My Attitude Towards Singlish

We, as MOE’s scholars, came to Singapore to pursue further study. What problems do we have to face? Custom differences? Cultural differences? Maybe we ignore the language problem. Many people think that we have learnt English for more than six years in china, so the communication won’t be a problem at all. I also thought that way when I was still in china. However, I have absolutely changed my idea now.

Though Singaporeans speak English, their English isn’t standard English but Singlish. They speak too fast for me to catch what they say. I still remember the dilemma I caught in when I went to MOE to submit one key document alone. I’ve just been to Singapore for several days at that time and I didn’t know the location of MOE. I had no alternative but to ask locals for help. I couldn’t deny that they were really warmhearted, but I totally couldn’t understand what they said. Before I could recognize several words, they have already stopped talking.

Excluding the fast speed, Singlish is a mix of English, Malay, Indian and Cantonese, though English is the leading rule. So far, I have been in trouble in this aspect. One day I went to Business Canteen for lunch; an idea suddenly occurred to me of trying a new flavour of food, so I chose the Mid-eastern food. When it was my turn, trouble came. I couldn’t figure out what the chef was saying. After asking “Pardon” for several times, he seemed to lose his temper, and I felt so embarrassed. When I was thinking of changing restaurants, god bless me, one of my befrienders came to my side and he helped me out of that awkward situation. Later I was told that the chef had mixed some Malay in his sentences, no wonder that I couldn’t understand!

You see, Singlish really brings trouble for me! However, if we view it in another side, we can also see its benefits. One of the most significant advantages is that it helps pick up some Malay words. For example, from my several embarrassing experiences, I knew “ makan” means “eat” in English, and “alamak” shows the speaker’s surprise. Another benefit is that Singlish, this innovative mixture，has enriched the global civilization. We should cherish it as a priceless treasure.

　　

Singlish is unique and I really hope that it can be preserved as cultural heritage but better not be so widely spoken.