UNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND MODERN LANGUAGES
MASTER IN APPLIED LINGUISTICS

SCLE5233 SOCIOLINGUISTIC

RESPONSE PAPER
(THE ROLE OF ENGLISH AS LINGUA FRANCA IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN
SINGAPORE)

PREPARED BY: KUUGHAAN A/L SAHADEVAN

MATRIC NO: 816318

PREPARED FOR: DR. HARIHARAN

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 02/06/2014

Sociolinguistic
Writing a response paper based on a research paper entitled The role of English as lingua franca
in institutions of higher education in Singapore.

1.0 Introduction.
I have chosen an article on The role of English as a lingua franca in institutions of
higher education in Singapore. This paper was written by Phyllis Ghim Lian Chew from
Department of English Language and Literature, National Institute of Education, Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore. This paper was taken from the Asian Journal of Applied
Linguistics. Basically, the researcher in this paper mainly discussed on the role of English
language that serves as lingua franca in the higher institutions in Singapore. Besides that, she
also focused on the contributions of English language that serves as the lingua franca to the
processes of globalization in Singapore. Phyllis Chew also used the Bourdieus (1985) concept of
capital formation because, English as lingua franca serves as an aid for the growth of Singapore
economy. In addition, the researcher had focused on the formation of cultural capital in
Singapore from the usage of English as lingua franca. Therefore, the implementation of English
as lingua franca has played a huge role for the globalization in Singapore.

2.0 Summary.
In this part, I would like to summarize on the ideas given by Phyllis Chew. In this paper,
Phyllis Chew has discussed on the importance of English as lingua franca in institutions of
higher. Chew P.G.L (2014) cited that the Singapores fast track from third world to first within a
generation and these reasons may be grouped broadly under geographical, economic, social and
political. She aimed to look at impact of English language as lingua franca to the development of
Singapore. She has included the background of language policy of Singapore which remained to
use English language as medium of instructions after getting freedom. She also included the
importance of English as lingua franca can be seen in the economy and society. She also pointed
that the Implementation of English as lingua franca has resulted the Singapore nation to indulge
in multinational engagement. Phyllis Chew included that the embodiment of English as lingua
franca in higher education in Singapore has sparked the comings of International students into
universities in Singapore and this resulted the universities in Singapore to get higher rankings in
global. Besides that, she added that this has made some well-known universities from china and
United Kingdom to collaborate with universities in Singapore and this has boosted the economy
in Singapore as education becomes a source for their economy. Moreover, Phyllis Chew has
added that, English as lingua franca operates as a bridge for the people in the nation because
Singapore is a country with multi races people. For the conclusion, Phyllis Chew has come to a
point that English as a lingua franca has become mother tongue for everyone in Singapore
especially for the younger generations and she added that Singapore became a leading and
successful nation because of the implementation of English language in teaching, working,
learning and also administrating. As we known, English language plays a huge roles in every
nations. The importance of English language cant be denied as it is widely being used in every
nations. After colonization, countries such Malaysia and Singapore tried to emerge as growing
countries. For this, they need to establish their education system .Therefore, they started to adopt
English language as lingua franca and nurtured this language in the higher education system in
each country. Besides that, the politic system of a country of plays roles in establishing English
language as ELF.

3.0 Responses
According to the researcher, one of the source for the economy growth came from the
education system. Chew (2014) has pointed that, Republic of Singapore is a tiny and vulnerable
country and its survival is entirely dependent on the talents of its people; hence the intimate
relationship between education and political-economic survival. Based on this, the point has to
be agreed as can be seen the education system in Singapore serves as an aid for the economy
growth. In addition, the citizens in Singapore started to give importance on education. Spring, J
(1998) pointed out that Singapores leaders hope that school graduates will instinctively think
about how they can improve Singapores economy. Spring, J (1998) also told that Singapores
education system is often credited with making an important contribution to the nations
achievements as in 1997 , for the second year in row, the World Economic forum ranked
Singapore as first in its Global Competitiveness Report , whereas the United States was third and
Britain was seventh. This strongly shows that, despite being a small country, but economically
they are deservingly ahead from other big countries. I agree with the researcher of this article
that education is a source for the economy of Singapore. Olds, K. (2007) , pointed that foreign
institution of higher education are recognized by the Singaporean state as playing fundamental
role in restructuring the economy via the refashioning of the local citizenry .Chew (2014) added
that the development of Singapore as an international education hub ready to receive fee-paying
international students is another result of the widespread use of English as lingua franca. This
means that, the establishment of the universities in Singapore has attracted many foreign students
.Furthermore, Olds, K. (2007) added that the partnership of Singapores Universities with brand
universities is one of Singapores key objective. This enables the Universities in Singapore to
become established and boost the admissions of foreign students in their universities and at the
same time it helps to boost the economy of Singapore. Therefore. It clearly shows that education
system in Singapore plays a fundamental role in the emergence of this country.

In the article, Phyllis Chew pointed that the language policy of Singapore that remains to
use English despite gained freedom is a reason for the country to be competent. I agree with this
point as the usage as English as lingua franca has enabled the citizens of Singapore to be
competent in global stage. To support this point , Lee (2011) in his speech told that Englishspeaking Singaporeans are sought after by MNCs(multi-national corporations), international
organizations and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) because they can connect with the
English speaking world , and can operate comfortably in multi-cultural environments , in
countries like China , India , Malaysia and Indonesia. Singaporeans add value to these economies
by being able to speak both English and Mandarin and other major Asian languages, acting as a
bridge between them and the peoples of America, Europe, Japan, India and ASEAN countries.
This clearly shows that the citizens of Singapore hold an advantage as they can compete globally.
Besides that, to help this, the Singapore governments acting less favorable with the use of
Singlish. According to Chye, D. Y. S, Singlish is English creole, the mixture of Chinese,
Tamil and Malay language with English. Chye, D.Y.S added that the government of Singapore
has a negative attitude towards the usage of Singlish as it acts as a threat the development of the
nation. Furthermore, Rubdy, R. (2005) added that one of the main reasons English remains an
important language is because Singapore seeks to attract and sustain transnational investment
and new entrepreneurial initiative in order to gain a competitive edge over its regional
neighbours. This clearly show that the government of Singapore giving importance the usage of
Standard English in order to be highly competitive in the global stage. The government of
Singapore also launched the Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) in order to nurture
Standard English usage among the Singaporeans. The prime minister of Singapore that time, Goh
Chok Tong warned that We cannot be a first-world economy or go global with Singlish Poor
English reflects badly on us and makes us seem less intelligent Goh, (1999). He also added that
Goh (2000) that the success of the financial and media industries depended on good English and
that this will affect the first-world economy we hope to achieve. This shows the government of
Singapore has implemented a language policy that will help their citizens to be established. After
the establishment of Speak Good English Movement , Chew (2013) pointed that the mass media
has discreetly cut down on its use of Singlish (a unique blend of English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil
and local dialects and the unofficial language of Singapore), especially in popular television
sitcoms. Therefore, I strongly agree to the point given by this researcher as the policy of

Singapore to adopt the Standard English as lingua franca in their country enables them to be
highly competitive globally. The competence in English among the citizens of Singapore also
increased vastly. For an example, Vaish (2007) pointed that a survey shows that the number of
children entering Primary 1 who spoke predominantly English has risen from 36% in 1994 to
50% in 2004.Besides that, this clearly proves that any policies will only be successful with the
interference and support from the government. Furthermore, the implementation of English as
lingua franca in institutions in Singapore made easier for the students to continue their studies in
other nation such as United States of America or Britain. This showed as David (2004) pointed
that neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia have replaced the School Leaving Certificate with
their own national version which is examined in Malay and Indonesian respectively. This means
that students from this countries have to take additional language courses such as the TOEFL to
pursue their studies in overseas.

Besides that, Phyllis Chew pointed that Singapore is very ambitious in branding their
universities. They wants to establish their higher education institution as they wanted to stand
together with other leading nations such United States of America and also Britain. Chew P.G.L
(2014) pointed out that Effective branding will elevate a university from being just one amongst
many, to become an entity with a unique character and promise. This means, when a university
collaborates other well-known universities, this will led to the establishment of the university as
a research university. Statistic from MOE (2011) shows that many smaller private academies in
Singapore , such as the PSB Academy and the MDIS Academy, have partnered with foreign
universities, such as California State University and the University of Western Australia to offer
a multitude of certificates, diplomas, degrees, and post-graduate courses. This happened because
of the usage of English as lingua franca in the universities in Singapore. The effort made by the
government of Singapore shows that had made an effective branding on their universities and
they stand same with other leading nations and leaving behind other nation in ASEAN that still
practicing their own national language in their higher education institutions. The scholars from
nations that not practicing English as lingua franca face problems when they want to publish
their research as they are facing lack of English language knowledge and this made finish a lot of
money and also time in acquiring professional translator. This can be seen as Berghammer
(2010) pointed that the research on scientific journals has found significant differences in

acceptance rates for non-native authors compared to native authors as well as longer processes of
revision and resubmissions in the case of the latter. I agree because , as we known , there are
many foreigner that choosing Singapore as the place for their tertiary studies the universities in
Singapore are internationally certified because of the implementation of English as lingua franca.
In sociolinguistic context, lingua franca means language widely spoken by the people in
order to be together despite having different mother tongue. In this article, the researcher has
pointed that the English language as the lingua franca acts as an instrument of bonding. As we
known, Singapore is a country with multi language, races and religions. The statistics from the
(Department of Statistics, 2011) shows that there are 20 specific dialect groups in Singapore.
Therefore, to make the citizens stay together, there is a need for a main language to be used in
the country. As we known, English is the most dominant lingua franca in the world. Silver, R. E.
(2005), Lee the former prime minister of Singapore told that We realized that English had to be
the language of workplace and the common language. As an international trading community, we
would not make a living if we used Malay, Chinese or Tamil. With English, no race would have
an advantage. This clearly shows that, the government of Singapore want everybody in
Singapore regardless their race or religion to use English language as lingua franca and they
want to be a fair government. Lee (2011) in a speech told that The choice of English as our
lingua franca gave all race equal opportunities through a common language to learn,
communicate and work in. This shows that I agree to the idea of Phyllis Chew that English
language as lingua franca works as a tool of harmony in Singapore. Every races in Singapore are
given equal opportunities if they excel. I support the policy of Singapore government as they are
acting fair to the citizens. If we compare this with our government, they are using the Malay
language as the lingua franca in Malaysia because this is the symbol to show that the Malay
ethnic is the dominant one. David (2004) pointed that Malaysia which at the dawn of
independence began the process of emplacing Bahasa Melayu as the medium of instruction
(MOI) in its schools and higher institutions as a means of affirming the legitimacy of the
dominant group in the country and of providing a strong sense of cultural identity at the national
level. From this , we can see that despite Singapore has Chinese people 70% from the overall
population , still they are using the English language as the lingua franca and I agree with the
idea of Phyllis Chew.

4.0 Conclusion
As for the conclusion, I want to tell that I agree solely with the ideas in this research.
Phyllis chew had come out with an interesting topic. For nowadays world, we should
accommodate ourselves according to the surroundings. This means in order to be a highly
competitive nation, they have to think beyond the comfort zone rather than sticking to the
traditional methods. In this case of Singapore, it clearly shows that the politicians had already
predicted the future even 50 years back. During the initial introduction of English as lingua
franca, they faced a lot of problems, but now the citizens are reaping the benefits. As we known,
Singapore is a familiar country in the eyes of world. They are one of the fast growing nation
despite being a small country. This clearly shows that a language can plays role in the
development of a country. Language is interrelated in social and economy.
Phyllis Chew in this article also told despite promoting English as lingua franca in education,
still the government is giving emphasis for mother tongue. This means that the Chinese has to
learn Mandarin language, the Tamil has to learn Tamil language and the Malay has to learn
Malay language. I agree to the policy that being practiced in Singapore because no matter what,
our mother tongue is the one that going to show our own identity and also culture. Without the
mother tongue, any race will lost their important identity and also culture. This can be seen in the
education policy that being implemented in Singapore. The citizens in Singapore are giving
priority to the education. In the future , there is possibility for the mandarin language in
becoming the lingua franca as Lee (2011) pointed that Mandarin language , the speed at which
China is modernizing makes it the most likely candidate to challenge English globally . This
show that China is rising and their Mandarin language also going to become a lingua franca. In
our nation Malaysia, we are still behind compared to Singapore. Our leaders are trying to move
forward same like Singapore. A recent speech by our Ministry of education pointed that
Education is a major contributor to our social and economic capital. It inspires creativity and
fosters innovation; provides our youth with the necessary skills to be able to compete in the
modern labour market; and is a key driver of growth in the economy. we must ensure that our
education system continues to progress in tandem [with other policies]. By doing so, our country
will continue to keep pace in an increasingly competitive global economy. To meet todays
challenges will] require studentsto have strong universal values such as integrity,

compassion, justice, and altruism, to guide them in making ethical decisions. At the same time, it
is important to balance the development of global citizenship with a strong national identity.
This shows that our government is working on establishing our education system. On the other
hand, even though Phyllis Chew has come out with finding that English as lingua franca has
played an important role in Singapore, she feels that the current situation is enough and she
didnt came out with any suggestions for further enhancement in the future. In her research
question, she wanted to know whether English as lingua franca played importance in education
system and she has found some positive data. Still as a researcher, she should have come out
with some suggestions so that there will be enhancement in future but she failed to do
so.Therefore , although her research seems complete , but she could made it better by adding
some suggestions to make it easier for future researchers. She also should have included some
problems faced by Singapore because of English as lingua franca .The problem can be seen as
Chew P.G.L (2013) cited that English language has replaced the traditional lingua franca of
Hokkein and Malay within one generation. This means that, somehow the implementation of
English as lingua franca has some bad effects.
Last but not least, other ASEAN countries are trying to adopt English as lingua franca in
their higher education system. According Kirkpatrick (2010) In ASEAN countries English is
now being introduced as a compulsory subject into the primary curriculum in all the 10 countries
with the exception of Indonesia. This means that every ASEAN nations are competing in order
to be globally competitive and boost the economy sector.

5.0 References
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Singapore.
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Palgrave.
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Singapore. The Asian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 28-35.
David, M. K. (2004). Language policies in a multilingual nation: Focus on Malaysia. In M. K.
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Goh, C. T. (2000). Speech at the launch of the SGEM movement. Retrieved from
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Kirkpatrick, A. (2010). English as a lingua franca in ASEAN: A multilingual model. Hong Kong:
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Lee, K. Y. (2011). Speech by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, former Minister Mentor and current Senior
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