Singapur (Tag 4)
October 4 in Singapore
☁️ 29 °C
Heute habe ich mir im Kino den wunderbaren chinesischen Film „Once Upon a Time in the Middle East“ („欢迎来龙餐馆“) angesehen. Ein beeindruckendes und gleichzeitig sehr intensivesRead more
Traveler
Why is this sign in Singapore in English?
TravelerEnglish is one of Singapore’s four official languages and is also the main language used in government, education and public transport. This has historical roots: during the British colonial period, English became an important language of administration and trade. After independence, it was deliberately retained as a common language between Singapore’s different ethnic communities. That is why street signs, public notices, transport information and many other signs are mostly written in English, even though Mandarin, Malay and Tamil are also official languages.
TravelerInteresting. Thanks for the explanation. Very interesting how impact of colonialism pops up in unexpected ways, like this deliberate decision to retain a language. Also very useful for travelers today as the other 3 languages are not easy to learn.