EDEL903 Bilingualism and Biliteracy

1.Which language(s) is (are) preferred on signages displayed in Singapore's Little India? 

2.What percentage of signages are multilingual (more than 2 languages), bilingual (Tamil + English) and monolingual (only Tamil or English or Chinese) and how does this correlate to the linguistic landscape of an ethnic enclave of Little India? 

Purpose
Tamil is one of the 4 main languages in Singapore, being taught as a Mother Tongue in most government schools and used in official government notices and letters as well. The purpose of this research is to examine the prevalence of Tamil language and its orthography in Little India (Singapore). This study will be replicated from Shang & Guo’s (2016) study on the linguistic landscape of shop names and its correlation to Singapore’s multiculturalism. The main difference in the research paper would be that it is limited to the ethnic enclave of Little India. This is to streamline the focus on Tamil language and its visibility in that specific area. 
Data Collection 
The data collection would consist of pictures of signages around Little India. There would be approximately 20-30 pictures for data analysis of Tamil orthography (or the lack thereof) in a bilingual or multilingual context. 

Methodology and Coding
Data collected will be specifically analysed for aspects including:
1)Number of languages present 
2)Percentage of different languages present (percentage of multilingual vs percentage of bilingual) 
3)Percentage of signs with tamil orthography that is LARGER in size / placed on top of ENGLISH orthography compared to those with English and tamil being shown side by side. 
4)Percentage of government signages using more than 2 languages compared to shop signages using more than 2 languages. 
Analysis will be done by sorting the images into groups, and then comparing them. The coding will be done similarly to the original study (Shang and Guo 2016)

This research paper will aim to show the usage of Tamil orthography in Little India in comparison to other languages, hence highlighting its frequency. Despite a much smaller sample size as the original study, it should provide an idea of Tamil visibility in a largely Tamil area of Little India.