Abstract
Singapore is a city-state located at the southern part of Malaysia in Southeast Asia. Its literacy rate is about 96.2 percent (Singaporeans aged 15 years and above) (Department of Statistics Singapore 2013). The country was originally a small fishing village with mostly Malay inhabitants but the arrival of the British in 1819 attracted a large number of migrants into the country such as those from China and India. Under the British rule, the non-resident population increased at an unprecedented rate. For example, in 1827 there were less than 16,000 people residing in Singapore. By 1836, it had increased to more than 30,000, and in 1860 it expanded to 81,000 (Turnbull 2009). Currently, Singapore has a total population of about 5.18 million and a total land space of about 715.8 square meters. The present population is made up of about 3.28 million Singapore citizens and 533,000 Singapore permanent residents from different countries. Although a cosmopolitan city-state, the three dominant races in Singapore are Chinese, Indian, and Malay (Department of Statistics Singapore 2013).
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© 2015 Catherine Chua Siew Kheng
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Kheng, C.C.S. (2015). Singlish Strikes Back in Singapore. In: Tupas, R. (eds) Unequal Englishes. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137461223_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137461223_11
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