Is Tamil national language of Singapore?

Is Tamil national language of Singapore?

Tamil language in Singapore Tamil is the most spoken Indian language in Singapore and the only Indian language among Singapore’s four official languages, alongside Mandarin, Malay and English, and 3.1% of Singapore residents speak Tamil at home.

When did Tamil become an official language in Singapore?

STATEMENT FROM THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE ON SINGAPORE’S OFFICIAL LANGUAGES, 1ST OCTOBER, 1965. In Singapore four languages — Malay,Chinese, Tamil and English — are official and equal languages.

What language does Singapore speak mostly?

Mandarin
Mandarin. The majority of Singapore’s population has roots in China, and as such, Mandarin is the officially recognized Chinese language. This is mostly the result of an intentional effort to standardize languages spoken in Singapore.

Does Singapore use Chinese?

Singaporean Mandarin (simplified Chinese: 新加坡华语; traditional Chinese: 新加坡華語; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Huáyǔ) is a variety of Mandarin Chinese widely spoken in Singapore. It is one of the four official languages of Singapore along with English, Malay and Tamil.

Why is Tamil important in Singapore?

Tamil is one of Singapore’s four official languages used in parliament, in schools as mother’s tongue subject and supported by print and broadcast media as well as in all other officials events. It is also printed on currency notes along with English, Chinese and Malay.

Which language is closest to Tamil?

Malayalam
The closest major relative of Tamil is Malayalam; the two began diverging around the 9th century AD.

Where is Tamil spoken?

It is the official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (Pondicherry). It is also an official language in Sri Lanka and Singapore and has significant numbers of speakers in Malaysia, Mauritius, Fiji, and South Africa.

Is Singapore English friendly?

English has been the predominant language of instruction in schools for most Singaporeans since the 1970s, so English-speaking visitors will do just fine in most circumstances.

How did Tamil come to Singapore?

Originating from the present-day state of Tamil Nadu in South India as well as northern Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), many Tamils came to Singapore during the 19th century as labourers and traders. Today, the Tamils make up about five percent of Singapore’s population.

Is Korean related to Tamil?

Comparative linguist Kang Gil-un identifies 1300 Dravidian Tamil cognates in Korean. He suggests that Korean is probably related to the Nivkh language and influenced by Tamil.

Is Telugu similar to Tamil?

Tamil and Telugu are Dravidian languages that are spoken in the southern states of India. Tamil is spoken in Tamil Nadu and Telugu in Andhra Pradesh. There are a number of differences between these two languages. The Indian Government declared Tamil a classical language in 2004.

Is Tamil a national language in Australia?

Not so long ago there was a misconception in Australia that Tamil was one of the national languages of Australia. Most people who know much about Australia will know that the country has no national language as such, but English has since the time of European settlement been adopted as the de facto national language.