Contributed by  Dr Teresa Wai See Ong and Ms Quevada Hannah Rocafort, from the National Institute of Education, Singapore, for SingTeach Virtual Staff Lounge

In Singapore, the education system practises a bilingual policy, which means that English acts as the medium of instruction for all subjects, starting from preschool to tertiary level, and students pick up an official ethnic mother tongue that is taught as a single subject. The major mother tongues that are taught in schools are Chinese, Malay, and Tamil while other less learnt mother tongues, such as Hindi, are taught in community schools.

Arguably, this system allows students to grow up as bilingual speakers and be proficient in both English and mother tongue. Such a system has been widely recognized through the excellent results produced by students who compete annually in international level competitions. However, in reality, many students struggle with learning mother tongue. Why is this so? We highlight the major cause.   

Prominent Presence of English in Singapore’s Linguistic Landscape

The dominance of English in Singapore’s society limits the opportunity for students to engage with mother tongues. The national census data in 2020 showed that 48.3% of Singapore’s resident population aged 5 and above speaks English as their main language. Pakir (1997) reasons that the shift towards English was mainly for the children’s preparation for primary school. Aw et al. (2017) confirm that despite knowing the importance of Mandarin for identity formation and future work opportunities, most Chinese-Singaporean parents continue to regularly speak English to their children.

One may argue that many homes in Singapore are actually multilingual, rather than monolingual (Vaish et al., 2009). This argument is witnessed in Bokhorst-Heng and Caleon’s (2009) comment that speaking English alone in the home is uncommon because multilingualism takes place at most times. Despite the presence of multilingualism, English still remains the dominant language, as many justify its importance in the wider Singaporean community (Heng, 2012; Xu et al., 1998):

1. 1. 1. English is regarded as a vital means of accessing the field of science and technology and can bring about potential economic benefits in the current globalized world.
      2. English functions as a common language of communication between various ethnic communities in Singapore’s multilingual landscape.

Importance of Learning Mother Tongues

It is naïve to acknowledge English as the only important language in fostering Singapore’s economic development and success. Languages are a key asset for international trade, economic development, and globalization. Hence, Wee (2003) points to the value of languages by noting that increasing support should be placed for the teaching and learning of mother tongues. The late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s (1984, p. 4) also comments on a different function that mother tongue serves:

“One abiding reason why we have to persist in bilingualism is that English will not be emotionally acceptable as our mother tongue. To have no emotionally acceptable language as our mother tongue is to be emotionally crippled. We shall doubt ourselves.”

Based on these two stances, we point out two important reasons for learning mother tongue.

Instrumental Reason

Mother tongues are seen as a useful tool to access the economic powerhouses in Asia. Being able to speak an additional language, a mother tongue, means that one grows up as a bilingual speaker. Bilingualism enables speakers to adapt their speech to communicate with people from different countries and/or ethnic groups. This enables better understanding and smoother communication with business partners, colleagues, and customers. Additionally, with today’s competitive job market and the rise of China as a global economy power, there is greater motivation to become proficient in Mandarin as well as it gives more advantage to obtain work and business opportunities. This explanation is also a reflection of Singapore’s multilingualism as it gives one an edge to navigate and connect between different countries.

 Integrative Reason

Mother tongues are associated with the preservation of heritages, cultures, and values. Learning and communicating in mother tongues allows one to understand their ethic community’s history, culture, and family roots. Fishman (1999) states that language and ethnicity are closely related because language is the key to defining ethnicity. In other words, a language symbolizes an ethnic community’s culture, history, kinship, and heritage. He suggests that the only way to continue having a sense of belonging in an ethnic community is through the continuous use of mother tongue.

What Can Parents and Teachers Do?

With such importance noted for learning and speaking mother tongues, parents and teachers should motivate children/students by creating a more conducive mother tongue learning and speaking environment for them. It is easier said than done because English is the dominant language in Singapore, penetrating most domains and causing less opportunities to use mother tongues. Nevertheless, in order to preserve Singapore’s rich cultural diversity, future generations need to stay connected to their heritage, ethnic cultures and traditions, and speak their mother tongue. Similar to growing plants, the love for mother tongues should be cultivated from a young age. Therefore, parents and teachers should start speaking mother tongue to children/students as early as possible so they can enjoy the full benefits of bilingualism.

Tips for Mother Tongue Teachers

1. 1. 1. Create awareness among students regarding the importance of learning mother tongue and being bilingual.
      2. Use innovative approaches in mother tongue lessons to make them enjoyable, such as multimedia tools, drama, and singing.
      3. Focus less on students’ grades, instead use the time to cultivate the passion of learning mother tongue among students.
      4. Praise students for engaging in mother tongue related activities (e.g., reading mother tongue language books, speaking to one another in mother tongue).
      5. Design tasks with authentic contexts to show students the applicability of their mother tongue in the world outside the classroom.
      6. Show students the similarities and differences between their two languages – English and mother tongue – so they can recognise each language as an important resource for learning the other.
      7. Recommend mother tongue shows (on Netflix, Channel 8, YouTube, e.g.,) and book titles to students.
      8. Set up a mother tongue learning corner in the classroom for students with mother tongue books, flash cards, games, and activities.

References

Aw, G. P., Chen, Y., Lum, C., Peng, X. H., & Tong, Q. Y. (2017). A pilot study of Singapore’s young Chinese parent’s perceptions, attitude and behaviours towards bilingual learning. Sino-US English Teaching, 14(9), 523-538.

Bokhorst-Heng, W. D., & Caleon, I. S. (2009). The language attitudes of bilingual youth in multilingual Singapore. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 30 (3), 235-251.

Fishman, J. A. (1999). Concluding comments. In J. A. Fishman (Ed.), Handbook of language and ethnic identity (pp. 444-454). Oxford University Press.

Heng, S. K. (2012). Speech by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, at the Launch Ceremony of the Speak Mandarin Campaign 2012 on Friday, 27 July 2012, at 11am at the Mochtar Riady Auditorium, Singapore Management University. Ministry of Education.

Lee, K. Y. (1984). Speech by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at the opening of the Speak Mandarin Campaign on 21 September 1984 at the Singapore Conference Hall. Retrieved from http://mandarin.org.sg/en/~/media/smc/documents/goh%20pm%20lee%20kwan%20yew_smc%20launch%20speech_210984.pdf

Pakir, A. (1997). Education and invisible language planning: The case of the English language in Singapore. In J. Tan, S. Gopinathan, & W. K. Ho (Eds.), Education in Singapore: A book of readings (pp. 57-74). Prentice Hall.

Vaish, V., Jamaludeen, A., & Roslan, M. (2009). The sociolinguistic survey of Singapore 2006: Findings and policy implications. Research Brief. National Institute of Singapore.

Wee, L. (2003). Linguistic instrumentalism in Singapore. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 24(3), 211-224.

Xu, D., Chew, C. H., & Chen, S. C. (1998). Language use and language attitudes in the Singapore Chinese community. In S. Gopinathan, A. Pakir, H. W. Kam, & V. Saravanan (Eds.), Language, society and education in Singapore (pp. 133-155). Times Academic Press.