Singlish

• What's the deal with Singlish? Will I acctually not be able to understand some things english speaks are saying until I learn Singlish?

  07 Jul 2008, 10:01 Anonymous

Replies

• Not too difficult

  Although there are some Singapore-specific words, the hardest thing is the accent. Some words sound very different to their standard English pronounciation. If you have a decent level of comprehension in Englih you will be able to understand things people are saying. If necessary ask people to speak slower and repeat things. If you don't understand a specific work, ask for the speaker to explain what they need.

  John Mill 08 Jul 2008, 02:06 - Report

• singlish

  yeah, it is a tough accent to get though i think!

  Anonymous 18 Jul 2008, 04:58 - Report

• Requires some adjustment that's all

  It is basically English with simplified grammar.
  You will notice this when you take a bus for instance. Don't come with phrases like "Excuse me, could you tell me the fare for Orchard Road?". The driver won't have any clue what you talking about. Keep it simple "Going to Orchard Road, How Much?".
  
  A lot of words and expressions have different meanings as well.
  
  Some examples.
  1) "Where are you calling from". In Singlish this means "What company are you with?".
  2)"A" does not mean 1 in Singapore. Example
  Not "A coffee please" but "One coffee please"
  A coffee can be 1 coffee but also 10 coffees.
  3) A phone is answered with "Hello". The caller is then expected to start the conversation. Asking which person is on the line raises mistrust.
  4)"I go already" means "I went aready" instead of "I am on my way".
  5)"Have you taken your dinner" means "Have you eaten your dinner".
  6)People greet each other with
  "Have you taken your lunch". This does not always require a similar answer.
  7) A person can be "blur" or confused.
  8) Plural is often omitted. "We sell car"
  
  Hopes this helps a bit.

  Herman 03 Feb 2009, 03:39 - Report