Although Singapore derives its Mandarin phonological standard from the Beijing-based norms of Mainland China, Singaporeans have historically perceived ostensibly ‘standard’ features, such as the retroflex sibilant initials, as non-local and inauthentic to the region. As observed by Starr & Wang (2021), Singaporeans differ considerably in their use of local and non-local features in formal speech contexts, suggesting a lack of community consensus regarding norms for standardness in Singapore Mandarin.

This study investigates phonological variation and its indexicality of political identity in Mandarin in the speech of candidates for office during the 2020 Singapore General Election. Prior studies of politicians’ language use demonstrate that sociolinguistic features may index political affiliation and, in particular, that regional features may be used to construct a localist political identity (Blas-Arroyo 2020). In the Singapore context, opposition parties have advocated for increased limits on the hiring of foreign workers and other localist policies, while the ruling party has emphasized the importance of engaging with the global marketplace (Tan & Heijmans 2021). The ruling party is also associated with various language initiatives that have promoted standard Mandarin and English and discouraged the use of local dialects.

Data for the analysis was drawn from Mandarin speeches and debates by five candidates from the ruling party and five from opposition parties. 11 phonological variables were analyzed for categorical variation; acoustic analysis of the spectral center of gravity was also carried out for the (sh) variable to identify gradient differences in the use of retroflex articulation. Mixed-effects modeling reveals significant differences between political parties, with candidates from the ruling party primarily using prescriptively standard features and opposition candidates using predominantly local features. These findings indicate that the ongoing negotiation of norms for Singapore Mandarin has made these variables a salient resource in the construction of political identities.