Whenever you make a plan of exploring any country, it is essential to gain knowledge about each thing right from language to culture. Due to it, you will not face any problems while you travel. Moving to Singapore, Malay is its national language. Besides this, Singapore has four official languages that include English, Mandarin, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. The widely spoken language is English and the instruction mode of Singapore’s schools.
Singaporean always learned to be bilingual from their education system. The local schools of Singapore follow the Ministry of Education curriculum. As per the Ministry of Education Curriculum, English is the mode of instruction. The second language is also taught and it relies on the ethnic group of the individual student. The second language includes Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay.
Additionally, a unique and widely spoken language is Singlish. It is the colloquial form of the English. But, its accent is different and ignores all the basic standards of English grammar. There is a specific ratio of each language that is spoken by the population of Singapore. If you know English, you will not face any problems during your trip to Singapore.
Which language is most spoken in Singapore?
The below-mentioned table informs you about the different languages that are spoken in Singapore and their percentage too.
| Language | Percentage |
| English | 37% |
| Chinese Dialect | 13% |
| Mandairn | 35% |
| Malay | 10% |
| Tamil | 3% |
| Others | 2% |
Malay Language in Singapore:
Malay is official or you can say that national language. This language represents the reflection of its culture before the reach of the British in 1819. The national anthem of Singapore which is “Majulah Singapura” is also sung in Malay.
Before the arrival of the British in the early 19th century, Malay is considered Lingua Franca. It is because Malay was the major ethnic group in Singapore.
The Malay which is considered in Singapore is named the Bahasa Melayu. It is mostly spoken by the Malay Community. Malay which is spoken in Singapore is written in the Roman alphabet is named Rumi. Different variants of the Malay Language and various other dialects are spoken in nearby countries such as Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. Here we mention a few of the prominent Malay phrases that you can consider:
- Good Morning: Selamat Pagi
- Welcome: Selamat Datang
- How are you: Apa Khabar
- Thank You: Terima Kasih
The Mandarin Language in Singapore
Another official Chinese language of Singapore is known as Mandarin or Huayu. It is quite similar to China’s official Putongua that is based upon the Beijing Dialect. Not only this, Singapore considers the simplified form to write the Chinese words. Along with it, this language was actively pushed in the late 1970s for the purpose of overcoming the use of dialect among the other sub-ethnic group.
Besides this, the “Speak Mandarin” Campaign was introduced in 1979 and got the success in emphasizing the use of Mandarin as compared to dialect use. During the phase of this campaign, other regional dialects got banned and only Mandarin is used for television and radio.
The Chinese diaspora consists of three-quarters of the whole Singapore population and individuals who resides in the Southern part of China where the widely spoken dialects such as Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, and Hainanese. Besides this, here come the list of Mandarin phrases that foreigners must be aware about:
- Hello: Ni hao
- Goodbye: Zai Jian
- Thank You: Xie Xie
- Sorry: Dui bu qi
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The Tamil Language in Singapore
9.2 percentile population of Singapore is Indian as per the population census in 2010. Along with that, it was also found that around 76.7 percent of Indian use Tamil as their native language. Besides this Tamil was considered the official language in Singapore after the specific population of Indians from the state of Tamil Nadu region stay here.
Besides Tamil, there are various other languages spoken in Singapore in minority ratio Telugu, Sindhi, Punjabi, Kannada, Gujarati, and Malayalam. Along with this, here comes a few prominent Tamil Phrases which may be helpful for you if you exploring Singapore:
- Hello- Vanakkam
- Please- Tayavua Saydu
- Thank You: Nandri
- Sorry: Mannikavum
Singlish in Singapore
For the majority of us, Singlish is a unique word that we heard for the first time. It is a unique language of Singapore that is taken from English and words are taken from Malay, Tamil, and Hokkien. There is standardized grammar or a decent accent. In short, this language is more similar to a colloquial form of English. It has an enormous range of vocabulary.
The striking feature of this language is that it consists of mainly broken words. Additionally, you may face confusion in writing the formal letter in Singlish to your Employer. Not only this, but this unique language consists of distinct phonology. The true Singaporean associate with this language and state them as their unique identity.
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Bilingualism in Singapore:
The majority of Singaporeans can speak two languages. Firstly English has instructed language in schools and businesses. It is also their mother tongue corresponding to the government-registered face. Along with that, it is mandatory for learners to study in school.
Besides this, officially approved third language options are provided for scholars. These options include:
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- French
- Arabic
- German
- Spanish
- Bahasa
So these are official options that scholars can consider.
Linguistic Landscape you need to know:
You will be amazed to know that signs in Singapore are color-coded and differentiated by their functions:
- If you see the brown sign with white words, it indicates the attraction.
- When you see the green sign with white words, it points out road signs and street names.
With the signboards, you may get ideas about the streets, attractions, and many more.
Final Verdicts
Singapore is a prominent tourist destination and business hub that attracts people from across the globe. You will not only find diversity in languages but also diversity in culture. So, exploring Singapore will surely be a learning experience for you because you will learn about their culture and languages.
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