ISSUE 1
AUGUST 2021
A Look Back At A Look Back At is a publication that aims to uncover Singapore's past.
A Look Back At
u g a n l i l P i o B l icy e h T If we were monolingual in our mother tongues, we would not make a living. Becoming monolingual in English would have been a setback. We would have lost our cultural identity, that quiet confidence about ourselves and our place in the world. Mr Lee Kuan Yew (2000)
What is the Bilingual Policy?
In 1966, the bilingual policy was implemented, in which all students were required to study English and a ‘Mother Tongue’ in schools. In addition, annual campaigns are held to promote the learning and speaking of mother tongue languages as well as to encourage the use of grammatically correct English among Singaporeans. The bilingual policy entails an emphasis on using English and the mother tongue languages, particularly that of the three main ethnic groups: Mandarin for the Chinese, Malay for the Malay community and Tamil for the Indians. English was to become Singapore’s working language, while the mother tongue would serve to strengthen an individual’s values and sense of cultural belonging. What has changed since the implementation of the bilingual policy?
Present-day Singaporeans have a better grasp in both their English and mother tongue languages than 50 years ago, when the bilingual policy was first implemented. This is because the policy did not result
in high levels of English proficiency overnight, so Singaporeans of the older generation did not have a strong foundation in either languages, especially English. But over the years, there has been a drastic improvement in the rate of literacy, as a result, the younger generation possessed a much higher proficiency in both languages as compared to the older generation. In 1970, the percentages of literacy in both English and Chinese, English and Malay, and English and Tamil were merely 11.8%, 34.7%, and 19.1% respectively. However, in 2000, these percentages significantly increased to 48.3%, 76.7%, and 37.5% respectively. What contributed to these changes?
The increase in bilingual proficiency can be attributed to three main factors: firstly, immersion in an environment where people speak both languages, especially English, well; secondly, support from workplaces and schools; and lastly, government language campaigns. The increased exposure to English-medium popular culture, especially from English-speaking countries like the US, through media such as television programming, music, and movies is due to the
overwhelming dominance of English in present-day Singapore, giving the language a higher social appeal among youths, and causing them to experience a strong desire to socially conform to their environment thus creating a strong affinity [1] with the language. Singapore’s highly globalised economy also necessitated exposure of our workforce to communicating in formal English across a variety of professional settings, increasing the proficiency of the English language in the workforce. Similarly, the use of English as the language of instruction for all subjects except for Mother Tongue language classes in all schools by 1987, together with the demise of vernacular schools during the 1970s and 1980s, contributed to the increase in proficiency in the English language in educational institutions. On top of that, language campaigns also played a vital role in promoting bilingualism among Singaporeans. For example, the Promote Mandarin Council led the Speak Mandarin Council in 1979 to promote the use of Mandarin, in place of the varying dialects used by a substantial portion of the Chinese population in Singapore at the time. Chinesedialect programmes on air were also phased out and
replaced by programmes that were dubbed in Chinese. How have these changes affected Singapore?
Because of Singapore’s status as an official multilingual state, proficiency in English broke down the language barrier that previously deterred Singaporeans of different ethnic groups from interacting with each other as English served as a neutral medium for interethnic communication. Moreover, proficiency in English brought Singapore the international trade, investment, and Western science and technology that it desperately needed for greater technological and economic advancements. Besides serving an economic function, English has also given Singaporeans the ability to access, understand and appreciate the culture, literature and dramas of not just AngloSaxon [2] countries, but also other societies that have been translated into English. On the other hand, proficiency in mother tongue has allowed Singaporeans to preserve their cultural heritage and gave them a crucial part of their values, roots and identity. However, in recent years, mother tongue has shifted from only being primarily viewed as a marker of cultural identity due to the emerging
globalising orientation. Proficiency in mother tongue has given Singaporeans an extra edge [3] in penetrating the fast-growing Asian markets [4] during this emergence of a new Asian community, which ultimately gives Singapore a huge economic boost. “We are seeing the emergence of a new Asian community, including India, China and Northeast Asia, and Southeast Asia … Our mother tongue languages will play a vital role in ensuring that Singapore is plugged into these networks, and serves as a hub in this evolving Asian economic community.” Ministry of Education (2002) Conclusion
The bilingual policy has allowed Singaporeans to possess a higher bilingual proficiency, which can be attributed to three main factors: firstly, immersion in an environment where people speak both languages, especially English, well; secondly, support from workplaces and schools; and lastly, government language campaigns. The impact that bilingualism had on Singapore was significant. Proficiency in English broke down the language barrier between the various ethnic groups, opened Singapore to international trade and investment for economic and technological advancements, and introduced Singaporeans to western culture and literature. On the other hand, proficiency in mother tongue languages brought Singaporeans closer to their cultural roots, and served as a huge economic boost, putting Singapore at an advantage when doing trade with fast-growing Asian countries like China. Anglo-Saxon:
Word
Bank: 1
affinity:
a natural liking for and understanding of someone or something.
2
of English descent.
3
to give an edge:
to give somebody an advantage 4
market:
an area or arena in which commercial dealings are conducted.
References Dr. L. Quentin Dixon. (2005). Bilingual Education Policy in Singapore: An Analysis of its Sociohistorical Roots and Current Academic Outcomes. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download? doi=10.1.1.499.3704&rep=rep1&type=pdf Ministry of Education. (2016, January 6). Percentage of PSLE students Who Scored A*- C, By Subject. Retrieved August 18, 2021, from https://data.gov.sg/dataset/percentage-of-psle-students-who-scored-a-c-by-subject Zhi Han, T., Shanthini, S., Melvin, T., & Mathews, M. (2020, June). LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, IDENTITY & MANAGEMENT: RESULTS FROM THE IPS SURVEY ON RACE, RELIGION & LANGUAGE. IPS Exchange Series Number 15. https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/docs/default-source/ips/ips-exchange-series-15.pdf Tan, C., & Ng, P. T. (2011). Functional differentiation: A critique of the bilingual policy in Singapore. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 4(3), 331-341. https://repository.nie.edu.sg/bitstream/10497/17829/1/JAPP-4-3-331.pdf Kah Hong, T. (2021, August 15). Personal Interview regarding the bilingual policy. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r71HEqlutbXOBuCq3-a0roJKE4r7tNinZsuvRwj1MrU/edit? usp=sharing
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