The government in Singapore uses both English and three ethnic languages, known officially as Mother Tongue Languages, for economic and cultural functions. Traditionally, English has been valued primarily for its economic contribution while the Mother Tongue Languages - Mandarin, Malay and Tamil - for their cultural contributions. However, there has been an increasing emphasis on the economic value of the Mother Tongue Languages, especially Mandarin in Singapore. This emphasis on the economic value of languages is known as linguistic pragmatism. This paper examines this shift and explores the external and internal factors that contribute towards this phenomenon in Singapore. The discussion illustrates the dynamic interplay between the rise of China as an economic power and the language shift to English among Chinese students in Singapore which lead to the linguistic pragmatism of Mandarin in Singapore.
목차
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF JOSHUA FISHMAN THE LINGUISTIC PRAGMATISM OF MANDARIN IN SINGAPORE FACTORS FOR THE LINGUISTIC PRAGMATISM OF MANDARIN IN SINGAPORE The External Factor: The Rise of China The Internal Factor: The Language Shift in Singapore CONCLUSION THE AUTHOR REFERENCES
저자
Charlene Tan [ Nanyang Technological University, Singapore ]
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.