Language, Society, and Education in Singapore

Language, Society, and Education in Singapore
Author: Saravanan Gopinathan
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Academic
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2003
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9789812102614

While changes in the demographic, economic, socio-political, linguistic and educational aspects of life in Singapore in the last fifteen years have been fairly well-documented, there is clearly a need for a state-of-the-art volume on the interrelationship of developments in language, society and education in Singapore. This book not only deals with English, but also with Chinese, Malay and Tamil, Singapore's otherofficial languages. It draws upon empirical research carried out in the last decade in Singapore and examines the subject from a range of perspectives, including that of classroom pedagogy, as well as the language needs of both the school-going population and working adults.

The Step-tongue

The Step-tongue
Author: Anthea Fraser Gupta
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 248
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9781853592294

In Singapore, multilingualism is the norm, and English (often the local variety) is widely acquired and used. This book examines the social and historical context of children's English in Singapore, and traces the development of four Singaporean children who have English as a native language. The implications for education and speech therapy are discussed.

The Culture of Singapore English

The Culture of Singapore English
Author: Jock Wong
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2014-06-12
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1107033241

A semantic, pragmatic and cultural interpretation of Singapore English, offering a fascinating glimpse of Singaporean life.

Multilingual Singapore

Multilingual Singapore
Author: Ritu Jain
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1000386929

This volume brings together researchers whose analysis and insights provide a comprehensive and up-to-date account of Singapore’s rich linguistic diversity. Applying a combination of descriptive, empirical, and theoretical approaches, the authors investigate not only official languages such as English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil, but also minority languages such as the Chinese vernaculars and South Asian and Austronesian languages. The chapters in this volume trace the historical development, contemporary status, and functions of these languages, as well as potential scenarios for the future. Exploring the tension between language policies and linguistic realities in Singapore, the contributions in this volume capture the shifting educational, political, and societal priorities of the community through its past and contemporary present.

The Singlish Controversy

The Singlish Controversy
Author: Lionel Wee
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2018-01-25
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 1316859517

Singlish is the colloquial variety of English spoken in Singapore. It has sparked much public debate, but so far the complex question of what Singlish really is and what it means to its speakers has remained obscured. This important work explores some of the socio-political controversies surrounding Singlish, such as the political ideologies inherent in Singlish discourse, the implications of being restricted to Singlish for those speakers without access to standard English, the complex relationship between Singlish and migration, and the question of whether Singlish is an asset or a liability to Singaporeans. These questions surrounding Singlish illustrate many current issues in language, culture and identity in an age of rapid change. The book will be of interest to scholars and advanced students of World Englishes and sociolinguistics. Its detailed analysis of the Singlish controversy will illuminate broader questions about language, identity and globalization.

Language and Society

Language and Society
Author: Andrew Simpson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2019-01-02
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0190940204

Language and Society is a broad introduction to the interaction of language and society, intended for undergraduate students majoring in any academic discipline. The book discusses the complex socio-political roles played by large, dominant languages around the world and how the growth of major national and official languages is threatening the continued existence of smaller, minority languages. As individuals adopt new ways of speaking, many languages are disappearing, others are evolving into hybrid languages with distinctive new forms, and even long-established languages are experiencing significant change, with young speakers creating novel expressions and innovative pronunciations. Making use of a wide range of case studies selected from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, Andrew Simpson describes and explains key factors causing language variation and change which relate to societal structures and the expression of group and personal identity. The volume also examines how speakers' knowledge of language acts as an important force controlling access to education, advances in employment and the development of social status. Additional topics discussed in the volume focus on the global growth of English, gendered patterns of language use, and the influence of language on perception.

The Handbook of Asian Englishes

The Handbook of Asian Englishes
Author: Kingsley Bolton
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 928
Release: 2020-09-14
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1118791657

The first volume of its kind, focusing on the sociolinguistic and socio-political issues surrounding Asian Englishes The Handbook of Asian Englishes provides wide-ranging coverage of the historical and cultural context, contemporary dynamics, and linguistic features of English in use throughout the Asian region. This first-of-its-kind volume offers a wide-ranging exploration of the English language throughout nations in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Contributions by a team of internationally-recognized linguists and scholars of Asian Englishes and Asian languages survey existing works and review new and emerging areas of research in the field. Edited by internationally renowned scholars in the field and structured in four parts, this Handbook explores the status and functions of English in the educational institutions, legal systems, media, popular cultures, and religions of diverse Asian societies. In addition to examining nation-specific topics, this comprehensive volume presents articles exploring pan-Asian issues such as English in Asian schools and universities, English and language policies in the Asian region, and the statistics of English across Asia. Up-to-date research addresses the impact of English as an Asian lingua franca, globalization and Asian Englishes, the dynamics of multilingualism, and more. Examines linguistic history, contemporary linguistic issues, and English in the Outer and Expanding Circles of Asia Focuses on the rapidly-growing complexities of English throughout Asia Includes reviews of the new frontiers of research in Asian Englishes, including the impact of globalization and popular culture Presents an innovative survey of Asian Englishes in one comprehensive volume Serving as an important contribution to fields such as contact linguistics, World Englishes, sociolinguistics, and Asian language studies, The Handbook of Asian Englishes is an invaluable reference resource for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and instructors across these areas. Winner of the 2021 PROSE Humanities Category for Language & Linguistics

Understanding Singapore Society

Understanding Singapore Society
Author: Jin Hui Ong
Publisher:
Total Pages: 674
Release: 1997
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

Collectively, the essays in the volume paint a comprehensive portrait of the evolving Singapore society through an examination of 1 its fundamental social structure and the sources of social division in terms of class, ethnicity, gender and culture; 2 its basic social institutions - religion, politics, marriage and the family - and their interconnections; and 3 the policies relating to and consequences of its key social, economic and developmental processes - industrialization, urbanization and community development, and demographic changes. Understanding Singapore Society is geared to a wide audience. For the general readers, it makes available a broad range of sociological writings which would contribute to public discourse on social and cultural issues in Singapore. For students or undergraduates, the collection offers local data and findings from which to understand Singapore society and learn Sociology through examples drawn from the Singapore context. Needless to say, the volume can also serve as a source-book to graduate students and researchers (especially those from other cultures) seeking to build up an understanding of the theoretical perspectives, hypotheses and new ideas generated in the Asian context in general, and Singapore in particular.