|
English in Singapore:
An Introduction gives a broad overview of the history,
status and features of this New English. It briefly describes
the position of New Englishes within the range of English-speaking
countries around the world, before outlining the historical
advent and spread of English in Singapore. The present-day
status of Singapore English, and various analytical frameworks
proposed for describing it, are examined, including the fact
that Singaporeans speak English and one other language. An
exploration of the types of judgement that speakers make about
language is necessary before embarking on a systematic description
of features of Singapore English. These features include vocabulary,
grammar and pronunciation, both segmental (vowels and consonants)
and suprasegmental (stress, rhythm and intonation). These
features are recapped in an analysis of a scene from Beauty
World, investigating the use of Singapore English in creative
literature. The final chapter considers the implications that
Singapore English has for Singaporean teachers.
The book serves as an introduction to Singapore
English, as it covers all major aspects, and incorporates
the results of research carried out over the last two decades.
It can be used as a coursebook, as it includes several exercises
for readers to investigate their own use of English. It will
also be important reading for researchers, teachers and students
in Singapore, as well as anyone interested in the development
and characteristics of this New variety of English.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
1 Introduction
English as a global language
Models of English
The comparative approach to the study of Singapore English
Terminology
2 History
The arrival of the British
Influences on the English spoken in 19th-century Singapore
The establishment of English-medium schools in Singapore
Factors responsible for the spread of English in Singapore
3 Present-day status
and roles
Status
Roles
4 Bi- and multi-lingualism
Definition
A bilingual education programme
The bilingual education policy in Singapore: features and
changes
Case study: The English-knowing bilingual in Singapore
Code-selection, code-mixing and code-switching in Singapore
Code-switching and code-mixing in the classroom
5 Rules and judgements
Rules
Judgements
6 Vocabulary
Word formation processes
Archaisms
Folk etymology
Acronyms
Reduplication
Connotations
Cultural differences
7 Grammar
What is grammar?
Verbs
Nouns
Relative clauses
Adjectives
Sentence structure
Redundancy
8 Vowels
Description of Singapore English vowels
The relative importance of vowel differences
A worked example
A minimal vowel inventory for Singapore English
9 Consonants
Description of Singapore English consonants
The relative importance of consonant differences
A minimal consonant inventory for Singapore English
Consequences of accent differences in vowels and consonants
10 Word stress
What determines stress in SSBE?
Phonetic correlates of stress in Singapore English
Word stress in SSBE and influences
Word stress in Singapore English
11 Rhythm
What is rhythm?
Traditional classifications of rhythm
The staccato effect in Singapore English
Recent acoustic studies on rhythm in Singapore English
Discussion
12 Intonation
The British model of intonation
Applying the British model to Singapore English
Forms of intonation in Singapore English
Functions of intonation
De-accenting and Singapore English
Pragmatic particles in Singapore English
13 Singapore English
in creative literature
Introduction
Passage and analysis
14 Implications for
teaching
The three Is of language targets
A continuum of targets
The Speak Good English movement
Three categories of model for teaching
The three Ds of language teaching
The future of Singapore English
Keys to exercises
Further reading and
websites
References
Index
|
ISBN-13 Transition 
Full
Listing
