National language has four official languages: English (Singapore English), Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Although English is the primary language of business, government, and education, Malay is designated as the national language. This is due to the geographical and historical ties to Malaysia as well as the recognition of ethnic Malays (about 14% of the population) as the indigenous people of Singapore. Traditionally, the lingua franca among the different ethnic groups in Singapore was Bazaar Malay, a Malay-based creole. Since independence, the government has been promoting English as the main language of Singapore. The bilingual education policy requires students to study two languages:
Manually coded English Manually coded English Manually-Coded English (MCE) is an umbrella term used to describe a range of various forms of sign language which follow direct spoken English language. The different codes of MCE vary in the levels of direct following of spoken English grammar. There may also be a combination with other visual clues such as body language. MCE is typically used in conjunction with direct spoken English. MCE or speaking and signing at the same time has been labeled many terms—including Total Communication, Simultaneous Communication (SimCom), Signed English, Manually-Coded English, Sign Supported Speech, and Sign Supported English, none of which