Address terms by Singapore Chinese in a multilingual context

Abstract

Address terms in the Chinese context have been examined by many researchers. This paper examines address terms used by ethnic Chinese people in the multilingual context of Singapore. This study uses a sociopragmatic approach to gain a broader understanding of how the ethnic Chinese population in Singapore chooses between different languages and terms of address in different settings. It seeks to understand the underlying factors that affect one’s decision given the complex linguistic environment. The findings show that there is a diglossia situation in Singapore – a distinction between formal and informal settings (Keshavarz, 2001). In formal settings, only English and Mandarin are used, while southern Chinese dialects are used in informal settings such as with family, friends or in coffee shops. Other factors that affect terms of address include Confucian ethics of showing respect for one’s elders and people of higher positions and status as seen in Gu (1990), and in gaining favour with addressees such as sellers appealing to their customers (Liu, 2009).