ABSTRACT
The literature on the evolution, sociolinguistic background, and structural characteristics of SingE abounds, including issues of educational policy and language attitudes. This chapter provides a brief overview of the ongoing discussion on how to conceptualize SingE, or rather, the various Englishes spoken in Singapore. It addresses developments in SingE, in particular the gradual emergence of an L1 speaker generation. Modern Singapore pursues a policy of multiracialism, which promotes equal status among the different ethnic groups. SingE is one of the most extensively studied varieties of English, and the existence of a considerable number of L1 speakers has repeatedly been noted since the late 1970s and even more. The literature on L2 SingE abounds, and the same is true for scientific accounts of its linguistic characteristics. Similar to its phonology, the morphosyntax of SingE is also marked by a variety of distinctive rules and patterns, especially, again, in the more colloquial speech styles.
