Singlish

Singapore English has its origins in the schools of colonial Singapore. In the nineteenth century very few children went to school at all, and even fewer were educated in English. The people who spoke English and sent their children to English medium schools were mainly the Europeans, the Eurasians (people of mixed racial ancestry), some of the small minorities, such as the Jews, some of the Indians and Ceylonese, and also a group of Chinese people usually called the Straits Chinese, who had ancestors of long residence in the region, and who spoke a variety of Malay usually called Baba Malay which was influenced by Hokkien Chinese and by Bazaar Malay.

The fact that all these children would have known Malay probably explains why most of the loan words in Singapore Colloquial English are from Malay. The largest group of teachers was Eurasians, and there were also many teachers from Ceylon and India. European teachers were never more than a quarter of the total teaching staff in a school, and they usually taught the senior classes. These Europeans may have been from Britain but were also from the USA, Belgium and France. The children in these schools would have been exposed to many varieties of English.

Singlish or Singapore  English  is  the most commonly spoken language  in  Singapore.  Though English  is one of the  most  commonly spoken language  in the world, you may  still find it a little difficult to understand  the English  spoken  in  Singapore. The reason behind this  is  that you may  find a number of terms, words and phrases  from the  locally spoken languages.

Almost everyone in Singapore speaks more than one language, with a lot of people speaking three or four. Most children grow up bilingual from childhood and learn additional languages as they grow up. As expected the presence of other languages has prejudiced the English in Singapore. The influence is especially obvious in the kind of English that is used informally, which is popularly called Singlish. Singlish is a symbol of identity for many Singaporeans.

Singapore Languages

Singapore is one of the well known tourist destination of Southeast Asia. The country is home to a number of ethnicities.  These people have their own culture, practices and language.  hence  being a  multi-ethnical  country  Singapore has  a  number of  languages   as the  main  languages of the country.
The four official languages of Singapore are Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English. English is the most common language used and is the language which unites the different ethnic groups. Children are taught in English at school but also learn their mother tongue to make sure they don't lose contact with their traditions.

Expatriates and foreigners may encounter language problems in the beginning of their stay in Singapore as many Singaporeans use Singlish to communicate. Singlish is a mix of English with other languages mixed into the English, sometimes phrases can end with funny terms like 'lah', 'leh', mah'. Chinese commonly use their own dialects to communicate, and sometimes, inter-dialect groups don't understand one another's language, as the language is vastly different. Except for Hokkien and Teochew, which have a closer link. The Malays use the language among their fellow races and the Indians speak Tamil. But whatever the race or religion, the country's community unite as one nation, where most religious or racial gaps are being bridged.

The  Singapore  English is  originated in the  schools  in  Singapore during  the colonial times. During the  19th century only  a few children went to the schools  and a  few among them spoke  English.  Those who went to the  schools  used  to  speak their own languages. However, every  student  had  to  know  Malaya language at that time. this  is  one of the main reasons for which most of the  loan  words  in English  in  Singapore comes from the Malaya  Language.

Singapore Demographic

Singapore is one to the most popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia.  The Lion City is home to a number of ethnic groups who have their own culture and practices.  You can see a great combination of different cultures and practices in Singapore. This is one unique point of demography of Singapore. If you watch closely you will find that each ethnic group have maintained their distinct identity.

Singapore is a cosmopolitan city that is home to different ethnic groups from different corners of the world. Unity in diversity is the philosophy of this city-state. The People of Singapore is its greatest Strength. Though the geography of the city has contributed a lot to the success of Singapore, the city-state lacks natural resources. But its adaptable, hardworking and resilient population is the main secret behind the success of Singapore.

The population of Singapore comprises of almost four million people. Almost 77% of this population is from Chinese origin. 14% of Singapore's population consists of Malaya where as 8% of the population is of Indian origin. There is also one percent Eurasians as well as people of other communities.  Fishermen were the original inhabitants of Singapore. After its establishment as a British trading post, a number of merchants and   migrants came to Singapore and settled there. Many  of the  migrants  came  to  Singapore from the  southern  provinces of China,  Indonesia, India, Pakistan Middle East and Ceylon  to search for  a  better  life for themselves  as well as their family. In Singapore a lot of inter-marriage has taken place among these ethnic communities. This has strengthened the cultural richness of Singapore. However, most of the ethnic groups living in Singapore have retained their own cultural identity. All the ethnic groups have become an integral part of Singapore community.

Chinese In Singapore

Singapore is  one  of the  most well known tourist destination in South East Asia.  Though  thew city state is small in size  Singapore  is home  to  a number of people who  belong  to  different commmunities and  ethnicities. For  a  small country  with a  small  modern  history singapore has a  rich ethnicity. A  considerably large  section of the people who live in Singapore  have come  from  various parts  of  Asia.  These people  have  different ethnicities, culture  as well as religious practices.  You  can  find  Indians,  Arab,  Malaya as  well as Chinese people  in Singapore.  the Chinese people form  a major part of the population of  the Lion City.  The Chinese community is the  largest  ethnic geroup in Singapore.  they  have  maintained their religious practices and culture very well  in  Singapore.    

 

The  Chinese  people  who  have immigrated to  Singapore or are born in  Singapore and  have  the citizenship  of Singapore is known  as  Chinese Singaporeans.  Most of Chinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese descent.  These people form the largest ethnic group in Singapore.  They consist of almost 78% percent of the population in Singapore.  So approximately every three out of four Singaporeans are Chinese  Singaporeans.  It  should also be  noted that  Singapore  is  the only country outside greater china  where the  Chinese people  has  got the  majority  in population.

 

You can find  different communities  of  Chinese  people present  in Singapore.  These people came from different parts of  china  and   have some  differences in their culture, lifestyle as  well as religious  practices.  The Chinese people also  speak different  Chinese languages.  Some of the Chinese people  practice Christianity  and Taoism.  But most of the  people follow  Buddhism. There is  also  an  ethnic quarter for  Chinese people.  This ethnic  quarter  is  known  as  Chinatown. Visiting  this ethnic quarter you  can  get  a  thorough  understanding  about the Chinese  people in  Singapore.

 

Indians in Singapore

Singapore is  one  of the  most popular tourist destination in southeast Asia.  though  small in size  this  city-state  is home  to  people who  belong  to  different commmunities and  ethnicities. A  large  section of the people living in singapore  have come  from  different parts  of  Asia.  these people  have  different ethnicities, culture  as well as religious practices.  You  can  find  chinese,  Arab,  Malaya as  well as indian people  in Singapore.  the  indians form a major part of the population in  singapore. they  have maintianed  their own culture and religious practices.

 

The History ofIndians  in Singapore dates back  to the colonial  time  when several  indians came to singapore to work.  The  history  of Indians in Singapore  is as old as  the  history of  Modern Singapore. when Modern Singapore was built in the year 1819.  At that time a good number of  Indian youth came to  Singapore  as  workers,  soldiers as well as  convicts.  At  that time Indian population  mainly included Indian male.  However,  with time a balanced gender ratio is restored.  At present singapore is considered as  home  to  one  fo the largest overseas  Indian Population.

Though  at  first  the  Indians came  to  Singapore  to  work and to  earn  money they  gradually settled  in this  land.  Later  they emmerged as a powerful  community in  Singapore. the Indians  consists  9%  of the  total  population of Singapore which make them the  third largest ethnic group  in Singapore. the Indians in Singapore take active  part in  the social,  political  as well as  financial  spheres  of Singapore. they  have also  retained their cultural  practices well.  Little India  is an  ethnic quarter in India where you can  get a glimpse of Indian cultures  and  lifestyle.