Rhoticity in Singapore English

Abstract This paper examines the variation in rhoticity in both casual and careful speech of Singaporeans, who are representative of the general population of educated Singapore English (SgE) speakers. This study expands the scope of previous research on rhoticity in SgE, e.g. Tan and Gupta (1992) and Tan (2012) , by analysing both language-external and language-internal factors. While earlier studies primarily explored social correlates such as age, gender, ethnicity, and educational level, this research addresses a critical gap by examining phonological environments that condition /r/ realisation. Speech data were drawn from two distinct registers — read-aloud speeches and informal conversations — produced by SgE speakers of varying first language (L1) backgrounds. Statistical modelling identified three significant predictors of /r/ realisation: phonological context, preceding vowel, and dominant language. The findings underscore the unique status of the realised /r/ in SgE and the importance of both stylistic and phonological considerations in its distribution.