ABSTRACT

Singapore’s location at the narrowest point between the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific means that it must have been influenced over the millennia not just by Malay or Malayic, but also by languages belonging to more distantly related Austronesian sub-groups. Following a brief history of the Austronesian language family, the chapter identifies some of the particular languages from the Malayo-Polynesian branch that might have been spoken in Singapore and nearby parts of Malaysia and Indonesia in earlier times. Other than Malay, these have left surprisingly little trace. This is followed by an outline history of Malay itself, emphasising the dialectal non-‘standard’ complexities that have arisen from its dual role over the past two millennia as simultaneously a regional first-language and a more widely diffused trade-linked second-language. Discussion then turns to the Austronesian languages known to have been spoken in Singapore as a result of migration in the past two centuries. The local history of these languages (both Malayic and non-Malayic) is outlined, with attention to the processes by which they have recently ceased to be spoken, even within families. Selected biographical examples show that their disappearance is primarily due to pressure from Malay and (latterly) English, despite some recent revivalist efforts.