If you are a bit into languages then Singlish will give you some fun. It's a mixture of a handful of languages, the scientific term is 'Creole Language'. Some terms can be translated directly, for others you have to guess and read between the lines. Hint: if it's not an English word, don't use English pronunciation but rather any other European language (German, Italian, Spanish). Malay uses exactly the same pronunciation as German for the vowels. A few guides / dictionaries to get through the jungle:Yes I want to learn some of this Singlish. If I am going to hang out on the CS board then I am going to try and walk the walk and talk the talk the best I can. I am into expanding my world which is why I bother. You guys might have to start calling me FP (foreign poster)Starting over on the other side of the world is going to keep me from ever moving to your little red dot but I wouldn't mind visiting there someday despite whatever that girl says about her homeland.
I read tonight where maybe some of the Spore younger generation are like this girl in video and they are ashamed to use Singlish anymore or it is "beneath" them? Is this true?
I read tonight where maybe some of the Spore younger generation are like this girl in video and they are ashamed to use Singlish anymore or it is "beneath" them? Is this true?
No!
[video=youtube;WlXp1tLxrko]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlXp1tLxrko[/video]
No way.... Singlish is alive, kicking.... and enjoying the jacuzzi... even my Filipino wife is learning. :bsmilie:
People who claim they are ashamed by Singlish is either the elite or pretend to be elite... and English educator... most S'porean could switch being proper English and Singlish on the fly...
Singlish, to me, is a common bond between all S'poreans.... like it or hate it, its part of the nation. And its also one of the way I could tell anyone I've met overseas, in a foreign land, are they or are they NOT... Singaporean... LOL
No way.... Singlish is alive, kicking.... and enjoying the jacuzzi... even my Filipino wife is learning. :bsmilie:
People who claim they are ashamed by Singlish is either the elite or pretend to be elite... and English educator... most S'porean could switch being proper English and Singlish on the fly...
Singlish, to me, is a common bond between all S'poreans.... like it or hate it, its part of the nation. And its also one of the way I could tell anyone I've met overseas, in a foreign land, are they or are they NOT... Singaporean... LOL
Many young Singaporeans are now speaking with a faked American accent.
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I feel whether Singlish is good or bad largely depends on the context it is being used. While some may have pointed out it bonds Singaporeans together, which I agree to some extent, the ill effects of Singlish should not be forgotten also.
For foreign members here who are not familiar with Singlish, one thing you have to note is that, it is not only about adding "lah", "leh", "meh", etc in your speeches. Singlish is also ungrammatical and pronunciations are often inaccurate. Sometimes, words are not properly enunciated and it could cause communication to break down, especially when a Singaporean tries to speak with someone who has learnt proper English.
There are tons of examples. If anyone wants to see how bad the English standard in Singapore is, which I attribute largely to Singlish, just watch the English news at 9.30pm on Channel 5. There are bound to be interviews done in the streets. Just listen to the way the general Singaporean speaks. It is not just the uneducated but also the educated who sometimes have trouble putting their thoughts into proper English. I have to openly admit that many of our highly educated politicians and ministers also speak poor English. Only a very few can hold good conversations in English. The former PM, Lee Kwan Yew, and the present PM, Lee Hsien Loong, are 2 of them.
To have a fair comparison, listen to how the layman in the streets of UK, Australia or US speak impromptu and you can already tell generally, Singaporeans indeed don't speak good English. If ever they do, it is often rehearsed. That's why sometimes, we find local English dramas on TV weird because their English is scripted. So they could sound unnatural as our brains know that is not how we Singaporeans tend to speak in our daily lives.
How bad is Singlish? Ok here are some examples:
- 3 is pronounced as "tree" instead of "tHree"
- "I did not saw..."
- Mixing up tenses in a speech
- The girls is going....
Etc etc etc. Too many to list here!
Singlish may seem fun and good if you live the most part of your life here. But if you need to do presentations to international audience, or if like me, you do travel overseas for international conferences, you will see how bad Singlish is. I have seen too many times international audience, especially those who are native English speakers, having a hard time understanding what the hapless Singaporean speaker is trying to say. At some point, they have to be asked to repeat themselves. Or conversely, the Singaporeans themselves do not understand what the native speakers are trying to say because the former are simply not used to proper English! Maybe some of you have encountered this when you invite American or British photographers here to give talks. During Q&A, observe the puzzled looks on the speakers' faces when Singaporeans ask questions! Ok, some speak pretty good English, but you will surely easily encounter many who can't.
It's a shame we claim to learn English as a "first language". I've seen Europeans who learn English as a 2nd or 3rd language but they can speak a lot better than us Singaporeans. Sure, some of them have their native country accents, but their English can be understood and has little or no grammatical errors. The words also flow smoothly. Singaporeans sometimes speak in a jerky start-stop manner cos I suppose it takes some effort to convert in our heads the Singlish way of speaking that we are so used to into proper English sentences.
As for those who use fake American accents, well, maybe some of them are trying to show off. But sometimes, it's because we have become confused. Cos on the one hand, we learn Singlish but we know that's bad English. So we try to identify ourselves with the native speakers, for eg, American or British by speaking like them. Unfortunately, unless you have been brought up from young in the US or UK, it's never natural to try to speak like a native speaker while deep down, you have that Singlish inside you.
I feel whether Singlish is good or bad largely depends on the context it is being used. While some may have pointed out it bonds Singaporeans together, which I agree to some extent, the ill effects of Singlish should not be forgotten also.
For foreign members here who are not familiar with Singlish, one thing you have to note is that, it is not only about adding "lah", "leh", "meh", etc in your speeches. Singlish is also ungrammatical and pronunciations are often inaccurate. Sometimes, words are not properly enunciated and it could cause communication to break down, especially when a Singaporean tries to speak with someone who has learnt proper English.
There are tons of examples. If anyone wants to see how bad the English standard in Singapore is, which I attribute largely to Singlish, just watch the English news at 9.30pm on Channel 5. There are bound to be interviews done in the streets. Just listen to the way the general Singaporean speaks. It is not just the uneducated but also the educated who sometimes have trouble putting their thoughts into proper English. I have to openly admit that many of our highly educated politicians and ministers also speak poor English. Only a very few can hold good conversations in English. The former PM, Lee Kwan Yew, and the present PM, Lee Hsien Loong, are 2 of them.
To have a fair comparison, listen to how the layman in the streets of UK, Australia or US speak impromptu and you can already tell generally, Singaporeans indeed don't speak good English. If ever they do, it is often rehearsed. That's why sometimes, we find local English dramas on TV weird because their English is scripted. So they could sound unnatural as our brains know that is not how we Singaporeans tend to speak in our daily lives.
How bad is Singlish? Ok here are some examples:
- 3 is pronounced as "tree" instead of "tHree"
- "I did not saw..."
- Mixing up tenses in a speech
- The girls is going....
Etc etc etc. Too many to list here!
Singlish may seem fun and good if you live the most part of your life here. But if you need to do presentations to international audience, or if like me, you do travel overseas for international conferences, you will see how bad Singlish is. I have seen too many times international audience, especially those who are native English speakers, having a hard time understanding what the hapless Singaporean speaker is trying to say. At some point, they have to be asked to repeat themselves. Or conversely, the Singaporeans themselves do not understand what the native speakers are trying to say because the former are simply not used to proper English! Maybe some of you have encountered this when you invite American or British photographers here to give talks. During Q&A, observe the puzzled looks on the speakers' faces when Singaporeans ask questions! Ok, some speak pretty good English, but you will surely easily encounter many who can't.
It's a shame we claim to learn English as a "first language". I've seen Europeans who learn English as a 2nd or 3rd language but they can speak a lot better than us Singaporeans. Sure, some of them have their native country accents, but their English can be understood and has little or no grammatical errors. The words also flow smoothly. Singaporeans sometimes speak in a jerky start-stop manner cos I suppose it takes some effort to convert in our heads the Singlish way of speaking that we are so used to into proper English sentences.
As for those who use fake American accents, well, maybe some of them are trying to show off. But sometimes, it's because we have become confused. Cos on the one hand, we learn Singlish but we know that's bad English. So we try to identify ourselves with the native speakers, for eg, American or British by speaking like them. Unfortunately, unless you have been brought up from young in the US or UK, it's never natural to try to speak like a native speaker while deep down, you have that Singlish inside you.
I feel whether Singlish is good or bad largely depends on the context it is being used. While some may have pointed out it bonds Singaporeans together, which I agree to some extent, the ill effects of Singlish should not be forgotten also.
For foreign members here who are not familiar with Singlish, one thing you have to note is that, it is not only about adding "lah", "leh", "meh", etc in your speeches. Singlish is also ungrammatical and pronunciations are often inaccurate. Sometimes, words are not properly enunciated and it could cause communication to break down, especially when a Singaporean tries to speak with someone who has learnt proper English.
There are tons of examples. If anyone wants to see how bad the English standard in Singapore is, which I attribute largely to Singlish, just watch the English news at 9.30pm on Channel 5. There are bound to be interviews done in the streets. Just listen to the way the general Singaporean speaks. It is not just the uneducated but also the educated who sometimes have trouble putting their thoughts into proper English. I have to openly admit that many of our highly educated politicians and ministers also speak poor English. Only a very few can hold good conversations in English. The former PM, Lee Kwan Yew, and the present PM, Lee Hsien Loong, are 2 of them.
To have a fair comparison, listen to how the layman in the streets of UK, Australia or US speak impromptu and you can already tell generally, Singaporeans indeed don't speak good English. If ever they do, it is often rehearsed. That's why sometimes, we find local English dramas on TV weird because their English is scripted. So they could sound unnatural as our brains know that is not how we Singaporeans tend to speak in our daily lives.
How bad is Singlish? Ok here are some examples:
- 3 is pronounced as "tree" instead of "tHree"
- "I did not saw..."
- Mixing up tenses in a speech
- The girls is going....
Etc etc etc. Too many to list here!
Singlish may seem fun and good if you live the most part of your life here. But if you need to do presentations to international audience, or if like me, you do travel overseas for international conferences, you will see how bad Singlish is. I have seen too many times international audience, especially those who are native English speakers, having a hard time understanding what the hapless Singaporean speaker is trying to say. At some point, they have to be asked to repeat themselves. Or conversely, the Singaporeans themselves do not understand what the native speakers are trying to say because the former are simply not used to proper English! Maybe some of you have encountered this when you invite American or British photographers here to give talks. During Q&A, observe the puzzled looks on the speakers' faces when Singaporeans ask questions! Ok, some speak pretty good English, but you will surely easily encounter many who can't.
It's a shame we claim to learn English as a "first language". I've seen Europeans who learn English as a 2nd or 3rd language but they can speak a lot better than us Singaporeans. Sure, some of them have their native country accents, but their English can be understood and has little or no grammatical errors. The words also flow smoothly. Singaporeans sometimes speak in a jerky start-stop manner cos I suppose it takes some effort to convert in our heads the Singlish way of speaking that we are so used to into proper English sentences.
As for those who use fake American accents, well, maybe some of them are trying to show off. But sometimes, it's because we have become confused. Cos on the one hand, we learn Singlish but we know that's bad English. So we try to identify ourselves with the native speakers, for eg, American or British by speaking like them. Unfortunately, unless you have been brought up from young in the US or UK, it's never natural to try to speak like a native speaker while deep down, you have that Singlish inside you.
Yes I want to learn some of this Singlish. If I am going to hang out on the CS board then I am going to try and walk the walk and talk the talk the best I can. I am into expanding my world which is why I bother. You guys might have to start calling me FP (foreign poster)Starting over on the other side of the world is going to keep me from ever moving to your little red dot but I wouldn't mind visiting there someday despite whatever that girl says about her homeland.
Don't alienate yourself by calling yourself a Foreign Poster ....just say I'm poster .............. Imposter ......:bsmilie:
Anyway......anyone from overseas residing here are addressed as Foreign Talent ......![]()
You say Singlish must add "lah", "leh", "meh", etc. I say Singlish must always add "hor". No "hor" is no Singlish.
We know Mr.Lees can talk good English. But Mr.Lim Swee Say talks good Singlish. Important is politicians must close to people but not talk too perfect Cambridge English like a white man.
You say Singapore people don't talk good English. That because we have no enough Ang Moh to talk perfect English to. It's time now government let this type of FT come in:
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Sorry my English is not so good as it is not my second language. It is my 4th language. But I sell mee. People come speak English that I can't talk to I don't sell. Singapore got enough Hokkien talking people to sell to. Why I worry?
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If you also sell mee siam and English-speaking LHL comes to buy from you ........ you can sing to him but mai hum .... :bsmilie: