OUR LANGUAGE

Singapore is a multiracial society with different races but one identity - Singaporean. Due to the multiracial makeup, Singapore recognises four official languages, namely English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. English is the most widely used language in Singapore. It is used in both business and in conversation. Nearly all schools are English-medium and it is usually taken as the first language. One of the other three languages is then taken as a second language. English also helps each racial group to understand one another. Otherwise, the different ethnic groups would not be able to understand each other's different languages. In addition to the four official languages, Singaporeans also speak an unusual brand of English called 'Singlish'. Singlish mixes English with certain Chinese dialects such as Hokkien and some Malay as well. Some examples would include 'aiyah', 'lah', 'leh' and 'salah'. Many people debate about the use of Singlish. Some say we should start speaking proper English and stop speaking Singlish. On the other hand, there are others who feel that Singlish gives Singaporeans a unique identity.