In:Education in Languages of Lesser Power: Asia-Pacific Perspectives
Edited by Craig Alan Volker and Fred E. Anderson
[IMPACT: Studies in Language, Culture and Society 35] 2015
► pp. 153–172
Sustaining and maintaining a minority language
A case study of the place and use of Tamil in Singapore
Published online: 5 February 2015
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.35.09she
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.35.09she
Singapore offers clues as to how languages of lesser power may thrive in contexts where there is a multiplicity of languages and metropolitan languages dominate. Under colonial rule the position of Tamil in both society and schooling was marginal. The community lacked numbers and economic power and many Indian children were sent to English medium schools. A multiplicity of Indian languages further complicated the situation. In 1956, an emergent multilingual elite committed itself to equal treatment for the four official languages – English, Chinese (Mandarin), Tamil and Malay. We provide some insights as to how this commitment has resulted in various initiatives sustaining Tamil in Singapore despite its declining functional value in the larger community.
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