Cover not available
Part of
Education in Languages of Lesser Power: Asia-Pacific Perspectives
Edited by Craig Alan Volker and Fred E. Anderson
[IMPACT: Studies in Language, Culture and Society 35] 2015
► pp. 153–172

Sustaining and maintaining a minority language

A case study of the place and use of Tamil in Singapore

| Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Singapore offers clues as to how languages of lesser power may thrive in contexts where there is a multiplicity of languages and metropolitan languages dominate. Under colonial rule the position of Tamil in both society and schooling was marginal. The community lacked numbers and economic power and many Indian children were sent to English medium schools. A multiplicity of Indian languages further complicated the situation. In 1956, an emergent multilingual elite committed itself to equal treatment for the four official languages – English, Chinese (Mandarin), Tamil and Malay. We provide some insights as to how this commitment has resulted in various initiatives sustaining Tamil in Singapore despite its declining functional value in the larger community.

Published online: 5 February 2015
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.35.09she
References
Alsagoff, L
2012 The Development of English in Singapore: Language policy and planning in nation building. In English in Southeast Asia: Features, Policy and Language in Use [Varieties of English around the World G42], E.L. Low & A. Hashim (eds), 137–154. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bedford, R
2000 Perspectives on international migration: Urban social transformation and the research policy interface. Population Studies Centre Discussion Papers 36: 2–40.Google Scholar
Census of Population,
2010 Statistical Release 1, Demographic Characteristics, Education, Language and Religion. Singapore: Department of Statistics.Google Scholar
Chiew, S.K
1983 Ethnicity and national integration: The evolution of a multi-ethnic society. In Singapore: Development Policies and Trends, P.S. Chen (ed.), 29–64. Singapore: OUP.Google Scholar
Daipi, M.N
2009 Umar Pulavar Language Centre Report.
Ferguson, C
2000 Diaglossia. In The Bilingual Reader, L. Wei (ed.), 65–80. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Gopinathan, S
1974 Towards a National System of Education in Singapore, 1945-1973. Singapore: OUP.Google Scholar
1998 Language policy changes 1979-1997: Politics and pedagogy. In Language, Society and education in Singapore: Issues and Trends, S. Gopinathan, A. Pakir, W.K. Ho & V. Saravanan (eds), 19–44. Singapore: Times Academic Press.Google Scholar
Loo, L.S., Shi, M.Y. & Sun, S.H
2003 Public housing and ethnic integration in Singapore. Habitat International 27: 293–307. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Education.
2005 Report of the Tamil language curriculum & pedagogy review committee. [URL] (25 September 2011).Google Scholar
Purushotam, N
1989 Language and linguistic policies. In Management of Success: The Moulding of Modern Singapore, K.S. Sandhu & P. Wheatley (eds), 503–522. Singapore: Institute of Modern Singapore.Google Scholar
Ramiah, K
1991 The pattern of Tamil language use among primary school Tamil pupils in Singapore. Singapore Journal of Education 11(2): 45–53. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saravanan, V
1993 Language and social identity amongst Tamil -English bilinguals in Singapore. In Languages in Contact in a Multilingual Society: Implications for Language Learning and Teaching, R. Khoo, U. Kreher & R. Wong (eds), 135–154. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.Google Scholar
1998 Language maintenance and language shift in the Tamil community. In Language, Society and Education in Singapore: Issues and Trends, 2nd edn, S. Gopinathan, A. Pakir, H.W. Kam & V. Saravanan (eds.), 155–178. Singapore: Times Academic Press.Google Scholar
1999 Bilingual Chinese, Malay, and Tamil children's language choices in a multi-lingual society. Early Child Development and Care 152: 43–54. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saravanan, V., Lakshmi, S. & Caleon, I
2007 Attitudes towards literacy Tamil and standard spoken Tamil in Singapore. The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 10(1): 58–79. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schiffman, H
1998 Standardization or restandardization: The case for Standard Spoken Tamil. Language and Society 27: 359–385. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2007.Tamil language policy in Singapore: The role of implementation. In Language, Capital, Culture: Critical Studies of Language and Education in Singapore, V. Vaish, S. Gopinathan & Y. Liu (eds), 209–226. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.Google Scholar
Shegar, C. & Thinnappan, S.P
2007 Evaluation of Tamil grammar instruction in four Singapore schools: Implications for language pedagogy. In Language, Capital, Culture: Critical Studies of Language and Education in Singapore, V. Vaish, S. Gopinathan & Y. Liu (eds), 227–248. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.Google Scholar
Sobrielo, A
1986 Language Maintenance and Shift Among Tamils in Singapore. MA Thesis, SEAMEO-RELC/National University of Singapore.Google Scholar
Tan, D
1994 Public housing in Singapore. [URL] (28 May 2013)
Vaish, V
2007 Bilingualism without diglossia: The Indian community in Singapore. The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 10(2): 171–187. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wee, L.H.A
2002 When English is not a Mother Tongue: Linguistic ownership and the Eurasian community in Singapore. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 23(4): 282–295. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yue, L.S
2009 Umar Pulavar Language Centre Report, 5.