Singapore's (Un)official Language - Singlish

I’m from the Philippines and I’ve been living and working here in sunny Singapore (on a Permanent Residence visa) for the past 5 years or so. I’m no professional writer but I do love to scribble about things once in a while and I’d like to use this blog to share my personal views of my second home.

There are gazillions of things to write about Singapore: its unique culture, food, people, places to go, etc. I’m going to devote this article to something uniquely Singapore: Singlish. It’s a strange blend of English, Malay, Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi and to a lesser extent various other European, Indic and Sinitic languages, while Singlish syntax resembles southern varieties of Chinese. Also, elements of American and Australian slang have come through from imported television series and films.

To most foreigners and first-time visitors, Singlish may sound funny and ridiculous. I remember the very first time I came to Singapore 10 years ago and I was shocked at how Singaporeans spoke the language. To us Filipinos, speaking English is an artform that must be treated with utmost respect; proper usage of grammar and pronunciation is very important. Singaporeans don't seem to care about correct English grammar, spelling, tenses, etc.

Repetitive words in a sentence is a common trait of the Singlish language; someone who wants to "looksee looksee" at something, well.... obviously wants to look at or watch a show. Or we have to "die die must try" or else we'll never know unless we tried. Try explaining the Singlish syntax to a newcomer and he will surely become "blur as a sotong" (clueless as a squid). Here are some of the most common Singlish expressions by true Singaporeans and long-time expats who have come to adapt to this unique language:

1) Lah - The ubiquitous Singlish tag. Used liked a fullstop in a sentence
"He was running lah"
"Donno lah"

2) Liao - A Hokkien tag which depending on the context can either mean "already" or "finished"
"His mother early-early si liao, loh" (His mother died very early)

3) Go Fly Kite - means "Piss off" or "Fuck off"
"He know I so busy, still ask me to do things? Tell him go fly kite lah!"

4) Do'wan - Singlish contraction of "do not want"
"I told you I do'wan to do it, you still ask me to do it. Do'wan means do'wan, understand or not?"

5) Donch - The correct Singlish pronunciation of don't
"I really donch know what that Ah Beng is talking about".

6) Kan Cheong - A Hokkien and Cantonese term meaning nervous or uptight
"Dat guy ask me to do something, he wants it quick quick. So kan cheong ah".

7) Tah Pau - means takeaway (UK) or takeout (US), usually refers to food
"It's so crowded in the kopi shop, let's just buy food and tah pau".

8) Pai Seh - Hokkien for "shy" or "to have a sense of shame".
"This is the 23rd time I'm borrowing money from you. Damn pai seh man".

9) Pain - in true Singaporean way of speaking, it means "painful"
"My knee got twisted in our game last week, damn pain man!"

10) Basket - nothing to do with woven bags. It's a expression of utter disbelief or frustration
"Basket! It's 7 am and I haven't showered yet, I'll be damn late for work!"