<P> Singapore is effectively a multi-lingual nation . The Singapore government recognises four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil . </P> <P> Students in primary and secondary schools learning English as the language of instruction also learn a second language called their "Mother Tongue" by the Ministry of Education, where they are taught Mandarin Chinese, Malay or Tamil . A main point to note is while "Mother Tongue" generally refers to the first language (L1) overseas, in Singapore, it is used by the Ministry of Education to denote the traditional language of one's ethnic group, which sometimes can be his or her second language (L2). </P> <P> There are two main types of English spoken in Singapore--Standard Singapore English and Singlish . Singlish is more widely spoken than standard English . It has a very distinctive tone and sentence structure which are both strongly influenced by Malay and the many varieties of Chinese spoken in the city . </P> <P> A 2005 census showed that around 30% of Singaporeans speak English as their main language at home . </P>

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