Language Planning in Action: Singapore‟s Multilingual and Bilingual Policy

Language planning is a time and society specific activity; any inquiry into the practices of language planning requires an awareness of the peculiar and historical context in which language planning measures emerged and were implemented, and the sociopolitical effects of these policies. The aim of this paper is to describe the language planning policies adopted by the Singapore government. An overview of the sociopolitical background will first be provided, followed by an explanation of the sociolinguistic situation in Singapore. In addition, there will be detailed discussion of the multilingual and bilingual language planning policies implemented by the Singapore government, and the ways in which these two policies have evolved and changed. In addition, the importance of English in the linguistic ecology of Singapore will also be discussed. The paper concludes that language planning in Singapore is primarily motivated by the view that language is both an economic resource as well as an emblem of culture that necessitates careful planning by the Singapore government.