Singlish is our real National Language, the 4 official ones are fakes imported in

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How did Singlish come about? Like that, lor
Singlish is usually spoken at high speed, making it rather a challenge to the untrained ear. Channel NewsAsia takes a closer look at this form of communication that is very close to the hearts of every Singaporean.

SINGAPORE: The arrival of the British Empire in Singapore in the 19th century saw the English language rise in importance and its status as the main language that remains today.

Alongside it, a type of social dialect - fondly known as Singlish - also evolved. How did this form of communication, so close to the hearts of every Singaporean, come about?

Said Nanyang Technological University Professor of Linguistics Tan Ying Ying: “We had different players, the Malays for example. By the time we got to pre-colonial times, there was this thing called Bazaar Malay.

“And Bazaar Malay was not just spoken in Singapore, it was also spoken in the region, the Riau islands, in Borneo, and it was in some sense the lingua franca. English education was introduced and you had children being put into English schools. People started mixing, also because people were trying to get jobs with the British. And so, English became a language of prestige.”

Migrants from all over the world who had descended on the island began to pick English up. From China, India, Malaya and Europe, they started to use what they knew of it, simply to understand each other.

A colourful patois began to take root, which uses basic English as a carrier, lives by the rules of Chinese grammar, and is liberally daubed with Hokkien, Malay and Indian dialects. The result was a unique hybrid and that was how the language of the Lion City, Singlish, was born.

A PATOIS FAST AND FURIOUS

Singlish is usually spoken at high speed, with conjunctions and grammar all dropped, making it rather a challenge to the untrained ear.

While it may confound those who do not speak it, Singlish firmly sprouted in Singapore and Singaporeans began to view it as part of their national identity. Yet, it was not long before it came under attack.

In 2000, the Speak Good English Movement was launched to encourage Singaporeans to speak better English. The campaign saw politicians and linguistics professors divided on the subject. In 2008, linguists came to the defence of Singlish, which they felt was immensely valuable as a living and evolving tongue.

Said Prof Tan: “If you take the perspective that Singlish is really a totally different thing altogether, it’s a different language, or just simply a different code. As long as the learner understands that we’re talking about to different things, then one really should not affect the other. It’s just like someone mastering two languages.”

A PART OF SINGAPOREANS' LIVES

Like it or loathe it, Singlish now pops up almost everywhere you look. For example, in advertising, entertainment, film and the arts, and even in children’s literature. On Singapore's 50th birthday, it was even given a spot in the National Day Parade.

Local hawker Rui Feng said Singlish is a vital communication tool she uses with her customers.

“Most of them know what we are talking about, except for the tourists. They get confused when we speak Singlish to them, so we have to use proper English instead," she said.

“If we can tell from their looks that they are local, we’ll speak Singlish to them. One of my favourite expressions is ‘wah lao eh’, because people will know you are really exasperated when you say it. I even use it on my husband!”

Founder of Makansutra KF Seetoh, who does not think Singlish is broken English, said: “Singlish is the laziest, most efficient form of English. To me, Singlish is something worth studying and preserving. Singlish is a culture.”

On whether Singlish is better than standard English, linguists will say the permanence of any language cannot be guaranteed, and history is littered with the unfortunate examples of those that have died out.

As for the future of Singlish, Prof Tan said: “As all natural evolution goes, everything will have its natural death.

“Policies could also hasten its final demise but to a certain extent, I think there will be a loss because you are getting rid of something that has somehow evolved as a product of different races, different people coming together, and having gone through the same historical process and creating this thing called Singlish.”


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