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.