citations. He is also considered a gifted influence in the Indian Ocean trade. Taking into account the actions of the British India team, Raffles’s legacy to Singapore is far greater than that of his administration. Such a legacy has also affected the English spoken.

3. Characteristics of Singapore English

Words used can be classified as Singlish (colloquial) and Standard English. Singlish because it is not English, it’s a different language. Singaporean English, which refers to English as it is spoken in Singapore, is also referred to as Colloquial Singapore English or Singapore Colloquial English. It has also been called Good English. It is important to remember that people have different attitudes to these features. When using them, users may have no intention to discriminate or demean. Singlish is more than just bad English, it’s a completely separate language with its own flaws and systems whether anyone likes it or not.

Characteristics of Singapore English – There are many diverse publications that address various aspects of Singapore English. However, a comprehensive review of all these individual sources is beyond the scope of a single chapter. Instead, this chapter will provide an overview of the key distinctive features of Singapore English, explaining and exemplifying these features where appropriate. Errors in grammar and misuse of vocabulary items in Singaporean speech should not necessarily be attributed to Singlish. Similarly, good command of the English language does not necessarily entail the absence of Singlish features in one’s speech. Moreover, the inclusion of Singapore colloquial vocabulary in dictionaries led to a greater awareness of Singlish.

4. Impact on Society

Crucially, with the progressive spread of Singapore English to other medium of usage as predefined institutionalized functions, other than fostering a level of understanding and friends of the neighboring countries, Singapore enjoys facilitative communication with other groups of mutual interests or relevant specialized areas. A more desirable and appealing by-product also emerges with the overwhelming popularization of the English schools and growing prestige. The general public comes to perceive and comprehend enormous advantages, proper use, and efficiency that Singapore English brings about, attaining a functional position in the country. They are gradually benefiting from the raised status and quality of the English mode and other diverse institutions as well. Networking and exchange among universal linguistic groups living in Singapore start to thrive and foster a living spirit.

The emergence of Singapore English as a groundbreaking variety of the language has a profound influence on both local communities and English-speaking countries worldwide, bringing a spotlight on the unique characteristics, evolving norm, rich repertoire, and cultivation of linguistic features from inner circle, outer circle, and expanding circle region, notably involving the creation of diverse delivery systems and modes of platforms. On a domestic stage, the emergence of Singapore English as an overwhelmingly influential evolving standard and public medium of communication stirs an exciting movement towards linguistic tradition and creativity, encouraging the homogenization of language use and cultivation of language skills, which undergoes a peak in its progression and development in the highest point in history.

5. Conclusion

To use Singlish as the anthropological signifier of people who are making subjective sociopolitical and/or ethnic markers. In the final analysis, the manner and manner in which Singlish is used, in both its linguistic and its more abstract Philo, reveal the inherent tensions between the local and global pressures for Singaporeans to morph into the cosmopolitan vision propagated by the PAP. The Singaporean insistence on speaking Singlish in particular contexts is an indication that individuals remain ‘local’ (non-cosmopolitan), and that they are proud of this “localism.” Political theorists have observed the delicate state of internal sovereignty that the Singaporean government needs to maintain to enforce the diametrically opposed ideological pressure of maintaining the Singaporean “national identity” while promoting and functioning as a dominant global financial center.

This chapter has attempted to provide a comprehensive overview of the influence of the English language and the many facets of the social, cultural, and political ecology of Singapore in its promotion as a global city and, undoubtedly, the continuing rise of Singapore as a vehicular speech medium at the outset of the twenty-first century. English and Singlish are shown to be two linguistic registers that have emerged to negotiate the local and global as they intersect in this part of Southeast Asian and East African space. The impact of Singapore’s multilingual speech communities that are framed by a range of historical and political constructs is revealed to have a profound effect both on the way Singlish is everchanging and on how Singlish speakers use its various forms for particular social needs.