Metadiscursive convergence in the Singlish debate

Abstract

This paper focuses on the debate over Singlish, a colloquial variety of English spoken in Singapore, and examines the factors that lead to a metadiscursive convergence between the anti-Singlish government and the pro-Singlish Singaporeans. The paper shows how it is that even as the two sides disagree on whether to stigmatize or valorize Singlish, they both share similar assumptions about Singlish. As a result, these assumptions are never contested, much less critically examined, despite their problematic nature. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.