Language in Singapore series – Multilingual Singapore @ 60: Language, Identity, and the Next Chapter
Date: 12 Sep 2025
Time: 02.00PM to 05.00PM
Venue: Music Box, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, 535 Clementi Rd, Singapore 599489
Event Type: Forum, Seminars, Conferences
School/Department: School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences
Synopsis
As Singapore marks 60 years of independence, the nation's multilingual fabric remains a defining feature of its national identity. This year’s Language in Singapore forum, brought to you by the School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences (SHBS) at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), reflects on the role of multilingualism in shaping a cohesive yet diverse society, and the evolution of Singapore’s multilingual ecology over six decades.
Speakers and participants will critically examine the intersections of language with collective and individual identities, cultural (dis)affiliations, socioeconomic mobility and exclusion, as well as tensions and contradictions between state-oriented language management and shifting linguistic realities and practices in the city-state.
As we write the next chapter of the Singapore story, this forum invites us to celebrate the city-state’s rich linguistic tapestry while addressing critical issues confronting its multilingual future — at a time marked by the challenges of (de)globalization, heightened geopolitical and cultural contestations, demographic shifts arising from migration and an ageing population, and accelerated advancements in technology and AI.
Event Highlights
Photos
Media
Presentations
Speaker
Dr Fong Yeow Wah is the Director of Business China, overseeing the development and implementation of programmes to nurture a group of Singapore-China savvy talents. With over 20 years of experience in the education service, he has been committed to promoting bilingualism and biculturalism among young Singaporeans. He is also the Executive Council Member of Asia Pacific Consortium on Teaching Chinese as an International Language. His key research interests include language use and identity with specific reference to the Chinese community in Singapore, language policy and planning, and design and development of Chinese language instructional materials.
Abstract
This talk examines the development of language planning in Singapore since its independence in 1965, focusing on the dominance of English as the working language and medium of instruction under the bilingual education policy. It explores how these policies have influenced patterns of language use and proficiency within the Chinese community over time, with a particular attention to the third-generation young ethnic Chinese adults. Born, raised and educated in Singapore, this generation presents a unique case for understanding the complex interplay between language, identity, and nation-building. The talk investigates how Chinese language proficiency and use relate to ethnic identity among these young adults and whether the growing global influence of China and increasing international prominence of Mandarin Chinese have an impact on their perspectives on Chinese language and ethnic identity. By investigating the intersection of state policy, sociolinguistic change, and global dynamics, the talk contributes to broader discussions on language, identity, and globalisation in multicultural societies.
Speaker
Dr Ritu Jain is Assistant Chair and senior lecturer at the School of Humanities at NTU. A sociolinguist by training, she is interested in Language Policies, particularly their impact on language decisions, practices, and societal multilingualism. In her current research, she is investigating language practices and ideologies in Singapore as part of a multi-sited study on intergenerational language transmission. Dr Jain is editor of Multilingual Singapore: Language Policies and Linguistic Realities (2021) and has published in journals such as Language Policy and Current Issues in Language Planning.
Abstract
Using the policy exemptions for languages of the Indians as subjects in education, this presentation explores the development and role of language policies in Singapore’s language management. It attributes the ‘success’ as well as the growing insufficiency of the bilingual policy in influencing language maintenance to the colonial categories of Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others. In drawing on ongoing research findings around intergenerational language transmission particularly around language education choices, it argues that: (a) population-wide language shift away from community languages to English is inevitable; (b) notwithstanding language sentiments, parental language decisions and practices are motivated by pragmatic ideologies and (c) young adults are drawn to familial languages once educational pressures are lifted. The presentation concludes with the suggestion that allowing flexibility in choice of language in education and the option to exclude from school leaving exams may promote more ‘durable’ multilingualism among Singapore’s increasingly diverse population.
Speaker
Mr Rashikin Rajah is a PhD student at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, holding an MA in Malay Studies from the National University of Singapore. With over 15 years of experience as a Malay-English translator and interpreter, his research explores Malay aesthetics through a socio-philosophical lens, as well as bilingualism and translation studies. His work bridges language, culture, and philosophical thought in the Malay world, with a particular interest in how multilingual practices inform identity, education, and intergenerational transmission in contemporary Singapore.
Abstract
Singapore’s bilingual education policy has long aimed to cultivate balanced multilingualism, particularly through the pairing of English with a designated mother tongue. However, the growing dominance of English continues to pose challenges to the maintenance and meaningful use of Malay as a heritage language. This discussion explores the untapped potential of translation—especially between English and Malay—as both a pedagogical and cultural tool in bilingual education. Drawing on my own experience as a Malay-English translator, I reflect on how engaging in translation not only deepened my linguistic competence and cultural understanding, but also significantly shaped my professional journey. Translation has sharpened my metalinguistic awareness, enhanced my ability to navigate cross-cultural communication, and opened up opportunities in both education and the language industry. Yet, despite these benefits, translation remains marginal in classroom practice. This presentation invites a reconsideration of translation-based approaches as powerful means of strengthening Malay-English bilingualism, fostering heritage language engagement, and cultivating more reflective, versatile language users in the Singaporean context.
Speaker
Dr Chitra Shegar was an Assistant Professor with National Institute of Education from 2004 to 2015. Her areas of specialization are Second Language Acquisition, Literacy Instruction and Children’s Literature. Her current designation is Director, Reading Edge Academy Pte Ltd. She speaks English, Tamil, Malay and Hokkien. Harnessing her academic knowledge and applied knowledge arising from mastery of diverse languages, Dr Chitra distinguishes herself professionally by being able to bridge the theory-practice nexus in the language acquisition. She has also published in several international journals and presented papers/workshops locally and internationally. To date, she has received numerous grants from agencies such as the LKY Bilingualism Fund, SINDA, MOE Tamil Department and the Tamil Language Learning Promotion Committee.
Abstract
Multilingualism is a hallmark of Singapore’s Identity. The Singapore government has judiciously taken multiple measures at national level. These measures include the institution of four official languages, a mandatory bilingual education policy and multilingual broadcasting to foster Multilingualism. Though Multilingualism is generally successful in Singapore, there are likely to be challenges in the future mainly arising from English becoming the default global language and the declining use of Mother Tongue languages in Singapore by the younger generation. To succeed in promoting Multilingualism in Singapore, it is fundamental that steps are taken to ensure that the younger generation discern significant functional utility for learning Mother Tongue languages. Additionally, the bilingual policy in early years should be recalibrated to adopt a sequential bilingualism framework rather than a simultaneous bilingualism model so that students attain a strong foundation in mother tongue languages prior to developing mastery of English.
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