The Sindhis of Singapore – Language Maintenance or Language Shift?

• Main Author: Maya Khemlani David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies 2000-09-01
• Series: Migracijske i Etniĉke Teme
• Subjects: Sindhi; Sindhis; Singapore; mixed discourse; code switching; language maintenance
• Online Access: http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/159556

This article examines the choice of languages in the home, work and religious domains of a minority ethnic community (Sindhis) in Singapore. It presents sociolinguistic observations based on a qualitative study of 8 Sindhi families consisting of 28 Singaporean Sindhis. The study found that a mixed discourse appears to be the new language option of community members who have to accommodate to the linguistic preferences of both young and old members of the community. The varieties of language options open to and used by the Singapore Sindhi speech community is not uniform. As respondents possess differing levels of proficiency in Sindhi and English, the mixed discourse does not only reflect the accommodative strategy used by community members in interaction, but also their own particular linguistic preferences. The Singaporean Sindhi community is English proficient and there is a tendency for many Sindhis to move towards its dominant use, even in intracommunity interactions. The use of dominant English in discourse with peers or younger community members as contrasted with a Sindhi dominant code switch with older community members indicates that it is merely a matter of time before the family moves away from the use of the ethnic or ancestral language. With the demise of the older community members, English will be the dominant language of the community. The need to accommodate will no longer exist though code mixes and switches may still be used to refer to cultural and religious items.