At the time of Independence, the government decided that there would be four official languages in the new Republic. This is to act as a compromise among the three major, ethnic communities. Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil were chosen to represent the three ethnic-cultural traditions in Singapore, and English because of its international status and importance, as well as Singapore’s colonial background. Of the four Malay was the designated national language, reflecting both the historical and geographical position of the island-state, and performing a role that is more ceremonial that functional.

In Singapore, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin), and Tamil are officially and socially referred to as the "mother tongues" of the Malay, the Chinese and the Indian communities respectively. These three official languages are supposed to "represent" the three communities and are socially and symbolically accepted by members of the various communities.

However, the term "mother tongue" used in the Singapore context differs from the linguistic definition, thus resulting in some confusion. The linguistic definition of "mother tongue" is "a language first learnt by the speaker as a child". For a large proportion of the population, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil are not their mother tongue, but the various dialects that are first learnt.
 
 
 
 

Prepared by Lau Foong Yee