1. Types of road names
    Malay-derived generic elements  English-derived generic elements  Road names that include acronyms  Road names that consist only of a single word  Road names with the definite article "the"  Road names without any generic element 

2. Naming convention
    Expressways  Road names in residential towns  Generic elements reserved for specific roads  Road name modifiers  Common Malay terms in road names 

3. References

4. External links

Road names in Singapore come under the purview of Singapore's Street and Building Names Board (SBNB). All public streets, including roads for vehicular traffic and pedestrian malls, as well as private roads that are non-gated are officially named. Roads that are shorter than 60 metres in length need not be named. However, road names are not to be confused as MRT station names. MRT station names are only allowed to be named after important places that best represent the station and the vicinity within the station.

Road names are either in the English language or Malay language, even though many names could be derived from other languages such as Mandarin Chinese and Tamil due to the diverse cultures of the Singaporean society. All road names are also officially translated into Mandarin Chinese by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). SBNB has generally avoided naming new roads in Malay (i.e. using generic elements of Malay origins) since the 1970s.

It is common for a long stretch of road to have different names at different sections; such changes in names usually, but not necessarily, occur at major junctions, or when the road passes over a river or canal. It is also possible for roads that are not directly connected to bear the same name; such cases usually arise from urban redevelopment which divides these initially connected roads into two or more unlinked sections.

Road names in Singapore usually, but not always, have a generic element and a specific element, the former of which could assume two forms: noun (e.g. "Taman", "Hill") or adjective (e.g. "Lengkok", "Rise").

Types of road names

Roads names in Singapore typically fall under six categories:

• road names with a prefix (generic element) followed by a specific element;
• road names with a specific element followed by a suffix (generic element);
• road names that include acronyms;
• road names that consist only of a single word;
• road names with the definite article "the" followed by a specific element; and
• road names without any prefix or suffix (generic element).

Due to the differences in the grammatical structure, prefixes could either be in English or Malay, while suffixes are generally in English.

Malay-derived generic elements

Road names in Singapore do not utilise many Malay generic elements commonly found in neighbouring Malaysia, such as Lebuh ("street"), Tingkat ("terrace"), Cangkat ("rise"), Lebuhraya ("avenue", "highway" or "expressway"), etc. The generic element "Persiaran" ("drive") was used in the road "Persiaran Keliling" in Singapore, but this road has been renamed to "Circuit Road".

English-derived generic elements

Road names that include acronyms

There are several instances whereby the official road names include acronyms. Such a structure is exclusively used for roads within the Singapore Changi Airport.

Examples include:

Road names that consist only of a single word

Road names in this category are extremely rare in Singapore. There are currently only four roads that bear single-word names:

• Bishopsgate
• Causeway
• Piccadilly
• Queensway

Road names with the definite article "the"

Road names in this category are extremely rare in Singapore. There are currently only three road names that include "the":

• The Inglewood
• The Knolls
• The Oval

Road names without any generic element

There are currently only five road names that do not have any generic element:

Naming convention

Expressways

Expressways of Singapore are given official abbreviations for ease of identification. Abbreviations consist of three letters; the first two letters correspond to the first two syllables of the name, while the last letter is derived from the first letter of the last word.

The only exceptions to this rule are Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE). "KPE" allows for both locations, Kallang and Paya Lebar, to be represented. "MCE" is selected to highlight the expressway's close proximity to the coast.

Names of expressways always appear in their abbreviated forms on road signs.

Road names in residential towns

Unlike other cities, it is very common for Singaporean roads to have derivative names (i.e. roads sharing the same specific element while differing only in their generic element). Many locations in Singapore, especially residential towns, follow this naming format. Certain generic elements are used only for a specific purpose, such as "Central" which is often reserved for roads that are located within town centres.

Road names in mature residential towns and estates (for example, Ang Mo Kio and Tampines) generally follow a numerical scheme. Those that do not are mostly non-mature towns (for example, Sengkang and Punggol) and locations where residential precincts are not concentrated or clustered (for example, Kallang and Marine Parade).

Generic elements reserved for specific roads

While suffixes like "Drive" and "Street" may be used interchangeably in most cases, some generic terms tend to only be used on roads that fulfil a certain criteria.

Road name modifiers

In certain scenarios whereby two or more roads are similarly named, modifiers are used to differentiate between these roads for easier identification. One reason for the existence of these similarly-named roads is urban redevelopment which turned previously singular roads into distinct, unconnected sections, effectively turning them into different roads altogether.

The following are modifiers used in Singapore road names to differentiate between similarly-named roads:

Common Malay terms in road names

The following are common Malay-derived terms found in Singapore road names (excluding those listed as "generic elements" above):

References

External links

• Perono Cacciafoco, Francesco, and Shu Qi Tuang. 2018. [https://geografie.uvt.ro/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/01_Cacciafoco_Tuang.pdf "Voices from the Streets: Trends in Naming Practices of Singapore Odonymy"]. Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics, XIII, 25-26. pp. 9-30.

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