Language, Words and Culture

Singlish, more than English or any of our mother tongues, has become the language we as Singaporeans use everyday. Whether we’re in the…

Singlish. Apparently it is what Singaporeans themselves consider most representative of their culture. It’s even studied in university…

At the beginning of the year, reports emerged of the mysterious and contagious virus that struck the city of Wuhan first and would later…

Someone I’m just getting to know:  “Ohh you speak German? Quick, say something!”

Does the language we speak influence who we are?

We’ve all made words up at least once in our lives.

华人讲华语 合情又合理

“How do you turn on a computer?” I quizzed a group of adult students. They were enrolled in my computer class as part of a skills training…

In 2010, as I enrolled into a Singaporean secondary school, I became one of many Indonesian students in Singapore who took Malay Language…

“Love”.

2020 marks the year of the rat.

In 2019 Wednesdays were for weird and untranslatable words…

How different languages express gendered identities.

My first exposure to the traditional Chinese script came from Japanese comics or manga. I was in secondary school when somehow, one day…

Many people think of “Indian” and “Indonesian” as languages but that is far from the truth.

Singlish is an unusual blend of the languages and dialects spoken in Singapore. It extensively borrows syntax and vocabulary from the…

Most of us are not aware that words we use on a daily basis have their origins in another language. For example, the English word panic is…

Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia are the two standardised registers of Malay. Stemming from the same source, the two languages are…