Culture of Singapore - Languages

Languages

Further information: Languages of Singapore, Singapore English, and Singlish

Many Singaporeans though not all, are bilingual. Most speak English and another language, most commonly Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil or Singapore Colloquial English (Singlish).

English is the first language of Singapore. The standard form of English spoken in Singapore is Singapore Standard English, which uses British spellings and grammar. However, there is also a local dialect of English, Singlish, that is unique to Singapore, though it has close affinities with the Malaysian dialect known as Manglish.

Singapore is a multi-lingual nation and Singaporeans speak different languages as their first language. In 2005, 50% of Singaporeans speak Mandarin at home. 32% speak English at home and 12% speak Malay while 3% speak Tamil at home. Singaporeans who do not speak English as their home language normally speak it as their second language.

As part of the multi-cultural ethos of the nation, one language was also chosen to represent each of the four major ethnic or 'racial' groups. The 'national' language of Singapore is Bahasa Melayu. This is in recognition of the Malay people as the indigenous community in Singapore. 85% of Singaporeans do not speak Malay. Malay is used in the national anthem, national motto and military parade drill commands. Tamil is an official language as a majority of South Asians in Singapore are ethnic Tamils from India and Sri Lanka. While most Chinese Singaporeans are descendants of southern Chinese migrants who spoke a variety of regional languages, it is the northern Chinese language of Mandarin that is official in Singapore.

Language most frequently spoken at home (%)
Language	1990	2000	2005
English	18.8	23.0	29.4
Mandarin Chinese	23.7	35.0	36.0
Other Chinese Languages	39.6	23.8	18.2
Malay	14.3	14.1	13.2
Tamil	2.9	3.2	3.1