LANGUAGE USE AND COMMUNICATIVE NETWORKS OF THAI GUEST WORKERS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Singapore is a multilingual society where many languages are spoken. Since October 1978, however, there has been an additional fascinating language contact situation, involving hundreds of Thai guest workers, most of whom are monolingual, who have come to work in various industries in the Republic. This study aims to investigate two closely interrelated aspects: patterns of interaction and of language use of Thai guest workers in Singapore. Three groups of respondents, altogether 90, 70 female and 20 male, were selected by nonprobability sampling methods in two residential areas. Each respondent was asked to write 2 language diaries, one on a working day and one on a Sunday, and to fill 2 questionnaires on sociometry and language background. All the sources of data were written in Thai. The data analyzed showed that the scope of their interaction depended largely on the location of their residence: those who resided in town were more likely to be exposed to multilingual contacts than those living in the industrial area. Furthermore, interlocutors and educational levels seemed to play an important role in determining language choice, and they are incorporated in a matrix known as an implicational scale. In the work situation and other inter-ethnic encounters, the Thai workers used English as the main lingua franca, although they also used their native language with non-Thai workmates, local neighbours and salespeople (in particular, market vendors). Workplace was found to be a major factor as far as their second language learning was concerned, whereas in the home, the language used was almost exclusively Thai. Patterns of interaction and language use also changed with the length of residence. As interaction with non-Thai friends, neighbours, and salespeople increased, the language shifted from Thai to English, and other local languages as well.