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I think it's wonderful that you have something unique that no one else understands.
You can understand it with some effort, and it's not considered 'wonderful' by the Singaporean government and perhaps the majority of it's citizens since it's frowned upon and considered low class, it's just bad English...at least as considered from my Singporean contacts.
You can understand it with some effort, and it's not considered 'wonderful' by the Singaporean government and perhaps the majority of it's citizens since it's frowned upon and considered low class, it's just bad English...at least as considered from my Singporean contacts.
Really? The Singaporeans I know are all very proud of Singlish, and would be upset when foreigners make fun of it.
I'm not surprised that Singaporean government doesn't like it. They seem to antagonise everything stemming from the grassroots.
Really? The Singaporeans I know are all very proud of Singlish, and would be upset when foreigners make fun of it.
I'm not surprised that Singaporean government doesn't like it. They seem to antagonise everything stemming from the grassroots.
I think some Singaporeans see it as a unique cultural identifier for a country that is really a collection of nationalities and cultures, and it's become a national pride thing.
The government, most employers and professionals, and as stated previously the schools, discourages it because they fear it may overcome proper King's English and thus makes there citizens and thus there country less competitive when engaging in global business.
Really, in my experience traveling to Singapore, I never hear it except for a few words inserted here and there. Other languages besides english - Mandarin, Malay, yes. I suspect it's just used in very limited informal situations, may a teenager talking to another teenager.
Really? The Singaporeans I know are all very proud of Singlish, and would be upset when foreigners make fun of it.
I'm not surprised that Singaporean government doesn't like it. They seem to antagonise everything stemming from the grassroots.
Spot on Dude.. As a born, bred, studied and working in Singapore Singaporean, i don't feel good when other people frown and make fun of it..
Probably it is also why almost 100% of Singaporeans will insist that English is our 1st language, when we enter primary school at the tender age of six, we have already been instilled in the ideology EL1 and CL2/ML2..
Well it is also true that the Singapore government frown upon the use of Singlish. Well in Singapore anything that seems damaging to our reputation and accolades will be .... by the Singapore government
Last edited by singaporelady; 07-13-2017 at 06:04 PM..
Well in Singapore anything that seems damaging to our reputation and accolades will be .... by the Singapore government
Only when it suits their agenda. I don't see them trying to eliminate caning or lifting up the restrictions on political freedom. And believe me these things are far more damaging to the reputation and accolades of Singapore than Singlish is.
I understand that, no clarification needed. But you misunderstand our usage of the term "second language" in the US (perhaps because we have no official language, at least on the federal level, in the US) I think.
Not a big deal, but when we use this term "second language" we are referring to an individual, not the country - a second language is the language that is not the native language of the speaker, but that is used in the locale of that person
I think you misunderstand that in Singapore, especially the younger generation, English is their first language. I know many younger ones that speak a dressed up type of Singlish and their "native tongue" or "ancestral language" whatever you want to call it, is atrocious. Bad enough that elders complain about their lack of skill speaking it.
Many of the older generations, sure English is a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th language. Many of them speak 1 or 2 dialects of Chinese (usually hokkien, mandarin, teochew, or cantonese), Malay and/or Tamil.
I think you misunderstand that in Singapore, especially the younger generation, English is their first language. I know many younger ones that speak a dressed up type of Singlish and their "native tongue" or "ancestral language" whatever you want to call it, is atrocious. Bad enough that elders complain about their lack of skill speaking it.
Many of the older generations, sure English is a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th language. Many of them speak 1 or 2 dialects of Chinese (usually hokkien, mandarin, teochew, or cantonese), Malay and/or Tamil.
All of the Singaporeans I've met were of Chinese descent and they all spoke English with a Chinese like accent even if they do have a somewhat unique syntax and phrasing.
Do those Singaporeans of Malay or Indian descent speak with different accents or does everyone on the island sound East Asian?
My wife is part of the Pioneer Generation and she has never used Singlish. She went to school during colonial times and followed a British teaching curriculum and speaks proper English. And she is much more bilingual than the younger generation. In addition to English she speaks Cantonese and Malay and can also speak passable Hokkien, Hakka and Teochew.
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