Singlish - Of Colloquialisms and Slangs and all that Twang..
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There's been sporadic discussions on Singlish so I thought we might as well start a thread on it.
Singlish has its origins back in colonial Singapore. Read more about The origins of Singlish.
Singlish even has a lengthy entry in wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish
Singlish is actually a colloquialism. What is a 'colloquialism'?
From wikipedia, the free online encyclopaedia :
"A colloquialism is an informal expression, that is, an expression not used in formal speech or writing. Colloquialisms can include words (such as "gonna" or "grouty" ), phrases (such as "ain't nothin'" and "dead as a doornail" ), or sometimes even an entire aphorism ("There's more than one way to skin a cat" ). Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. Colloquialisms are often used primarily within a limited geographical area.
In some areas, overuse of colloquialisms by native speakers is regarded as a sign of substandard ability with the language. However, in the mouth of a non-native speaker, they are sometimes taken as signaling unusual facility with the language as they may be more difficult for non-native speakers to understand.
A colloquialism can sometimes make its way into otherwise formal speech, as a sign that the speaker is comfortable with his or her audience, in contrast to slang, which if used in formal speech is more likely done so consciously for humorous effect."
Singlish has obviously weaved its way into our lives and like it or not, it looks like it will be here to stay! It's Singapore's unique stamp on a non-native language that we've come to adopt as the official language of commerce here.
Singlish is unique and a part of our heritage but nevertheless, I feel that it should not be proliferated at the expense of standard English.
What are your thoughts and stand regarding this matter? -
I haven't really thought of a reply, but reading this on wiki cracked me up:
"bladi Gahmen si peh kaypoh one, why always so bedek kacang horh" -
My stand? There's nothing wrong with Singlish per se... after all, it evolved as our forefathers from the various races tried to integrate and communicate with one another. We don't have anything that really makes up a Singaporean culture, and Singlish is one of those things which truly make us uniquely Singaporean.
I've always felt that the givernment is making a mistake in suppressing Singlish, labelling it as 'bad English'. Now this is really ironic because English itself was developed from languages brought in by German and Danish migrants who settled on the British Isles (Wikipedia, 2005). I don't suppose we should consider English as a corrupted version of German or Danish.
Even the Brits themselves have their own English dialects and slangs. They have Geordie, Pitmatic, Cumbrian, Tyke, Scouse (stop me if I'm wrong).... It can be hard to understand those who aren't speaking the Queen's English. Should we treat all those slangs and dialects with the same contempt we hold for Singlish? I think not.
I won't deny that the exclusive use of Singlish makes it hard for others to understand us. For that reason, Commonwealth English (or the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation, or whatever you want to call it) should be continued to be taught and promoted. There's no point in two people speaking the same language which neither one can understand (irony!).
Still, we should not suppress one of the very few things that define us as a people and give us a truly unique culture. By all means, promote the Queen's English. At the very least, though, don't destroy Singlish.
Source:
Wikipedia, English Language, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language -
Hey thanks for posting all that up here, Rhonda! Now I don't have to go thru' all that work of sieving out info for one of the aussie teachers here who's fascinated with Singlish & how it sounds like
Thanks, thanks
How I feel about Singlish? I feel most comfy talking to people in Singlish, there's a kind of 'instant bond' between us, as though we've known each other for a long time, instead of just met each other an hour ago! I'm not proud of Singlish, but neither do I think it's disgusting and lowly (except when it comes from Phua Chu Kang.... eeee!!! *hair stands on end*
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i speak singlish one leh... but only with fellow singaporeans lah... if not, half the time i have to explain wat i saying, lazy lah... hehehee....
using it in an informal conversation is perfectly fine. but not when it's in formal occassion (speech or written)... the concern tat the govt have is tat even tho' the *ahem* older generation understand it's not a standard language, the younger ones have confused everything together.
i rem a friend who's a chinese teacher have tis experience. a pri sch boy came to him, asking how to write the word "du(4)" [aka poke]... and the little boy almost burst into tears when told there's not such chinese word. he keep insisting, got! like "ta du dao wo yen jing" [he poked my eyes].... my friend was speechless... -
Keep Singlish and promote Standard English.Is this so hard for the policymakers?Or are they just too plain lazy to think a bit more and formulate a proper language curriculum which does not denigrate our Singlish roots?
I'm thinking that the control freak mechanism is still very much prevalent here in the establishment today.Singlish sprouted up by itself, not nurtured through massive campaigns and chessy advertisments, not to mention Orwellian chastisement.They want something they can keep their hands on, and tinker as they deem fit.Keeping Singlish is apparently too much for their mighty minds to handle, or even comprehend.Therefore, the simplest task for Scholar Seng is to simply brush Singlish out of the picture and attempt to ram something else down our throats again.
It is insidious, and it goes to the roots of what makes us love this place.A sense of belonging can be threatening to the ones in charge, especially if this sense is from the SELF and not from THEM.Singlish is a cohesive glue, a symbol of the melting pot.However it has always been the stance of the government that they do not want a melting pot.They want clearly defined racial roots, as seen by the promotion of more and more ethnic self-help groups.
Singlish is a glue that threatens the elitist vision of the establishment.But ironically, it is Singlish that runs the gamut of all that is unique to us.It is our bond after work, our security blanket that binds all Singaporean expats and the vehicle of fun and ethnic humour.
Come to think of it, anything that is multi-faceted, you won't find a govt department involved in it.But when it comes to simple, one-dimensional thinking, boy they are the experts and should be bowed and given profuse thanks for.
Jeez.And these scholars are the cream?Seems to me that sour cream is in abundance these days. -
nah.. when you cook, you will notice that not only does cream rise to the top, scum does too
i have no problems flipping between proper english and "kopitiam-speak" when necessary...
but maybe, some things have to change, not only high up, but at the grassroots... ever been speaking in kopitiam-speak, then flipping over to proper english when necessary, then be called "kentang" almost immediately?
this is one thing that maybe we should change at the grassroots level? -
Ah Beng - uneducated Chinese man, butt of jokes
Hey, I'm famous!
MG