Singlish: You know anot?
Singlish is an unusual blend of the languages and dialects spoken in Singapore. It extensively borrows syntax and vocabulary from the country’s official languages* as well as from dialects including Hokkien, Cantonese and Bengali. To the unfamiliar ear, it can sound like broken English interjected with random words from what could be any language in Asia.
*The four official languages of Singapore are Standard English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. Standard English is the country’s language of administration, and all Singaporeans are required to learn both English and their mother tongue starting from Primary School.
While it is expected for all Singaporeans to speak Standard English, Singlish is still popular across different communities, and acts as a common denominator for Singapore’s multi-racial society. It is perceived to be a marker of the Singaporean identity, and any Singaporean whom have been abroad would attest to the sense of familiarity and instant camaraderie Singlish ignites when heard in a foreign land.
Some enthusiastic Singaporeans have even created hilarious Singlish voiceovers for popular Disney films while others have compiled an entire Singlish dictionary for the uninitiated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R95jE59WHik
Anna in the original film: Look, it doesn’t matter, it’s true love!
The Singlish voiceover: I don’t care what you say la, it’s true love!
Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), the Singapore government initially saw Singlish as a serious issue. In 1999, Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew announced in a speech that Singlish is “a handicap we must not wish upon Singaporeans”. In 2000, the Singapore government launched the widely-debated Speak Good English Movement to encourage Singaporeans to speak proper, standard English instead of Singlish, which was viewed as a hindrance to Singaporeans’ learning of standard English. The tides have turned however, where we now see local politicians appealing to the grassroots by using Singlish in their campaigns, or the bombardment of Singlish slangs and phrases such as “lah” and “blur like sotong” by marketers during Singapore’s 50th birthday.
Aside from being an identity marker, Singlish is appealing because it conveys information succinctly. It leaves out some of the conjugations (such as past tense), prepositions, and other grammar rules of standard English.
For example:
Standard English: Are you sure you can do it?
Singlish: Can anot?
Standard English: You can definitely accomplish this if you work hard!
Singlish: Can one lah!
This image taken from SGAG, is an indication of the efficiency of Singlish, where one word can substitute many in English and Mandarin.
Singlish is also often a direct translation of Malay or Chinese into English — accounting for the awkward English grammar but making it more familiar and easier to pick up for locals, especially in the period shortly after independence, when English was still extremely foreign to most of the population.
For example, the phrase “then you know” is a direct translation of the Chinese phrase 你才知道 (ni cai zhi dao) , which warns of possible negative consequences of an action.
Chinese: 不要跑来跑去，你跌倒才知道！
Singlish: Don’t run here run there, later you fall down then you know!
Standard English: Don’t run around, when you fall down you’ll regret not listening to me!
“Where got” is another directly translated Singlish expression from the Malay words mana ada and Chinese words 哪里有 na li you which is used to deny a statement someone else has made.
When person A falsely claims that person B is a fan of McDonalds, person B might reply:
Malay: Mana ada aku suka McDonalds?
Singlish: I where got like McDonalds?!
Standard English: That’s not true, I don’t like McDonalds!
It can also be used to coyly reject compliments.
Moreover, Singlish mixes words from other languages to express certain idioms.
For example, “buay tahan” is used to express frustration and a lack of tolerance at a situation. It is equivalent to “I can’t stand this anymore”. The phrase is unique, as buay is a Hokkien word whilst tahan is borrowed from Malay.
Standard English: I can’t deal with this hot weather
Singlish: I buay tahan, so hot!
Some terms in Singlish are also taken directly from a local language, such as ‘Paiseh’ — a Hokkien term that expresses embarrassment or shyness and is also used as an alternative to “I’m sorry”.
Standard English: Isn’t he embarrassed that he’s taking up everybody’s time?
Singlish: He not paiseh meh, take up everybody’s time?
Standard English: Don’t be shy, feel free to join us for food
Singlish: Don’t paiseh lah, come eat together.
Singlish words are also very versatile. One example of a word that can be used in several situations is ‘shiok’, which is an exclamation that expresses immense satisfaction and pleasure. It can be used alone or as an adjective, and can describe good food, good weather, or even general feelings of happiness, such as drinking ice-cold tea on a sweltering summer day.
Standard English: The weather is really nice today.
Singlish: Today weather damn shiok.
Standard English: This plate of curry chicken is delicious.
Singlish: This curry chicken damn shiok.
Standard English: I love drinking cold water when it’s so hot.
Singlish: Shiok!
The end result of all these influences?
Singlish is also known for containing unique words that have no meaning on their own but when added to the end of a sentence, can have completely different connotations. The most common ones you’ll hear include: lah, leh, lor, liao, meh, mah and sia.
- Lah adds emphasis and finality to the sentence, but is also dependent on the tone of voice. A curt tone conveys impatience and frustration (I don’t have it lah! Hurry up lah!) while a gentler approach makes it more of a suggestion (Just eat first lah).
- Lor expresses agreement (Ya lor) or a sense of resignation or dismissiveness (Just do it like that lor).
- Liao can be roughly translated to “already” (I eat liao).
- Meh is always used with questions and expresses skepticism and incredulity. (You see other people jump off the cliff you also jump meh?)
- Mah/what is often used with explanatory sentences. (A: Why didn’t you remind me to buy groceries just now? B: I already reminded you yesterday mah/what!)
In Singlish, there’s more to the end of a sentence than just punctuation. Gwee Li Sui’s example of the many ways to express “I dun have” shows how a single word can change the meaning of an entire sentence.
As confusing as it may be, Singlish is also dynamic and filled with unique vocabulary, not to mention diversity. These days, most Singaporeans are able to comfortably switch between Singlish and standard English, yet Singlish remains both a fascination and a challenge to non-Singaporeans.
By Yi Jia Loh
