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Article published In:
Chinese Language and Discourse
Vol. 8:1 (2017) ► pp.18–50

Mandarinization and the construction of Chinese ethnicity in Singapore

| Nanyang Technological University Singapore
| Nanyang Technological University Singapore

This paper examines the process of Mandarinization in Singapore, and the effects of this process on the construction of Chinese ethnicity in Singapore. It does this through an analysis of official government speeches, followed by a questionnaire study examining the beliefs and attitudes of Chinese Singaporeans toward three varieties of Mandarin-Chinese, as well as Chinese “dialects” and English. The discourse analysis reveals an underlying assertion of a primordial relationship between Mandarin-Chinese and Chinese ethnicity. This, however, is not reflected in the beliefs of Chinese Singaporeans, who value Mandarin-Chinese for mainly instrumental reasons, and associated with a foreign standard. Chinese ethnicity in Singapore is instead constructed through a combination of Mandarin-Chinese, “dialects” and English. Ultimately, such a discrepancy results from Mandrinization’s dependence on an oversimplified understanding of language and ethnicity in Singapore.

Keywords: Mandarin-Chinese, Singapore, Attitudes, Ethnicity, Identity
Article outline
  • 1.Mandarin Chinese as the ‘Chinese’ Tongue
  • 2.Officially Mandarin: the state’s construction of Mandarin Chinese
    • 2.1Mandarinization as a means to manage Singapore’s diverse population
    • 2.2Mandarinization to mitigate the westernising effects of English
    • 2.3Mandarinization to take advantage of China’s economic growth
    • 2.4Evaluating the state construction of Mandarin Chinese and Chinese ethnicity
  • 3.Chinese Singaporeans’ beliefs about the role of Mandarin Chinese
    • 3.1Questionnaire design and procedure
    • 3.2Results
      • 3.2.1Language Evaluation
      • 3.2.2The importance of Mandarin Chinese
      • 3.2.3The importance of specific varieties
    • 3.3Summary of results
  • 4.The construction of Chinese ethnicity in Singapore
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 21 September 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/cld.8.1.02won
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