Languages of Singapore - English As The Main Language

English As The Main Language

Singapore English is an integral part of the Singaporean identity. It is regarded as the main language in Singapore, and is officially the main language of instruction in all the subjects except for mother tongue lessons in Singapore's education system. It is also the common language of the administration, and is promoted as an important language for international business. Spelling in Singapore follows the British system, due to the country's colonial past.

English was introduced to Singapore in 1819 when the British established a port and later a colony on the island. Under the colonial government, English gained prestige as the language of administration, law and business. As government administration increased, infrastructure and commerce developed, and access to education expanded producing a local English-speaking elite, English spread among Singaporeans. The visibility of English was also heightened through heavy usage by successful media outlets of the time.

When Singapore gained self-government in 1959 and independence in 1965, the local government decided to keep English as the main language to maximize economic benefits. Since English was rising as the global language for commerce, technology & science promoting it would expedite Singapore's development and integration into the global economy. Furthermore, the use of English as a lingua franca served to bridge the gap between the diverse ethnic groups in Singapore. This importance placed on English was reflected by Singapore schools switching to using only English as the medium of instruction. Between the early 1960s until the late 1970s, students registering for primarily English-medium schools jumped from 50% to 90%, as more parents chose to send their children to English-medium schools. Attendance at Mandarin, Malay and Tamil-medium schools consequently dropped and schools closed down. The Chinese-medium Nanyang University also made the change to using English as the medium of instruction despite meeting resistance, especially from the Chinese community.

There has been a steep increase in the use of the English language over the years. Education Minister Ng Eng Hen noted in December 2009 the increasing trend of Singaporeans with English as their home language. For children who started primary school in 2009, 60% of Chinese and Indian pupils as well as 35% of Malay pupils predominantly speak English at home. Overall, this means that 56% of Singaporean families with children in Primary school predominantly use English. English is the native language of 32% of Singaporeans, but has the largest number of speakers if second language speakers are included. Singlish, an English based creole language language with its own consistent rules and phonology, is also widely used on the island. However, usage of this language is discouraged by the local government, who favour Standard English.