Phyllis Ghim‐lian Chew
Biographic Data
| ID | 94457 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Phyllis Ghim‐lian Chew |
| GIVEN NAMES | Phyllis Ghim‐lian |
| FAMILY NAME | Chew |
| SIGNATURE | CHEW P G L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Nanyang Technological University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4532-9235 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Great Tao
Very little is known of the similarities shared by the Great Tao as conceived in the immortal Taoist carwn, the Tao-te ching, and the nature of God and the teachings of God's messengers as expounded by Baháʼu'lláh and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. This article focuses on the Great Tao of the ancient Chinese people, a Tao whose eternal spirit has seeped into the very heart of Chinese tradition, culture, and way of life for centuries, and which is manifest in vari…
The Decline of the Vernacular in the Chinese Religion in Singapore
Remaking Singapore: Language, Culture, and Identity in a Globalized World
This chapter focuses on language policy, while Singapore attempts to remake itself in multifarious and novel ways, and more specifically, the Speak Good English Movement. In a globalized world, culture and identity are fluid, nonstatic, and often a work in progress. The chapter provides increasingly depoliticized, postcolonial, and materialistic environment in Singapore. Singlish may be considered quaint or even charming by a minority but it is n…
Identity construction and language use in a Singaporean Muslim youth camp
The paper examines how pre‐teen Muslim boys and girls from the same classroom and the same madrasah are faced with differing curricula when the time comes for their annual camp. The choice of activities and corresponding narratives within each camp foregrounds the processual nature of identity construction. This article undertakes a linguistic and semiotic analysis of discoursal narratives in the two camps, which take place a week apart, so as to…
Language choice and religious identities in three Singaporean madrasahs
This article is a comparative study of language choice and religious identities of three Singapore weekend madrasahs. The article reveals how language choice or the medium of instruction, be it Arabic, Malay or English, may directly influence or is intricately connected to religious identities as manifested in an array of classroom semiotics and pedagogical practices. The methodology used includes ethnographic research methods ranging from field …
Regional Identities: Distinct but Undivided
Before the official legitimization of race by the census of 1891, identity may be said to have been more regional in nature, that is, dependent on whet her one’s language was sea-bound or land-bound (Reid, 2010). 1 Hence, questions such as “Where are you from?” became common parlance, and indeed, almost always, the only relevant one (Bellwood, 2004). There was a palpable sharing and awareness of a common regional identity arising from the flexibi…
National Identities: The Reordering of Pluralities
Newly independent states are often distinguished by their socio-engineering efforts to forge an identity from above. It is believed that a strong collective identity is possible only if the governed share an “imagined” language (Edwards, 2009). Hence, certain languages are deemed “official” or “national” such as Hindi in India, Russian in the USSR and Hebrew in Israel, and others relegated to “dialect” status with no place in the national conscio…
A Sociolinguistic History of Early Identities in Singapore: From Colonialism to Nationalism
What role does race, geography, religion, orthography and nationalism play in the crafting of identities? What are the origins of Singlish? This book offers a thorough investigation of old and new ide
Pedagogical use of two languages in a Chinese elementary school
This paper provides a snapshot of the manner in which English as a foreign language is taught in an elementary school in Helan County, China, in the nation's first decade of sweeping nation-wide educational reforms where English was first introduced as an official subject in 2001 and then as a compulsory subject in 2004. To cope with large classes and a challenging and new syllabus, with conflicting directives from the top on how to teach, the el…
The use of Singlish in the teaching of Islam
Singlish is used in many ways in the Islamic classroom in Singapore. Singlish softens the effect of introducing English instead of Malay and Arabic as the medium of instruction, helps the teacher to evoke camaraderie and fellowship, and is a means of scaffolding. It can be used to signal a change of footing, to attend to latecomers in a less threatening way, to humanize, to solicit students' contribution, and to negotiate task instructions; in br…
Metaphors of Change: Adolescent Singaporeans Switching Religion
One may suppose that in a ‘competitive, lean and modern state’ such as the Republic of Singapore, with a relatively high per capita gross domestic product and a reputation for efficiency and enterprise, the religious aspiration would be presumably secondary to the material one or nonexistent. But such a presupposition is surprisingly off target. Religion is an important ingredient in the lives of the 4 million. Indeed, religiosity may be said to …
In pursuit of linguistic gold: Mothering in a globalised world
A follow-up of Jin-Kyu Park's contribution in ET97 on ‘English Fever’ in South Korea, by examining one of the consequences in Singapore – the destination for thousands of ‘study mothers’ who migrate from South Korea and China to help their young children acquire ‘linguistic capital’ by learning English. This paper focuses on the existence of around 7000 Chinese (PRC) and 5000 Korean study mothers in 2007 in the Republic of Singapore (Toh, 2008). …
Political women in singapore
Islands and national identity: The metaphors of Singapore
There have been numerous studies on Singapore's history, culture, and education, but few have focused specifically on the relationship between national identity and islandness. This paper examines how islandness and identity are inextricably intertwined and manifested in sociopolitical attitudes andlanguage behavior. Since metaphors are ourprimary means of conceptualizing the worid, an analysis of the metaphors of Singapore, as used by its leader…
Distance and familiarity in unequal dialogue: The role of alignment and style‐switching
The transcripts of 10 successful and 10 unsuccessful interviews for places on a diploma course in an educational institution in Singapore are used to illustrate the phenomenon of distance and familiarity in unequal dialogue, i.e. dialogue in which the failure to make a good impression can result in loss for one of the participants. This study discusses how interactional movement along the distance‐familiarity cline reveals the participants’ relat…
Generic Power at the Gate
Generic power is the ability to anticipate elements in a predictable sequence in a communicative event. This paper examines the role of such power in a crucial situation, namely the admission interview in the Republic of Singapore. In such a strategic occasion, both the interviewer (IR) and the interviewee (IE) are strictly constrained by generic expectations which restrict their discoursal patterns and interpretations. This paper argues that kno…
Pedagogical use of two languages in a Chinese elementary school
This paper provides a snapshot of the manner in which English as a foreign language is taught in an elementary school in Helan County, China, in the nation's first decade of sweeping nation-wide educational reforms where English was first introduced as an official subject in 2001 and then as a compulsory subject in 2004. To cope with large classes and a challenging and new syllabus, with conflicting directives from the top on how to teach, the el…
Generic Power at the Gate
Generic power is the ability to anticipate elements in a predictable sequence in a communicative event. This paper examines the role of such power in a crucial situation, namely the admission interview in the Republic of Singapore. In such a strategic occasion, both the interviewer (IR) and the interviewee (IE) are strictly constrained by generic expectations which restrict their discoursal patterns and interpretations. This paper argues that kno…
Political women in singapore
Distance and familiarity in unequal dialogue: The role of alignment and style‐switching
The transcripts of 10 successful and 10 unsuccessful interviews for places on a diploma course in an educational institution in Singapore are used to illustrate the phenomenon of distance and familiarity in unequal dialogue, i.e. dialogue in which the failure to make a good impression can result in loss for one of the participants. This study discusses how interactional movement along the distance‐familiarity cline reveals the participants’ relat…
Distance and familiarity in unequal dialogue: The role of alignment and style‐switching
The transcripts of 10 successful and 10 unsuccessful interviews for places on a diploma course in an educational institution in Singapore are used to illustrate the phenomenon of distance and familiarity in unequal dialogue, i.e. dialogue in which the failure to make a good impression can result in loss for one of the participants. This study discusses how interactional movement along the distance‐familiarity cline reveals the participants’ relat…
Generic Power at the Gate
Generic power is the ability to anticipate elements in a predictable sequence in a communicative event. This paper examines the role of such power in a crucial situation, namely the admission interview in the Republic of Singapore. In such a strategic occasion, both the interviewer (IR) and the interviewee (IE) are strictly constrained by generic expectations which restrict their discoursal patterns and interpretations. This paper argues that kno…
Islands and national identity: The metaphors of Singapore
There have been numerous studies on Singapore's history, culture, and education, but few have focused specifically on the relationship between national identity and islandness. This paper examines how islandness and identity are inextricably intertwined and manifested in sociopolitical attitudes andlanguage behavior. Since metaphors are ourprimary means of conceptualizing the worid, an analysis of the metaphors of Singapore, as used by its leader…
Political women in singapore
In pursuit of linguistic gold: Mothering in a globalised world
A follow-up of Jin-Kyu Park's contribution in ET97 on ‘English Fever’ in South Korea, by examining one of the consequences in Singapore – the destination for thousands of ‘study mothers’ who migrate from South Korea and China to help their young children acquire ‘linguistic capital’ by learning English. This paper focuses on the existence of around 7000 Chinese (PRC) and 5000 Korean study mothers in 2007 in the Republic of Singapore (Toh, 2008). …
Metaphors of Change: Adolescent Singaporeans Switching Religion
One may suppose that in a ‘competitive, lean and modern state’ such as the Republic of Singapore, with a relatively high per capita gross domestic product and a reputation for efficiency and enterprise, the religious aspiration would be presumably secondary to the material one or nonexistent. But such a presupposition is surprisingly off target. Religion is an important ingredient in the lives of the 4 million. Indeed, religiosity may be said to …
Regional Identities: Distinct but Undivided
Before the official legitimization of race by the census of 1891, identity may be said to have been more regional in nature, that is, dependent on whet her one’s language was sea-bound or land-bound (Reid, 2010). 1 Hence, questions such as “Where are you from?” became common parlance, and indeed, almost always, the only relevant one (Bellwood, 2004). There was a palpable sharing and awareness of a common regional identity arising from the flexibi…
National Identities: The Reordering of Pluralities
Newly independent states are often distinguished by their socio-engineering efforts to forge an identity from above. It is believed that a strong collective identity is possible only if the governed share an “imagined” language (Edwards, 2009). Hence, certain languages are deemed “official” or “national” such as Hindi in India, Russian in the USSR and Hebrew in Israel, and others relegated to “dialect” status with no place in the national conscio…
A Sociolinguistic History of Early Identities in Singapore: From Colonialism to Nationalism
What role does race, geography, religion, orthography and nationalism play in the crafting of identities? What are the origins of Singlish? This book offers a thorough investigation of old and new ide
Pedagogical use of two languages in a Chinese elementary school
This paper provides a snapshot of the manner in which English as a foreign language is taught in an elementary school in Helan County, China, in the nation's first decade of sweeping nation-wide educational reforms where English was first introduced as an official subject in 2001 and then as a compulsory subject in 2004. To cope with large classes and a challenging and new syllabus, with conflicting directives from the top on how to teach, the el…
The use of Singlish in the teaching of Islam
Singlish is used in many ways in the Islamic classroom in Singapore. Singlish softens the effect of introducing English instead of Malay and Arabic as the medium of instruction, helps the teacher to evoke camaraderie and fellowship, and is a means of scaffolding. It can be used to signal a change of footing, to attend to latecomers in a less threatening way, to humanize, to solicit students' contribution, and to negotiate task instructions; in br…
Language choice and religious identities in three Singaporean madrasahs
This article is a comparative study of language choice and religious identities of three Singapore weekend madrasahs. The article reveals how language choice or the medium of instruction, be it Arabic, Malay or English, may directly influence or is intricately connected to religious identities as manifested in an array of classroom semiotics and pedagogical practices. The methodology used includes ethnographic research methods ranging from field …
Remaking Singapore: Language, Culture, and Identity in a Globalized World
This chapter focuses on language policy, while Singapore attempts to remake itself in multifarious and novel ways, and more specifically, the Speak Good English Movement. In a globalized world, culture and identity are fluid, nonstatic, and often a work in progress. The chapter provides increasingly depoliticized, postcolonial, and materialistic environment in Singapore. Singlish may be considered quaint or even charming by a minority but it is n…
Identity construction and language use in a Singaporean Muslim youth camp
The paper examines how pre‐teen Muslim boys and girls from the same classroom and the same madrasah are faced with differing curricula when the time comes for their annual camp. The choice of activities and corresponding narratives within each camp foregrounds the processual nature of identity construction. This article undertakes a linguistic and semiotic analysis of discoursal narratives in the two camps, which take place a week apart, so as to…
The Decline of the Vernacular in the Chinese Religion in Singapore
Great Tao
Very little is known of the similarities shared by the Great Tao as conceived in the immortal Taoist carwn, the Tao-te ching, and the nature of God and the teachings of God's messengers as expounded by Baháʼu'lláh and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. This article focuses on the Great Tao of the ancient Chinese people, a Tao whose eternal spirit has seeped into the very heart of Chinese tradition, culture, and way of life for centuries, and which is manifest in vari…
Sociology (13 works) · Political science (11 works) · Linguistics (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (8 works) · Socioeconomic Development in Asia (8 works) · Gender Studies (7 works) · History (7 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Art (6 works)