Singapore to end dialect restrictions on pay TV

Singapore's prime minister Lawrence Wong announced on Sunday that the city-state will ease restrictions on spoken dialects on pay TV and films released in cinemas provided there is a Mandarin dubbed version available. The move was announced during Singapore's annual National Day Rally, when the prime minister details the government's policies for the coming year.

Singapore has 4 official languages; English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, and each language has its own service(s) on TV and radio. Mandarin speakers make up the largest language group in Singapore, although its use has steadily decreased in favour of English. Singapore has its own version of English known as Singlish. It's basically a melting pot of all 4 languages and is mostly used in colloquial settings. The use of Singlish and dialects of other languages has proved controversial in the past. Indeed, the late prime minister Lee Kuan Lew launched the Speak Mandarin Campaign in the 1970s and the Speak Good English Campaign in the early 2000s to discourage the use of Singlish and other dialects.

While its use has gained more recognition and celebration within the last decade or so, it is currently not permitted to use Singlish on television shows and films unless contextual exceptions apply. It is also not permitted to use dialects of the other languages apart from the standard dialect spoken in Singapore, again unless there are contextual exceptions. Those restrictions are set to be relaxed next month as pay TV providers will be given freedom to display more dialects on screen.

Under the new rules, pay TV channels can air TV shows and films that feature dialects as long as there is a Mandarin dubbed version and an English translated version of the dialogue. Streaming services and independent distributors can release one dialect film per week and radio stations can play more songs and programmes featuring dialects.

In his address to the nation on Sunday, PM Wong said: "Even as we promote the use of Mandarin, we can also make more room for dialects. Many see dialects as a cultural heritage worth preserving. I agree. Few families speak dialect at home. Most Chinese Singaporeans know Mandarin but use English more often. The challenge now is to encourage those comfortable in English to speak more Mandarin. The more we use Mandarin, the better we will get at it."