Book excerpt: The definitive guide to place names in Singapore. Place names tell us much about a country – its history, its landscape, its people, its aspirations, its self-image. The study of place names, ‘toponymics’, unlocks the myriad interlocking stories that are encoded in every street and landmark. In Singapore, the coexistence of various races, cultures and languages, as well as its history of colonisation, immigration and nationalism, have given rise to a complex tapestry of place names. Alkaff Quay, Coleman Bridge, Ann Siang Hill, Bukit Merah – how did these places get their names? Nee Soon or Yishun? Serangoon Road or Tekka? First published in 2003 as Toponymics, this updated and expanded edition of the book incorporates a wealth of new findings, from archival research and interviews, and sets out to answer these questions – and any question that might be asked about the origin, meaning or significance of place names in Singapore