ELL faculty at Raffles Institution's English Language and Linguistics (ELL) Symposium

On Wednesday, 7 May 2025, Raffles Institution hosted their annual English Language and Linguistics (ELL) Symposium, themed "Voicing the Nation: English in Singapore." The event welcomed a diverse audience comprising current ELL pre-university students, alumni, prospective students, teachers, and officers from the Ministry of Education's Curriculum Planning and Development Division (MOE CPDD).

Asst/P Geraldine Kwek and Dr Mark Fifer Seilhamer were the two invited speakers who headlined the symposium. Asst/P Kwek presented “Features of Singapore English: On Variation and Change,” sharing insights from her research into the linguistic characteristics and ongoing shifts within Singapore English and Dr Seilhamer followed with “Singapore Language Policy and the Evolution of a Singapore National Identity,” discussing how language policy has shaped and reflected the nation's evolving identity. Both talks, as well as the panel Q&A afterwards, drew from the speakers’ individual expertise and highlighted findings from their ongoing academic collaborations, offering valuable perspectives on the relationship between language and nationhood in Singapore.