What is the mother tongue of Singapore?

Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-racial society. Among them, 76% are Chinese, 15% are Malays, 6.5% are Indians, and 2.5% are Eurasian and other races.

The national language of Singapore is Malay, while English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil are the official languages. It is legal to use the spoken and written languages of all ethnic groups in teaching, business, publishing and official business. As an administrative language, English has become the common language of all ethnic groups and is regarded as a fashion. English is also the official language of business, and most Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, can talk in fluent English. Besides, most Singaporeans are familiar with their mother tongue. Starting from 1984, the government has stipulated that all schools should gradually transition to English as the first teaching language and ethnic languages as the second teaching language, so as to strengthen the integration of ethnic groups and improve the efficiency of social affairs.

As Chinese in Singapore are the majority, Hong Kong tourists and Fujian and Guangdong tourists may only be able to travel around Singapore in Minnan and Cantonese.

In the early 1970s, the government encouraged Chinese to speak Mandarin and took several measures: promoting it in schools, radio stations, shops and buses: (1) government officials must speak Mandarin to Chinese in public; (2) Primary school students in China should have Chinese names; (3) In addition to English names, new buildings must have Chinese names; (4) Simplified Chinese characters of China are adopted.

In supermarkets, vendors (bazaars), shopping centers, bus bodies or some government agencies in Singapore, placards can be seen everywhere, which read: "Being able to speak Chinese is a blessing, don't lose it!" This is a propaganda tool of Singapore's cultural department, which indicates the determination of the Singapore government to promote Chinese. The Singapore Government also has a Chinese Language Committee, which specializes in standardizing Chinese standards, standardizing some characters, publishing them in Chinese newspapers, and annotating Chinese characters with Chinese Pinyin.

If you want to study in Singapore, you should naturally prepare the necessary English, because English is the first medium of instruction in universities, primary and secondary schools in Singapore. In recent years, China's international and economic status has gradually improved. Many private schools and public schools in Singapore have also offered and are preparing to offer intermediate and advanced courses and professional diplomas in Chinese, such as business in management of Singapore Management Institute and bilingual MBA courses of National South Australia University.

Of course, English will always accompany you when you go abroad. Even in Singapore, a Chinese-dominated society, English is still an undeniable world language while attaching importance to Chinese to maintain its own advantages.

While studying abroad and learning English well, don't abandon your Chinese. "Speaking English is a tool, and speaking Chinese is a blessing."