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7. Uncertain locale

The dialectics of space and the cultural politics of English in Singapore
  • Robbie B.H. Goh
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The Politics of English
This chapter is in the book The Politics of English

Abstract

The role and place of English in Singapore is shaped by a number of key cultural factors, including the nation’s colonial legacy, its multi-racial and multi-lingual society (and how this is handled by government policy), the push to position Singapore as a global city attracting transnational capital and flows of talent, and similar issues. These factors combine to create cultural tensions between language and race identifiers (for example, being of Chinese ethnic origin, being a recent arrival from China, speaking Chinese dialects, and speaking the Mandarin Chinese endorsed by the government), between different racial-linguistic communities (for example, Anglophone Singaporeans and speakers predominantly of Asian languages), and the peculiar tensions between varieties of “standard” English affiliated to global cultural flows (American media, living and studying in the U.K. or Australia) and the local variety known as “Singlish” that is affiliated with a localized (and especially everyman or underclass) Singapore identity. An account of English vis-à-vis the cultural landscape of Singapore thus also becomes an account of the geopolitics of identity and culture, as Singapore attempts to come to terms with global flows and competitions.

Abstract

The role and place of English in Singapore is shaped by a number of key cultural factors, including the nation’s colonial legacy, its multi-racial and multi-lingual society (and how this is handled by government policy), the push to position Singapore as a global city attracting transnational capital and flows of talent, and similar issues. These factors combine to create cultural tensions between language and race identifiers (for example, being of Chinese ethnic origin, being a recent arrival from China, speaking Chinese dialects, and speaking the Mandarin Chinese endorsed by the government), between different racial-linguistic communities (for example, Anglophone Singaporeans and speakers predominantly of Asian languages), and the peculiar tensions between varieties of “standard” English affiliated to global cultural flows (American media, living and studying in the U.K. or Australia) and the local variety known as “Singlish” that is affiliated with a localized (and especially everyman or underclass) Singapore identity. An account of English vis-à-vis the cultural landscape of Singapore thus also becomes an account of the geopolitics of identity and culture, as Singapore attempts to come to terms with global flows and competitions.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. 1. Language policies, language ideologies and local language practices 1
  5. Part I. South Asia
  6. 2. The politics of Hinglish 21
  7. 3. Globalization and multilingualism 37
  8. 4. Kaduva of privileged power, instrument of rural empowerment? 61
  9. 5. The interface of language, literature and politics in Sri Lanka 81
  10. Part II. Southeast Asia
  11. 6. Governing English in Singapore 105
  12. 7. Uncertain locale 125
  13. 8. The encroachment of English in Malaysian cultural expression 145
  14. 9. “They think speaking in English isn’t good, you know” 167
  15. 10. The grip of English and Philippine language policy 187
  16. 11. Nimble tongues 205
  17. Part III. Asia Pacific
  18. 12. English vs. English conversation 227
  19. 13. Language policy and practice in English loanwords in Japanese 249
  20. 14. English speakers in Korea 269
  21. 15. English, class and neoliberalism in South Korea 287
  22. 16. Conclusion 303
  23. Contributors 317
  24. Index 321
https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.4.10goh

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. 1. Language policies, language ideologies and local language practices 1
  5. Part I. South Asia
  6. 2. The politics of Hinglish 21
  7. 3. Globalization and multilingualism 37
  8. 4. Kaduva of privileged power, instrument of rural empowerment? 61
  9. 5. The interface of language, literature and politics in Sri Lanka 81
  10. Part II. Southeast Asia
  11. 6. Governing English in Singapore 105
  12. 7. Uncertain locale 125
  13. 8. The encroachment of English in Malaysian cultural expression 145
  14. 9. “They think speaking in English isn’t good, you know” 167
  15. 10. The grip of English and Philippine language policy 187
  16. 11. Nimble tongues 205
  17. Part III. Asia Pacific
  18. 12. English vs. English conversation 227
  19. 13. Language policy and practice in English loanwords in Japanese 249
  20. 14. English speakers in Korea 269
  21. 15. English, class and neoliberalism in South Korea 287
  22. 16. Conclusion 303
  23. Contributors 317
  24. Index 321
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