Competing forces in language maintenance and language shift: Markets, hierarchies and networks in Singapore

Abstract

This paper proposes an analytic model which attempts to understand the process of language maintenance and language shift relation to the concomitant processes of socio- cultural changes of the society, and furthermore to evaluate the effectiveness and effect of language policies. This model is based on the recent work of political economists and is known as the ‘market, hierarchy and network ’ (MHN) model The model will be discussed with reference to the sociolinguistic situation in Singapore, where socio-cultural transformation is simultaneously taking place as a generational language shift from community and ethnic languages to national and international languages. Implications for language planning will also be discussed.