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https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/135960
DC Field | Value | |
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dc.title | MANAGEMENT OF MINORITY LANGUAGES IN SINGAPORE: (RE)POSITIONING HINDI | |
dc.contributor.author | RITU JAIN | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2017-06-12T18:00:17Z | |
dc.date.available | 2017-06-12T18:00:17Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2017-01-05 | |
dc.identifier.citation | RITU JAIN (2017-01-05). MANAGEMENT OF MINORITY LANGUAGES IN SINGAPORE: (RE)POSITIONING HINDI. ScholarBank@NUS Repository. | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/135960 | |
dc.description.abstract | This thesis constitutes the first commentary on affirmative policy measures initiated in the late 1980s for promoting unofficial Indian minority languages in Singapore. Contrary to its founding goals of singular representative community languages, the state has allowed five additional languages (Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu) in lieu of Tamil for ethnic Indian students. Notwithstanding such provision, a large number of target Indians prefer Hindi to alternatives. In investigating reasons for and impact of the preference for Hindi among non-background learners, this study adopts a Spolskyian (2009) approach. Assuming that language decisions are influenced by policy makers at various societal levels and in various domains, it assesses the congruence between the various language managers. The study is guided by three focal objectives: a) assess the extent to which policy measures have been successful in managing the linguistic diversity and demographic shifts among the Indians; b) how effective have affirmative policy measures been in promoting the languages of the Indian minorities; c) have policy measures been successful in meeting the needs of the non-Tamil Indian language speakers and mediating the language-in-education decisions of transnational Indians in Singapore? The study applies a mixed methods approach by quantitatively examining archival sources and student enrolment records to assess historic and contemporary challenges to management of minority Indian languages. To assess the success or otherwise of policy measures, it relies on qualitative interview data with a total of 75 respondents for insights into motivations shaping language choices. The study finds that challenges to policy can be attributed to essentialist associations of ethnically diverse communities with singular languages. Further, it locates contradiction to state policy in the pragmatic evaluation of mobile individuals with uncertain trajectories. Among such families, institutional support and enhanced mainstreaming is not deemed to be critical for maintenance of familial languages. The study cautions that contradictory orientations between state language policies and Indian families pose a significant challenge to state language policies. It proposes that flexible multilingual education models offering support and autonomy to minority communities are more appropriate in meeting the expectations of both settled communities and accommodating multi-sited orientations of immigrants. | |
dc.language.iso | en | |
dc.subject | language policy and planning, minority languages in education, heritage languages, Hindi, Indians in Singapore, Non Tamil Indian Languages | |
dc.type | Thesis | |
dc.contributor.department | SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME | |
dc.contributor.supervisor | Vineeta Sinha | |
dc.description.degree | Ph.D | |
dc.description.degreeconferred | DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FASS) | |
dc.identifier.isiut | NOT_IN_WOS | |
Appears in Collections: | Ph.D Theses (Open) |
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JainR.pdf | 1.54 MB | Adobe PDF | OPEN | None | View/Download |
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