can english be a singaporean mother tongue?

2/28/2015 Can English be a Singaporean mother tongue? | TODAYonline

http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/can-english-be-singaporean-mother-tongue?singlepage=true 1/9

We set you thinkingSATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2015

Read the PDFprint edition

View all 63 comments

BY LUKE LU (/AUTHORS/LUKE-LU)PUBLISHED: 4:01 AM, JULY 15, 2013

(PAGE 1 OF 1) - PAGINATE (?PAGE=0)The debate some months ago regarding SMRT’sannouncement of station names in only English andMandarin threw up some interesting views.

Proponents raised arguments that there was nothingwrong in catering to the linguistic needs of elderlySingaporeans and Chinese tourists. Those in oppositioncontended that it neglected our Malay and Indiancommunities. Some groups wanted all four officiallanguages to be used. The incident was a microcosm ofdifferent groups in Singapore with competing linguisticinterests and ideologies.

Of course, the social and economic dominance of Englishin Singapore is not new. Both the Government andvarious groups have long been trying to reverse thedeclining use of mother tongue languages. However, forthe first time in our history, those who use and seeEnglish as their de facto mother tongue, are becoming the

commentary

Can English be a Singaporeanmother tongue?

(http://www.todayonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/photo_galler

y_image_lightbox/public/15646324_0.JPG?itok=bad-ORLg)

Surveys suggest that as younger Singaporeans grow up as native speakers of English, they

will increasingly claim ownership of English, with the language being core to their identity.

TODAY file photo

486Like Share 0 Tweet 15

SINGAPORE WEATHER 24° | 33° AIR QUALITY: PSI 41-54 LOGIN FOR PDF ARCHIVES Search...



majority of the population.

There are implications for all of us.

CONTRADICTIONS WITH POLICY

After two generations of the bilingual policy, manySingaporeans are increasingly using English as theirprincipal home language. This shift towards English isprevalent in all racial groups, but most apparent amongstyoung Chinese families. According to Ministry ofEducation figures, the proportion of Chinese studentsentering Primary 1 who speak predominantly English athome, rose from 36 per cent in 1994 to 50 per cent in2004.

At the same time, surveys suggest that as youngerSingaporeans grow up as native speakers of English (ie,English being the first language they acquire as a child),they will increasingly claim ownership of English, with thelanguage being core to their identity. This is not to saythat Singaporeans are becoming monolingual English-speakers — it simply suggests that many increasinglycount English, among other languages, as integral to theiridentity.

On one hand, we have Singaporeans who claim Englishas core to their sense of self. On the other, theGovernment’s official position is that English cannot beour mother tongue. While there might be someSingaporeans who can accommodate both ideas, not allcan or will do so.

Government rhetoric of how Mandarin, Malay or Tamil isa link to cultural heritage, rings hollow to those who havegrown up more accustomed to a Singaporean way of life.This is partially why educators face an uphill struggle intrying to interest young pupils in mother tongue learning.

These are challenging times for governments andindividuals who still view the links between language,culture and race as enduring and immutable.

Local academics generally agree that language policiesbased rigidly on ethnicity may appear increasinglyunsustainable. The bilingual policy need not change,though the justification for it will have to. This is in light ofa progressively diverse and cosmopolitan Singaporeanpopulation that does not fit conventional Chinese, Malayand Indian categories.

LINGUISTIC DIVIDES

The demographic trends also suggest that the linguisticand ideological divide is generational. OlderSingaporeans are the ones who tend to believe in theenduring links between one’s biological heritage andcultural practice.

This means that conflicts between groups of differinglinguistic interests and ideologies will decline inaggression and regularity. This is as linguistic practicesamong younger Singaporeans converge, and as weevolve a Singaporean identity that clings to English.

The current influx of new immigrants might have asubstantial impact on our linguistic and cultural ecology.Growing numbers of Mandarin-speaking immigrants will



View all 63 comments

(PAGE 1 OF 1) - PAGINATE (?PAGE=0)

boost flagging figures among Singapore-born speakers.

Even so, the public and state consensus thus far is that

new citizens should adapt to local linguistic practices, with

proficiency in English being of utmost importance. This to

avoid the development of linguistic enclaves, and prevent

segregation between new immigrants and other

Singaporeans.

‘NATIVE’ SPEAKERS?

There is, however, a substantial obstacle to our claim of

English as our mother tongue. The notion “native speaker

of English” is tied to particular nationalities and ethnicities

— that is, Anglo-Saxons — and this is still prevalent

throughout the world.

It is partially reinforced by our own Government’s rhetoric

of English as not mother tongue, as well as campaigns

such as the Speak Good English Movement that

contribute to our inferiority complex regarding English.

For instance, Singaporean students who apply to

universities in North America and the United Kingdom are

not exempt from submitting TOEFL and IELTS scores.

The requirement is automatically waived for

British/American “home” students or international

students from countries such as Australia. This is despite

the fact that Singaporean pupils consistently outperform

most nations (including the UK) in international tests in

English literacy and proficiency.

Those who argue that Singaporeans lack intelligibility in

spoken English must not have heard the British in their

“Cockney”, “Geordie” or “Brummie” dialects. Yet, these

are considered “native speakers of English”, while

Singaporeans are not.

Yes, many young Singaporeans grow up speaking

English, are more proficient in English than British

children, and are emotionally attached to the language.

Many Singaporeans can and do identify with English as

part of our selves, but this identity is constantly

undermined by a lack of institutional recognition (both

within and without Singapore).

Any prospect of developing a Singaporean “core” cannot

be realised without the acknowledgement of English as

one of our mother tongues. A step forward may be for

Singapore’s own language policies and official stance to

reflect our sociolinguistic reality. It is only then that we

may expect international acceptance.

Luke Lu is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Language,

Discourse and Communication, King’s College London

486Like Share 0 Tweet 15

Add a comment 63 comments

Neil Blonstein · Top Commenter · Long IslandUniversityThe choice is simple: a neutral language likeEsperanto, or endless ethnic conflict and war. Thevibes are all over the place. Mankind returns towar regularly, repeating history.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · November 15, 2013 at6:38pm

2



6:38pm

Shuyen Yeo · National Cheng Kung University看了這篇社論，新加坡國⼈人表⾯面上看似俱備雙語教育，但實際上，⼀一半的華族（約占70%全國⼈人⼝口）已把英⽂文當成⺟母語，在⽇日常⽣生活中，英語已成為他們的⽇日常溝通語⾔言。年輕⼀一代的國⼈人甚⾄至為此在質疑政府為何仍把新加坡視為⾮非英⽂文語系的國家（non-native English speaker）。直⾄至今⽇日，新加坡國⼈人若要去英美留學，仍需要考額IELTS或TOEFL。這是否意味著新加坡政府仍視⾃自⼰己國⼈人的英⽂文不夠⽔水準？是太過謙虛還是⾃自卑⼼心作祟？看來還真需要時間來證明了。.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 15, 2013 at5:28am

6

Netical Poly有⼀一种东⻄西叫过渡时期. Singapore in intransition.Reply · Like · July 15, 2013 at 4:38pm

Chris Lee · Top Commenter · National Universityof SingaporeYa, I don't understand how the governmentdecide that mandarin is the one to get everyone tolearn in school. Or is it the official language ofChina so we have to learn too. But the gov makedialects like a plague. And by English, what kind,not standard as most people, even graduates,speak terrible English which affects how theyexpress themselves.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · October 25, 2013 at10:26am

1

Lionel Proctor · Top CommenterYes quite silly actually. Indians are notall being made to learn Hindi justbecause it is the official language ofIndia. They should be teaching dialectsas mother tongue rather than Mandarinto Singaporean Chinese kids, or bothat least.Reply · Like · July 24, 2014 at 6:59am

Elizabeth PhuaI come from an English speaking family n havused English most of the time both in sch and atwork. But despite what d writer says, I hav neverfelt an emotional attachment to this language.Instead it is still Mandarin songs n poems that stillappeal d most to me n only my mother tongue cantug at my heartstrings. I still love d chatter ofMandarin n its dialects. While English shld bregarded as important as it is d common languagefor all races, it can never match up to d other 3mother tongues - Malay, Tamil n Mandarin. Theser our real mother tongues n they reflect more thenjust a language. They reflect our family, culture,etc.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 15, 2013 at5:54am

5

Liyan Chen · Top Commenter ·SingaporeMy fiancee's family is Peranakan. Theydo not speak Mandarin at home. It islame to expect everyone to fit intoCMIO categories.Reply · Like · July 26, 2013 at 5:20pm

Lionel Proctor · Top CommenterMandarin is not the mother tongue ofthe Singaporean Chinese. Dialects are!Reply · Like · · July 24, 2014 at 4:02am1

Allan Tan · Top CommenterMother tongue refers to your origins, not what youlearn or acquire, so it cannot be changed as youlike.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 15, 2013 at1:41pm

5

Allan Tan · Top CommenterHi,Mother simply means the language ofyour origin, in this case Chinese for theChinese, Malay for the Malay. Would aMalay suggest adopting anotherlanguage as mother tongue?Reply · Like · July 15, 2013 at 3:54pm



View 9 more

Reply · Like · July 15, 2013 at 3:54pm

Allan Tan · Top CommenterDictionary.com defines it as,the language first learned by a person;native language.Reply · Like · · July 15, 2013 at 3:56pm1

Allan Tan · Top Commenterusing a language does not mean it ismother tongue.Reply · Like · · July 15, 2013 at 4:16pm1

Walter Oh · · Top Commenter ·SingaporeRidiculous article with equally ridiculous content...For all practicality, Language is always attached torace. Which explains why International schoolseverywhere employ native speakers for Englishteachers and not based on merit such as linguisticability... And to clarify, by native speakers, theyrefer to Caucasians, never mind if they speakbroken English... lousy English, or English withglaring grammatical errors...Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 15, 2013 at6:59am

Follow

4

Allan Tan · Top CommenterThe writer does not understand themeaning of mother tongue.Reply · Like · · July 15, 2013 at 4:18pm1

Lionel Proctor · Top CommenterA native speaker of English would bean Anglo-Saxon and not just anyCaucasianReply · Like · · July 24, 2014 at 7:01am1

Michelle Yang · SingaporeIt's not true that older people are the ones who'tend to believe in the enduring links betweenbiological heritage and cultural practice'. In fact inthe old days people adapted to the practices ofwhatever village they found themselves in,whether they had migrated there or were adoptedor whatever.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 17, 2013 at12:32pm

3

Teck Heng Tan · · SingaporeAgreeing with your comment.Reply · Like · July 17, 2013 at 12:35pm

Follow

Han Ming Guang · Top Commenter · LoyangSecondary SchoolIf anything, my pet peeve has always been theword native speaker. I use English as my firstlanguage, I use it daily in my life, I write with it,speak with etc and yet I'm not considered a nativespeaker due to my citizenship and possibly thecolor of my skin...Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 16, 2013 at2:57am

3

Han Ming Guang · Top Commenter ·Loyang Secondary SchoolJust to add on, maybe what ourMother Tongue is, should be decidednot by the government but byourselvesReply · Like · · July 16, 2013 at 3:00am1

Li YongCompletely true. Those who advocatemother tongues as Chinese, Malay andTamil fail to understand that these"mother tongues" do not necessarylink us to our roots. My grandparentsare Peranakans and I have Muslimgreat-grandparents yet I learn Chinesebecause of my skin colourReply · Like · · July 16, 2013 at 5:52am1

Thomas Tyrone Beiron Tay · · TopCommenter · Public Relations & CommunicationsSavant at Self Employed and Loving It!

Follow



Savant at Self Employed and Loving It!The policy of bilingualism has always been Englishplus one. I personally long regarded English as mymother tongue, not even as an adopted mothertongue, but mainly because it served that functionof satisfying my intellectual curiosity and nurturedmy being in all ways. As for my other culturalinfluences, these stem from religious faith, thenethnic culture. I don't think there's a need for allSingaporeans to wholly agree to the semantics ofpolicy as long as we accept and understand itslimitations and functions.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 15, 2013 at2:59am

3

Soh Xiao Ting Aerin · Belfast, United KingdomI do consider English my mother tongue, despitenever having learnt a word of it till I was four. I wasfortunate to be taught it by native speakers andcan speak "well" enough to pass for British, if notstrictly English. I've read the classics: Tolstoy,Saki, Dickens, Dostoevsky, etc. However, it isSingaporean (Standard) English rather thanQueen's English that I feel the most attached to - Ican talk like the British, but I would not be me if Icouldn't wax lyrical about the virtues of laksa andnasi lemak. I would not be Singaporean if I werenot kiasu. I do not have the accent quite right but Ihave the vocabulary. That is our English.

On another note, I do believe that publicannouncements should cater for the needs of ourelderly, who may be less bilingual than theyounger generation. However, I would hope thatthis consideration be extended to all languagecommunities. Even I, an ethnic Chinese, chafesomewhat at the sudden explosion of mainlandChinese within our borders (although I think theyare admirable people!). I think havingannouncements in all four national languages willbe an appropriate reminder of our diversity andSingaporean identity.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 17, 2013 at6:26pm

2

Lionel Proctor · Top CommenterHope you realise that Leo Tolstoy andFyodor Dostoevsky were Russianliterary figures and their works werenot originally written in English. Btw ifyou want your public serviceannouncements to truly cater to theelderly Chinese people of Singapore, itshould be in dialects rather thanMandarinReply · Like · · Edited · July 24, 2014 at4:13am

2

H.h. Tan · · Top CommenterLionel Proctor,Well said...!You're in full awareness in yourunderstanding in languages...Reply · Like · · July 24, 2014 at 4:31am

Follow

1

Soh Xiao Ting Aerin · Belfast, UnitedKingdomLionel Proctor Yes, thank you forpointing that out, it was anunforgivable oversight. Mygrandparents are Mandarin-speakingbut I imagine that is not the case formost. I am learning Russian at themoment and hope someday to be ableto read those works in the language inwhich they were written.Reply · Like · · July 26, 2014 at 1:45pm2

Bryan Tan · Top Commenter · SingaporeWhat's ironic is that our education system is builton the premise of English being a first language.The fact that it still remains a second language toa majority of them is what I think is the reason whysome have such great difficulty achievingacademic success.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 15, 2013 at1:56am

2

Aaron Mak · · SingaporeI have always maintained that Englishis my mother tongue. I learn Mandarinsolely because it is my ethnic orcultural tongue and even then, that'snot really true: it's Cantonese.

Follow



View 2 more

not really true: it's Cantonese.Reply · Like · · July 15, 2013 at 7:33am7

Yuen Weng Soon · Top Commenter ·CEPAV - COLÉGO PADRE ANTONIOVIEIRAAaron Mak I cannot agree with youmore. Mandarin is just another foreignanguage in my family as both myparents are Cantonese speakers andwe still communicate in English (oraland written) and Cantonese (oral).Mandarin as my mother tongue? It isonly government proopaganda orwishful thinking!Reply · Like · · July 19, 2013 at 7:44pm4

H.h. Tan · · Top CommenterYuen Weng Soon ,Please be careful about yourremarks...!!!Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien,Teochew, Hainanese, Kek, ... etc. areall the languages (or dialects) ofChinese. Which dialect or language isyour mother tongue is arising fromyour ancestry and lineage which youare deriving from...Reply · Like · · July 31, 2013 at 2:44pm

Follow

1

LY Tan

Equating a mother tongue to a certain Nationalityseems to have over-simplified the entire situation,especially when it involves countries with multi-cultural and multi-ethnic population. We cansimply say the Japanese language is the mothertongue of Japanese, as per se Korean, where themajority of population is made up of sameancestry. However, can we say the same for manyothers, including the likes of America? AskAmericans who are ethnic Mexican, Spaniards etcwhat's their mother tongue. Chances are manywill reply its Mexican or Spanish.Reply · Like · Follow Post · August 23, 2013 at 10:53am

Keok Ngee Sim · Top Commenter · Works at AUOptronicsWho are you? Are u American, British, Irish andetc.Reply · Like · · Follow Post · July 15, 2013 at4:30am

1

H.h. Tan · · Top CommenterAnyone here knows about Singlish?Reply · Like · Follow Post · August 1, 2013 at 4:54am

Follow

H.h. Tan · · Top Commenter智者⽆无⾔言，⾔言者⽆无智！Reply · Like · August 4, 2013 at 2:48am

Follow

H.h. Tan · · Top CommenterThose, excluding the Englishmen, who wantEnglish to be their Mother Tongue are thosePEOPLE who have lost their ROOTS or No Root..忘本⽆无根的⼀一族看到有胡须的⼈人都是他们的 “⽼老窦”。注： “⽼老窦” = ⽗父亲。.Reply · Like · Follow Post · July 16, 2013 at 2:06pm

Follow

Yuen Weng Soon · Top Commenter ·CEPAV - COLÉGO PADRE ANTONIOVIEIRACheck your history... TheBritish/English have never been asobsessed as the French into turningeverybody outside their borders intoEnglishmen. This is the reason for thewide diversity of spoken English today.Alternatively being able to write theChinese script does not automaticallyqualify you as a Mandarin speaker orMandarin as your mother tongue.There are millions of people who canread and write Chinese who do nothave Mandarin (a Beijing dialect) astheir mother tongue. People should notconfuse Chinese with Mandarin.Reply · Like · · July 19, 2013 at 7:53pm2



Promoted Stories

Recommended by

Inside Today

View 7 more

Facebook social plugin

View 5 more

H.h. Tan · · Top Commenter

Yuen Weng Soon

Singaporeans are growing up in a

multicultural, multilingual society, all

speaking the international language of

commerce and trade, English, and

their mother tongues, Chinese, Malay,

Tamil and others, as their second

languages.

Reply · Like · July 26, 2013 at 5:06am

Follow

Liyan Chen · Top Commenter ·

Singapore

H.h. Tan,

Please go tell Eurasians and

Peranakans that "they have no roots"

and see how they react. If your roots

matter so much, then go back to your

"hometown" to seek them.

Reply · Like · · July 26, 2013 at 5:28pm2

AFAR

The Best Hotels

In New York

City

(http://www.afar.com/highlights/luxury-hotel-in-the-heart-of-manhattan?

WORLD

(/WORLD)

Russian opposition

leader Nemtsov

shot dead in

Moscow

(/world/russian-opposition-leader-boris-nemtsov-shot-dead-moscow-government)

BUSINESS

(/BUSINESS)

Exclusive: Chicago

nears fiscal free

(/business/exclusive-chicago-rating-downgrade-could-end-swaps-deals-moodys)

SPORTS

(/SPORTS)

Yokohama deal

gives Blues

spending power

(/sports/yokoha

(/sports/yokohama-deal-gives-blues-spending-power)

ENTERTAINMENT

(/ENTERTAINME

NT)

S’pore theatre:

Staging a

comeback

(/entertainment/

arts/spore-

theatre-staging-

comeback)

State of the Arts:

Feb 21 to 28

(/entertainment/

arts/state-

arts/state-arts-

feb-21-28)



ABOUT TODAY APPS NEWS ALERT RSS SITEMAP SYNDICATION CONTACT US ADVERTISE WITH US TERMS & CONDITIONS ABOUT MEDIACORP

Copyright 2015 © MediaCorp Press Ltd. All Rights Reserved. MediaCorp News Group

(/world/russian-

opposition-

leader-boris-

nemtsov-shot-

dead-moscow-

government)

U.S. begins vetting

Syrian rebels for

military training:

Pentagon

(/world/us-

begins-vetting-

syrian-rebels-

military-training-

pentagon)

Libyan aircraft

crashes near

Tunisian border:

state news agency

(/world/libyan-

aircraft-crashes-

near-tunisian-

border-state-

news-agency)

Putin condemns

opposition leader's

killing, says may be

contract killing

(/world/putin-

condemns-

opposition-

leaders-killing-

says-may-be-

contract-killing)

U.S. bill links Hong

Kong economic

privileges to

autonomy

(/world/us-bill-

links-hong-kong-

economic-

privileges-

autonomy)

fall with latest

downgrade

(/business/exclusi

ve-chicago-

rating-

downgrade-

could-end-swaps-

deals-moodys)

Lockheed,

Sikorsky venture

awarded $2.0

billion helicopter

support deal

(/business/lockhe

ed-sikorsky-

venture-

awarded-20-

billion-

helicopter-

support-deal)

Dudley, top U.S.

economists urge

later Fed rate hike

(/business/dudley

-top-us-

economists-urge-

later-fed-rate-

hike)

Former AIG head

Benmosche dies;

led insurer after

bailout

(/business/forme

r-aig-head-

benmosche-dies-

70)

Global stocks fall

on mixed data; oil

rebounds

(/business/japane

se-stocks-15-

year-peak-dollar-

firm-after-data-

boost)

ma-deal-gives-

blues-spending-

power)

Van Persie’s injury

may hand Falcao a

lifeline

(/sports/van-

persies-injury-

may-hand-falcao-

lifeline)

Ultra-marathon

duo aim to

complete 2,500km

in 50 days to mark

SG50

(/sports/ultra-

marathon-duo-

aim-complete-

2500km-50-

days-mark-sg50)

Tax a struggle for

footballers like

Cannavaro

(/sports/tax-

struggle-

footballers-

cannavaro)

Safuwan scores

first Melbourne

City goal

(/sports/safuwan-

scores-first-

melbourne-city-

goal)

Pets Tseng’s

seven-year wait

(/entertainment/

music/pets-

tsengs-seven-

year-wait)

Pets Tseng: The

seven-year wait

(/entertainment/

music/pets-

tseng-seven-

year-wait)

Madonna says she

hit her head, got

whiplash in Brits

stage tumble

(/entertainment/

celebrity/madonn

a-says-she-hit-

her-head-got-

whiplash-brits-

stage-tumble)

can english be a singaporean mother tongue?

Documents