Identity

“My fellow Linguafoureans …”

Singapore is unique in having four official languages each from a different language family. Linguafour is a space to celebrate that treasure.

In this third edition of our monthly newsletter, we consider:

• What is Identity?

• Language and Identity

• Language and AI

• What Cantonment Road joins together

• Language and Biodiversity

What is Identity?

• Identity came into English through French, ultimately from the Latin “idem” meaning “the same” (hence also “identical”), but the word often now focuses attention on personal and individualistic characteristics.

• Identiti in Malay was adopted from the English word but arguably focuses more on the relational and communal aspects.

• 身份 (shēn fèn) combines 身 (shēn, “body”) with 份 (fèn, a particle that differentiates parts).

• அடையாளம் (aḍaiyāḷam) means a “sign,” “mark” or “symbol” - things by which people are identified - and thus, by extension, “identity.”

Looking through the lenses of all four of Singapore’s official languages reminds us that our identity comes both from what distinguishes us and from what unites us; individually and collectively; personally and relationally; in internal and external ways; not only in our own eyes but also in the view of others.

Language and Identity

The Mother Tongue programme in schools has helped the different ethnic groups within Singapore to maintain a sense of connection with their respective heritages and the lands of their ancestors. It has contributed to each community’s distinct sense of identity within the wider society.

Identity questions for Singaporeans today, however, are less about “where did we come from separately?” (what distinguishes us from one another) and more about “where we are going together?” (what unites us) Our heritage is not just about what we receive from the generations of the past; it is also about what we will pass on to the generations of the future.

Singaporeans may look Chinese, Indian or Malay but they are not: they come from a nation with its own distinct identity; a nation that is united but not uniform; a nation with four official languages, each from a different language family. These are invaluable resources that belong to all Singaporeans.

Could it be that the Mother Tongue languages are key not just to distinguishing Singaporeans from one another but also to uniting them on today’s AI-enabled global stage?

Language and AI

The latest article in the Tech for Good Institute’s Insights examines the critical role of language in the development and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The article highlights the dangers of relying on AI that is trained primarily in one language and the vital role of initiatives like Singapore’s SEA-LION (South East Asian Languages in One Network) in training foundation models with multiple languages.

When we ask AI (like ChatGPT, Gemini or Co-Pilot) a question, it gives us the impression that it is surveying the entirety of human wisdom and then delivering us a single definitive answer. In the majority of cases this is, of course, nonsense because: (a) there rarely is a single definitive answer; (b) the data the AI is surveying is far from the collective wisdom of the generations from across the globe; and (c) we are not accounting for the greatest bias of all, which comes from the language(s) with which the AI was trained.

AI is built on Large Language Models, meaning that language is at the core of the technology. Whilst the majority of us will never really comprehend AI technology, we can all understand what powers it because language is one of the things that makes us human. If we do not want the technology to dehumanise us, we must take back ownership of its foundations and demand that the technology serve humanity rather than the tail wagging the dog.

This begins by recognising that language is not just a means of communication; it is a means of thought. To put it another way, languages are algorithms for human thought and it therefore matters which language or languages we use to make sense of a situation – whether or not we use digital technology to assist us.

We have already begun to show (see the archive below) how language shapes both what we perceive and how we process those perceptions. We will explore further how language actually works next month, but for now suffice it to say that insisting on linguistic diversity in our society and the technologies we use is key to our thriving as humans. We can begin by using AI to explore the different nuances in the ways that Singapore’s four official languages express the same things.

What Cantonment Road joins together

Cantonment Road runs between New Bridge Road and Keppel Road but links together each of the ethnic groups represented by Singapore’s four official languages.  The road gets its name from the district (“cantonment”) where Tamil-speaking soldiers were stationed after arriving from Penang with Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819.  Its Chinese name, 广东民路 (guǎng dōng mín lù), is a partial transliteration from the English: 广东 (guǎng dōng) is the province in southern China that the British called “Canton,” conflating the name of the region in Chinese dialects (like “kóng-tûng” in Hakka) with similar sounding European words for a region (“canton”); 民 (mín) approximates to the English sound “-ment,” though actually means “people”; and 路 (lù) is the regular Chinese word for “road.”  Ironically, Cantonese people in Singapore called the road “Ba Suo Wei:” the “tail” end (wei) of Bukit “Pasoh" (ba suo), which is Malay for “Clay Hill.”

Language and Biodiversity

The WWF’s Living Planet Report revealed an average decline of 69% in species populations since 1970.  (Since the dawn of civilisation, humanity has caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of all plants, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).  

Preserving the biodiversity that remains is vital for our well-being. “Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.” (The Royal Society)

80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity and one third of the earth’s protected spaces are cared for by indigenous people whose way of life is under the threat from the forces of globalisation and industrialisation. There are more than 7000 human languages, but 43% of them are classified as endangered (Visual Capitalist) and most of those are indigenous languages (United Nations).

In an attempt to revive these languages - and thus the perspectives of their speakers - the United Nations has declared this the “Decade of Indigenous Languages” (2022-2032). In a small way, we can help humanity to treasure the linguistic diversity on which the world’s biodiversity depends by celebrating our own linguistic diversity here in Singapore.

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Previous editions

1. Happy Birthday: official launch on Singapore's 59th birthday

2. Majulah Singapura: let our voices soar as one

Posts

• Heritage: Singapore’s unique linguistic heritage

• About: what Linguafour is and how to get involved

•  Name: where Linguafour’s name and logo came from

• Why: why should we change the lens?

• How: how do we change the lens?

• What: what can we do to change the lens?

• Blue Pea: the multiple faces of South East Asia’s popular flower

• Life Jacket: an airline safety notice shows us different ways of thinking

• Jalan: the word on the street

• Leadership is language: changing language is the key to success

• Perspectives: I need your eyes to see

Video

_{Linguafour is a community based in Singapore. We use a platform from Beehiiv, which is a company registered in New York at the address below.}

_{Photo Credit: header image background from Ellen MacArthur Foundation.}