I am amused with calling someone "uncle" even if it's not your relative. Chitetskoy, Manila, Philippines. I learnt Singlish when I went to a local school in Singapore around Siglap where the first phrase I learnt was "relax lah brother, can tankap one corner" from this Malay kid.
But I have to say one of favourite phrase is "boh jio! You going from "Could I have a flat white and a bacon roll please" in London to "Uncle! Kopi ci Kai Ci! Kaya toast one! Favourite phrase is definitely "Eh that level of jio is bo" which is another way of saying "bojio", meaning "Why you never invite me? I love Singlish.
It is colourful, expressive and reflects the wit, humour, history and multiculturalism of Singaporeans. I downloaded it and soon I was ordering limau asam boi and yong tau foo in my favourite hawker centre with confidence.
A Carey, London, UK. The article misses out on the word "Kiasu". Used profusely in Singapore previously it has less popularity among Singaporeans now because it is a negative term denoting a behaviour emanating from intense materialism, a selfishness the 'Me' syndrome and a desire to be liked at the same time as being looked up to. Generally it means to be sick and tired of something or bored or being caught in bothersome situations you can't do anything about.
English: I'm so sick and tired of going to work every day. Singlish: Everyday go work, very Sian. English: The plane got delayed. Singlish: Plane delay, Sian. Caryn, Singapore. You forgot to mention the phrase "Same Same" - you can go around all day and say this!
Tom Ayre, Kristiansand, Norway. My wife is Chinese and uses lah all the time. My favourite of her expressions is when she puts her phone on silent: "No ding dong" Andy, Baldock, UK. Actually Singlish was developed in both Malaysia and Singapore, not just in Singapore alone. And the most used word in "lah" is a Malay word. Tones are very important. And adding a word to "can" with a correct tone can bring eight different meanings to can: Can ah? My kids speak impeccable English being products of British and now Australian school system.
My wife and I are often under close scrutiny from them on grammar, and use of idioms. The only way we rebel against the kids are when we speak really "deep Singlish" with a spatter of colloquial Malay. It's funny as we observe the kids often scratch their heads trying to decipher the words.
It's me and my wife's only "secret language" around the house. I do welcome the acceptance of Singlish as more mainstream but now it means that me and my wife have to learn a new language perhaps Russian "govoryu Pa-russki" to confuse the kids!
Ahmad Nazhar, Perth, Australia. Only Singaporeans can understand and appreciate: Singlish is the only language in the world that expresses with emotion from text messages.
Simon, Singapore. A Singaporean born but now settled down with his family in Sydney. That short sentence above means, "You can get a decent food nearby Sultan Mosque It is used mostly to express disapproval, but can also be used to show one's disbelief, ie. For example, when visiting a durian stall, one may say "Walao-eh! This durian so big sia! Question: "How are you? Are you ok? The Portuguese, however, destroyed the settlement in Singapore in , and the island sank into obscurity for the next two centuries.
Singapore and Malaysia reunited when the British became the dominant power in the Malay Archipelago in the 18th and 19th centuries. This marked the beginning of the influx of Chinese and Indian immigrants — and consequently, the development of large and diverse speech communities in British Malaya.
In addition to British English learnt from the ruling class, the different ethnic groups brought about the colourful blend of various languages: Chinese, Malay and Tamil combined with English to slowly morph into the common tongue of the people.
When British Malaya disintegrated to make way for the Federation of Malaysia in , Singapore became a political component of independent Malaysia until George P. The way their native languages influenced their spoken English inadvertently shaped informal Singlish and Manglish to what they are today. The similarities and differences between Malaysia and Singapore are as varied as they are subtle.
It is a verbal time capsule, proving that their stories did intersect once upon a time, binding both countries in an intricate web woven from years gone by, spanning years present and, most likely, years to come. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements.
To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK". Sign Up. You're now a pro at Singlish. Go forth and use your new knowledge by charming aunties at the kopitiam. About us. Contact us. Written by Cam Khalid Thursday 2 April Discover the best of the city, first. We already have this email. Try another? Paiseh pie-say. Alamak ah-lah-mak. I forgot to feed the cat! Atas ah-tahs. Siao see-ow.
Bo jio boh-chyoh. Sian see-anne. Kiasu kee-ah-soo.
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