What is your name? A study of naming practices in Singaporean Chinese families

Abstract

With the changing linguistic landscape in Singapore, the study aims to examine the naming practices of the Singaporean Chinese. It is suggested that with the increase in the use of the English language in the country, there is a similar increase in the English Personal Names for Singaporeans. The study is executed in two phases: A quantitative survey, and an in-depth interview with the some of the participants from the first Phase. It revealed that there is a positive trend in the increase of English Personal Names amongst the Singaporeans. It also revealed that Personal Names are held to a great importance by all the participants, and that unconventional names that were deemed ‘convenient’ or seemed thoughtless were not received positively.