Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra23241891roya).pdf/61

 NATIVE NAMES OF STREETS IN SINGAPORE.

CTING under the powers conferred by section 143 of the Municipal Ordinance 1887, the Commissioners have affixed at the corner of every street in the town of Singapore a board on which is inscribed "the name by which such street shall be known." But, as most of the residents are aware, the names given by the Municipality to the various streets are only used by the European portion of the population, and the Chinese, Tamils and Malays have names for the streets very different from their Municipal titles. In the selection of names for the streets, Chinese names were very properly selected for the Chinese part of the town, and Malay names for many of the streets in Kampong Glam, and one would naturally have supposed that such names as "Hongkong Street" and "Macao Street" would have been adopted by the Chinese, and that the Malays would have had no hesitation in appropriating a name like "Jalan Sultan."

But, whatever the reason may be, the fact remains that the Municipal names are ignored by the natives, with the exception of the police, who are, of course, compelled to learn them. I think, therefore, it will be of interest to give a list of some of the principal Chinese and Tamil names, as the names illustrate, to a certain extent, the characteristics of each nation. For example, what can be more characteristic of the Singapore Tamil than the names he has given to the Esplanade, to Bain Court, and to Tank Road? With regard to the Chinese names, they may, I think, be divided into three classes, i.e., purely Malay names pronounced in Chinese fashion, Malay names translated into Chinese, and lastly descriptive names.