From Phua Chu Kang To National Icon: Majulah Singlish | Singlish: Why We Talk Like That? - Part 2
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ส.ค. 2022
- At the turn of the new millennium, the Speak Good English movement was launched. For the next decade, nationwide initiatives were rolled out to get Singaporeans to speak Standard English, instead of Singlish.
But these efforts would inspire Singaporeans to step out in Singlish's defense and set the stage for its eventual ascent into pop culture.
Musician and host Shabir Tabare Alam uncovers Singlish's rise from pariah to cultural phenomenon and explores what the future holds for Singapore's common tongue.
WATCH MORE Singlish: Why We Talk Like That?
Part 1: • How Singlish Went From...
Web extra: The Wah Lau Gang • The Wah Lau Gang and S...
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About the show: Award-winning singer-songwriter Shabir traces the genesis of Singlish and its journey from pariah to cultural phenomenon.
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#CNAInsider #SinglishCNA #Singlish #Singapore
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Website: cna.asia/cnainsider
======
About the show: Award-winning singer-songwriter Shabir traces the genesis of Singlish and its journey from pariah to cultural phenomenon.
===========
#CNAInsider #SinglishCNA #Singlish #Singapore
For more, SUBSCRIBE to CNA INSIDER
cna.asia/insideryoutubesub
Follow CNA INSIDER on:
Instagram: / cnainsider
Facebook: / cnainsider
Website: cna.asia/cnainsider
Very strange that the one person that they talked about the most was not interviewed/featured - Gurmit Singh; would have been great to hear his insights about how his character was discredited by the government but is a national icon.
was Gurmit "banned"?
，
We approached Gurmit and he respectfully declined.
@@tannychia that's too bad. it's like talking about x'mas wo the snow.
NO ❌️ NO ❌️ YOU ARE WRONG.
GOVT DID NOT DISCREDITED GURMIT BUT DISCREDITED SINGLISH ❗️❗️❗️
GURMIT.....ACTED VERY WELL AND HE GRACED OUR TV SHOWS WITH SO MUCH ENTERTAINMENT......
HONESTLY.....SPEAKING SINGLISH IS NOT A BIG DEAL ❗️❗️❗️❗️
AS LONG AS SCHOOLS, COLLEGES REMINDING STUDENTS TO SPEAK PROPER ENGLISH........
You can immediately identify a Singaporean whilst overseas - not by their looks or the way they dress - but by their accent and Singlish. "Aiyoh hurry up can" - and you know that is a true blue Singaporean.
And it is reassuring, refreshing and like hearing "home".
Only true blooded Singaporeans speak and understand Singlish. Its recognised by each Singaporeans hearing Singlish spoken in other countries. Feel like home. Singlish is unique in its own way.
I think the results of the 2018 survey showing a good % of people having a good grasp of both English and Singlish is thanks to our speak good English movement. Things could have gone the other way. It would be tougher at work if one had to struggle with English. I have seen how difficult it is for my colleagues in other countries to communicate with their counterparts globally.
Singlish is part of our culture. It was how our forefathers spoke, trying to express themselves and understand others, all coming from different parts of the world to this shore. There's always a close bonding when we speak Singlish. It's also our very efficient way of expression. It should not overtake the learning of proper English which should be the way we communicate with the world. As long as we are able to switch about appropriately between Singlish and English, we are fine!
Code-switching is what needs to be taught, not an obliteration of Singlish which is a language that is unique to our country. One will speak in a certain way, depending on the context, in order to be credible or relatable. I think the whole point of "let's not be afraid to speak good English" is moot. Instead, we should think about teaching people to speak in the right register in the right situation. This will result in a win-win for Standard Spoken English and Singlish. What I think needs real change is WRITTEN GRAMMAR (which is quite a different animal). Singaporeans don't write well in general. This is not necessarily (or directly) a result of Singlish, but because a strong foundation in written grammar was never built in the first place.
Great job! Enjoyed both parts of this show. I must confess that I have mixed feelings and appreciation for Singlish. Perhaps because I often feel insecure about my own English Language competency so I choose to “avoid” the use of Singlish. IMO Singlish as a vernacular should not be vilified but I think it shouldn’t be promoted either. For work and education, formal and correct (international) standard English should be used.
Exactly. There is no point celebrating coolie English. Perhaps in an alternate reality where Singlish is spoken by the majority of the world.
If the rest of the world cannot understand a country of five million people we are in deep trouble. The strong do what they will and the weak do what they must.
Another great episode! For now, as there are more affluent English-speaking Singaporeans, Singlish can help to bine the barrier between them and others. Didn't know people from overseas are also interested in Singlish! Great job Shabir! Hope to see more of Shabir hosting in CNA!
It define who we are, not who we want to be. There is no such thing as improper use of a language. It is more like how people evolve on how to use and innovate the language...
Back in the early 21st Century, I was a frequent visitor, so it's my habit to pick up some local speaking accents, and syllables. I don't say I'm good at it but Singlish to me it's not only the accents but the pragmatical in effective communication, that gets things to move around. So, I admired the spirit lah. 🤩🤣🤣
Loved this documentary! Thanks CNA
Singlish is no different than a version of English with local flavor. In fact, it's a wonderful and creative amalgamation of English with the local culture. Have you ever been to Scotland and tried to understand a Scots speaking English? Australians have Aussie English, Jamaicans speak Jamaican English, people in the deep American South have their own Southern speak, and the list goes on. These local colloquialisms are verbal currency for people to establish common ground - they don't translate into the written word. No one in these countries agonize over the fact it doesn't sound like the Queens English. All this angst over Singlish carries a tinge of post colonial inferiority complex. I say the government should just relax and give Singaporeans the benefit of knowing when it's appropriate to speak "proper" English and when to speak Singlish. Another example of the government being overly "kiasu".
You have to speak "standard" English to be able to communicate with people around the world 😒
Precisely, we are no different from people around the world, we should be proud of it, we can even use singlish as an example of how cultures develop and evolve over time.
Lies again? Sing English Bear Yeti
I like to think of Singlish as my "mother tongue". You can practice and revise it all you want, but a pass is all that is needed. Fail the English subject, however, and you can forget about further studies or finding jobs overseas.
Singlish is fun; relatable etc, love it 👏😀 for daily use. It’s peaceful expression 😀👏👏
Problem is there has never been any standard Singlish. Different segments of Singaporeans speak different Singlishes which are simply bastardized forms of English. In the 1990s, misguided Singapore TV producers propagated their own imagined Singlish variety in their TV shows. This did influence young viewers with presumably "Singlish" phrases used in Channel 5 English dramas like Under One Roof or Phua Chu Kang. After their TV series were screened island-wide, more Singaporeans started to mimic such phrases. For example, it suddenly became common to address elderly strangers as "uncles" or "aunties".
The "Singlish" spoken by TV personas like Tan Ah Teck or Phua Chu Kang was that penned by TCS script-writers who often were better-educated Singaporeans who did not necessarily mingle much with the local majority of poor English speakers. Moreover, actors like Gurmit Singh who acted as Phua Chu Kang came from Malaysia and he later obtained Singapore citizenship long after Phua Chu Kang had already become a household name. Their affected accent or mannerisms in portraying what Singlish was supposed to be might have really been more Malaysian than Singaporean.
Rather than being a naturally-evolved language, what we think is "Singlish" was to some extent foisted on us by the TV media. Half of Phua Chu Kang's drama production team were in fact PRs either from Malaysia or Philippines. I know because I worked there at that time. True-blue Singaporeans - apart from struggling to speak standard English - today face another problem of having to keep up with an alien Singlish that is falsely ascribed to them! Contrary to some suggestions here, it had never been the language of our forefathers very very few of whom even bothered to learn English. I doubt if there had ever been a widely spoken local English variety here before 1965.
Singlish is brilliant! Who wants the world to sound like an American?! Singlish is a living history, cultural pride and shows the dynamic way language ebbs and flows with society. It is rich with local flavour.
PCK is hands down the best show I've seen. Comic genius.
And I am a 50yo Australian woman. Singlish is everything that I love, no...ADORE, about Singapore.
putting boundaries, even dictating how a "common man/heartlander's way of communicating and connecting within a community" makes the singapore authority no different from the china communist party, who wants to control and determine how its citizens should live their lives. so long as singlish does not cause racial or religious discomforts (it actually fosters better racial and religious harmony!), it should have never been censured.
the government has made many mistake in censuring languages in the past - if you attended chinese schools in the 1970's, it was "strongly suggested" that you were sympathetic to communism; then they flogged dialects in the 1980's as if having roots to china was a crime. the reasons given was "a uniform education and a better way to cope with the challenges of having to learn multiple languages"; fact is we killed an era and heritage. 30 years later, it is as if the government realised that we need to re-introduce higher chinese and accord prime radio and tv airtime to dialects - an admission of policy error?
fact of the matter is : singaporeans are sensible and talented with languages - we know when to switch between "standard english" (which is english after 800 years of rojak with french, latin and many other languages) and singlish. when we speak to the "jiak kantans", we would sensibly and knowingly switch to ensure that they can understand what we are attempting to communicate
The problem is not with educated people but with the uneducated people. We live in a big world and if you are not understood by the English speaking population outside of your country then your life will be limited.
@@travellolo There are plenty of uneducated people in the world even if their primary language is English. And most of these uneducated people are frogs in the well. If they do not want to make their lives better that's their pejorative. Singlish is important as it shows how a culture evolves. In fact Singlish can be said to be an creole language, like many other creole langauges around the world. Each of these languages show a strong sense of creating bonds amongst communities, and allows cultures to evolve from it.
@@Melcor2304 There was a movement in the 80's in the United States to let ebonics to be a normalized language. It was the slang language of the black poor. However many in the black communities railed against it because then the black children would not be able to get normal jobs. Being able to be understood is extremely important.
@@travellolo Very different context from us. They face discrimination from the whites in the US, and want to fit in as much as possible, even though it is difficult due to their skin colour, no matter how much they improve themselves, even till today.
I like Shigga Shay. Luv his music videos like Limpeh Singaporean Kia etc. Maybe interview him next time?🙏.
Doesn't even make sense with his half past 6 jiak gantang singlish.
Limpeh is suppose to show authority how can mix with kia which mean kid/kiddo/son(child) of (hood).
Pck my most favourite program never missed and episode!!
I in USA was taught "proper or King's " English. Thus the Broadway play My Fair Lady with Professor Higgins who knew where a local area of England or Scotland or Wales on the use of words and pronunciation of those sounds. Linguistics of English as in USA is American English different than King's English. French was the language of diplomatic ambassadors up until the 20th century where the power change occurred with the rise of economic power of USA.
Our Government did not discredit Phua Chu Kang nor Gurmit Singh. Then PM Goh was merely pointing out that our young Singaporeans will lose out in the international arena, if Singlish is all they can speak. PM Lee added to this later. He said to the effect that the young have not even learnt to communicate in proper English yet. It’s fine if Singlish develops organically on its own, and grows to become a part of the Singaporean identity. But my view is that it neither needs to be lionised nor specifically encouraged, for the reasons stated above. None of this recent media fervour surrounding Singlish, diminishes in any way what both PM’s have said. But of course it is not fashionable to admit this. So, speak Singlish if you must, whether abroad or at home, if it makes you feel closer to your fellow Singaporeans. But for goodness’ sake, learn to speak, write (and read!) good English first.
You do not change a country from a developing nation to a first world state within a single generation without a concerted, intentional and almost regimental approach to nation building. Not just in the realm of economic growth but the social and cultural changes required to underpin and sustain that growth. The fear of survival after being cut off from the hinterland of the Malay peninsula and the resulting loss of a socio-political-economic ballast must have been overriding and existential for the pioneer generation and its leadership to govern Singapore the way it has.
I believed local Singaporean will know how to strike a balance between English and Singlish when they communicating with foreigners. Singlish is a form for communication with our local ppl, it created that bond when u know he/she speak Singlish. So it must pass on..😊
Thank you for educating we Westerners about your nation
"Us" westerners..
@@lightspeeder
Hahahaha 😂. Nice1.
i do hope they released that remix at the end, it doesn't sound half bad!
SINGLISH IS SUCH A NOVEL GENUINE WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER...CRUDE BUT SO FUNNY ❗️❗️❗️
KNOWING THAT STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS MUST REMEMBER TO ALWAYS WRITE AND SPEAK IN PROPER ENGLISH....
AS LONG AS THEY ARE AWARE.....SINGLISH IS FUN ❗️❗️❗️
SINGLISH IS LIKE.....LETTING OFF THE STEAM OF TENSION WITHIN YOU AND WHEN EVERYBODY REALLY UNDERSTAND YOU AND BE CONNECTED WITH YOU.....STRAIGHT AWAY ❗️❗️❗️
OF COURSE.....STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES ARE EXPECTED TO SPEAK IN PROPER ENGLISH.......SINGAPOREANS HAVE GREAT ADAPTABILITY WHEN THEY SPEAK.
THEY CAN SWITCH FROM SINGLISH TO PROPER ENGLISH AT ANYTIME ❗️❗️❗️
TO SPEAK PROPER ENGLISH AS WAY OF COMMUNICATION IN THE BUSINESS WORLD IS COMPULSORY......BUT WHEN ONE IS OUT IN THEIR OWN SOCIAL CIRCLE.....ANYONE CAN SPEAK SINGLISH AS MUCH AS THEY WANT TO ❗️❗️❗️
PEOPLE WHO ARE BORN IN BRITAIN....THEY DONT ALWAYS SPEAK GOOD PROPER ENGLISH TOO ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️
THERE ARE ABOUT 40 DIFFERENT DIALECTS IN UK....IT SOUNDED TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER. WORDS ARE SPELL DIFFERENTLY TOO.
LIKE SCOTTISH , WELSH, COCKNEY, GEORDIE.....ALL SPOKEN IN DIFFERENT ACCENT WITH WORDS SPELLED OUT DIFFERENTLY AND SOUND DIFFERENTLY...❗️❗️❗️❗️
SO WHAT IS SO DIFFERENT IN SPORE❓️❓️ ❗️❗️❗️
WE ARE NO LONGER A BRITISH COLONY.....AND MOST SINGAPOREANS SPEAK ENGLISH ELOQUENTLY....SOME EVEN BETTER THAN AN ENGLISH OR SCOTTISH MAN ❗️❗️❗️
SINGLISH UNIQUELY FORMED.....IS THE RESULT OF MULTI DIVERSITY OF CULTURES AND LANGUAGES OF DIFFERENT RACES ALL MASHED INTO ONE...❗️❗️❗️
CREATING ONE FUSION OF WORDS BORROWED FROM DIFFERENT LANGUAGES .....A SINGAPOREAN DIALECT IS BORN.....
MAYBE ....SOMEONE CAN START A SCHOOL OF SINGLISH BECAUSE SO MANY FOREIGNERS LOVE IT AND WANT TO LEARN HOW TO SPEAK SINGLISH.
⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️⚘️
😅😅😅😅😅😊😊😊😊😊😅😅😅😅😅😅
I love the "clown music" being played in the background when Mr David Wong, Chairman of the Speak Good English Movement was explaining their silly campaign
ooh i was hoping this documentary would be uploaded!!
Thoroughly enjoyed this!
18:04 that's the guy who kena pinched by Turbanator and said *ouch! it's very paintful*
A good summary with the two part. But I don't think it truly encapsulates the entirety of singlish, nor do yall guys claim to. Another piece of critique, why are we actually discussing and repeating what was discussed and understood from the 2000s. Perhaps, wouldn't a more post-LKY Singlish be discussed, it is normalised, and I don't even think about it unless I'm abroad. Nonetheless, it is a good job, and thank you to the team.
David Christie seems to be getting on quite a bit in years since the last time I saw him. Good to know he's at least in fairly senior position today.
Where can I find the remixed version of the song at the end of this episode? It's OK lah! I love it!
me too, i hope they release it 😊
It’s been released. On Spotify
Love CNA because learn what is happening in Asia
So relatable! Makes me LOL, Excellent programs 👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Well done CNA!
#singlish
#phuachukang
#singapore
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the Moses Lim comedy “Under one roof”.
So this is where "the office" sitcom was inspired
Ekcili hor...
I hor...
He hor...
What's makes David Wong think we are afraid to speak good English? That is presumptuous of him to imply we are afraid to speak English so we speak Singlish?
Former PM Goh Chok Tong, hmm… not my kind of PM - too atas, even to this day.
If we remove the lah's, we won't have our National Anthem. Maju-lah Singapura!
I think if you not migrating overseas to any countries speaking singlish should be ok because everyone understand it in Singapore … as for foreigners coming to Singapore pls learn singlish
Better to preserve singling
I love shabir ❤️
I am based in Singapore, East Coast Park, but i have a question. Is all Singlish shorter then english?
In Central and and South America we can understand each other pretty well because we use standard Spanish. We have different accents but for the most part we can understand each other and have intelligent conversations. There is one country that is the exemption and that is Chile. They are so used to there slang that only they can understand themselves. Haitian French is also very different from original French. So please learn standard English before it's to late.
Pero no entiendo los acentos yucateco
Greek was then Latin during Roman Empire because higher education cost money only nobility rich could educate their offspring then education with invention of moveable type that brought news pamphlets becoming local. Media with the invention of radio then television then internet caused change spread of ideas with people more freedom of travel & work spread ideas more.
History of Languages
As an American, I speak two kind of English. When among friends, I speak Black-English. When at work, I speak regular English. Black-English is slang English with a lot of unnecessary add-on's at the end of the sentence. For example, "I'm tire... know what am sayin" or "Yo homie... ur feel me?" So Singaporean should learn to speak both kinds. Singlish when among locals and regular English when among non-locals.
Korean pop culture can even go global. Korean songs and dramas are in Korean and yet they can go global. Why can't Singlish go global ?
Wow I didn’t know the meaning of Potong jalan
hopefully you dont kena
Like it or not PCK influence the pop culture of Singapore until now, like a kopi to a kaya toast...
😢the worst part rn, the garment think we r not tat well versed in English, ended up they engaged Fillipino to tech our younger generation n rn some parents complained to me tat their kids r speaking like maids' English 🤦♀️
I wonder how the Bible might look appealing if translated to Singlish! Maybe someone can try. After all it has always been translated from one language to another. From Hebrew or Aramaic to Greek to Latin to Middle English to Modern English... and now, Singlish?
3:04 - 6:58 9:28 13:37
I think the producer forgot about Dr Jia Jia😀😀😀
Ah Beng's rendering of Singlish at church is something like this:
Ya, even I walk in longkang mati
I also not scared
Because tee kong por pee
I simee lan chow also not scared
Your tongkat tua kee can protect me
So I steady poon pee pee
-- Ah Beng Sum 23
Who can argue this isn't Singlish? More pertinently, do we still want it as our "national icon"?
Hahaha .. He'd rather say" "..limpeh simee lan chow also not scared.."
@@unsulliedthe832 Yes! You and I are true-blue locals... those out-of-touch cna producers maybe not! Many on employment pass, PRs or just got new pink IC. I rather they go work in factories to help increase our economic output and not talk kok sing song on our national TV platform. Or worse play political games of their own!
@@user-yv2dg3pp1z Ong Su-Mann himself professed in the interview that when Phua Chu Kang drama started getting the backlash, his only concern wasn't for Singlish as a national icon let alone the alien, false and scripted "Singlish" on his show. He was only concerned about the future of his rice-bowl! Truth is the least of his concern.
@@unsulliedthe832 Yalor, we Singaporeans are really tulan about these keh kiang, keh si, people at cna.
Imagine asking a Glaswegian not to speak their version of English but RP…
38:27 "I'm her mother".
Wow! She's incredibly youthful looking.
When people say, 'I thought you were her sister', they're usually being kind. Totally legit here though - is there a portrait with her ageing face in a hidden location?
Wah nb...here the comments all proper English one ah?!?
We Singaporean should speak singlish because we should proud of ourselves! Don't you think that we speak singlish is more connected and feel more comfortable in our country? Why we have to follow others? Always be a leader don't be a follower! We must be more creative! Outstanding ideas is always more creative! As we are multi racial so it is a advantage for our to stand out! But yet our government try to mould us to be 1 standard! That is very boring! Of course is no wrong to speak good English but cannot cut out inborn talents, which is very pitiful!!
4:01 ESM.Goh blaming PCK for making students fail English.
If there is TAGLISH also have SINGLISH 😂
To be honest singlish, it like malay translate to english without proper translation. Contoh: don't play play lah. In malay. Jangan main-main lah. What to do: nak buat apa. Die die must try this. Mati-mati nak cuba benda ni.
What's sad is that the government removed dialect too, completely removing our identity
If Ong Su-Mann really wanted to capture true authenticity in his dramas, his characters would be speaking the vernacular languages including Chinese dialects, Malay, Tamil etc. mirroring the cultural reality of Singapore. I just cannot imagine any Singapore scene - past or present - where local people speak uniformly in his strange, alien and scripted "Singlish" - that is largely fiction! The people of Singapore only started sending their children en masse to English-medium primary schools years after 1965 when Singapore became independent and Lee Kuan Yew's leadership had been the catalyst of this change.
13:56 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Singlish equals to the identity of Singaporeans... So govt, take eat easy lah... Why ladat....
Malaysia language what is that language?
Bahasa Melayu?
Malay language is a lingua franca throughout the maritim south east asia. Mostly spoken by Malay people, and nowadays mostly preserve in Malaysia and Brunei. undoubtabaly still being use in the neighbouring countries.
This could be a bias opinion, as I am Malay, but i say it anyway. Eventhough Singlish is a mix language, but im pretty sure that the skeleton structure of the grammar came from Malay or Bazaar Malay. Pick up most of Singlish phrases, and i think u can pretty much direct translate them word by word into Malay.
Two examples, the famous quotes:
Dont play play - Jangan main main.
Why u like dat? - Kenapa kau macam tu?
In terms of grammar i said. But i dont deny it could be from other language grammar too... But im pretty sure the main grammar is from the Malay itself as the lingua franca of this region throughout history.
Wah lah eh, you missed out "Best of Muthu"....Sure ah! you got black and white. hahaha....
"..limpeh simee lan chow also not scared.." Singlish purists will start an endless debate on whether the correct spelling should be lanjeow or lanjiao and not lanchow.
Since it's part of our national icon, whatever spelling it is must be respected. National icon confers an aura of decency so we shall discuss it like adults in gracious society and come to an amicable consensus whether words should be more aptly spelled cbai or cheebye.
@@user-yv2dg3pp1z wah! your tongkat very tua kee!
@@lordshiva1958 😂🤣🤣😃
in today's woke culture, Gurmit would never be able to portray a Chinese contractor when he's not of that race.
It bears testament to how Gurmit was able to convince everyone that he is exactly that character he portrays.
Are we sure we want broken English as our "national icon"? Singlish is just that - faulty English. And as Unsullied The points out, there is no real Singlish standard even as CNA producers try to promote it as a national icon or are they sensationalizing a non-issue on TV on the eve of National Day in a desperate bid to gain more viewership? I'm pretty sure most true-blue Singaporeans (not PRs or expatriates) are indifferent to it.
I really appreciate this documentary having spent many years in Singapore off and on since a child and doing primary school there for a couple of years in the 80s. And it’s fun and heart warming to hear these phrases I know so well in Australia where I now live. However, I think it’s disingenuous of the writers to not even mention that many of he phrases are also shared with Malaysia and it would be impossible to say that ‘GOSTAN’, for instance, is ‘Singlish’ when it could just as easily be argued that it is ‘Kuchingese’, where I grew up. By all means celebrate your uniqueness, but please don’t make out that you are an isolated linguistic island when most Malaysians understand 90% of this localised language.
X
Singlish is good in war. Lol..
All these ang mo fake guru’s just dun get it. Actually theres no singlish. It just our way of speaking english, too fast and too inaccurate. Stop objectifying
Singlish is really poorly learnt English of the masses in everyday Singapore rather than the scripted "Singlish" shown on TV. From the 1970s and 1980s everyone just had to start picking up the language to get on in life. It was a time in our local history when being scholarly in your own mother tongue was made irrelevant.
LKY closed down the Chinese-language Nantah University. Many former Nantah graduates found themselves hard put to make a living in the upper echelons of society. Many became hawkers or taxi-drivers. The re-engineering of our new nation worked to the economic advantage of those who knew even a smattering of English as more and more MNCs established their presence here and our political leaders and government officials were predominantly what were formerly the rare English-educated minority in society.
Now being able to speak and write English suddenly became a path to personal success. Anecdotes abound of how one educated in English up to merely Secondary Four level was deemed good enough to become, for instance, a senior manager in a British company while a Nantah graduate was floundering around looking for just any menial job!
This state of affairs worked to the advantage of a few narrow segments of English-speaking Singaporeans like the Straits Chinese (nonyas) or English-educated migrants from India who got a terrific head start on the majority. To this day, certain professions like law are still dominated by these Indians. For the rest of the population, the only way to compete would be through long years of education in English-medium schools learning to use English from scratch.
In the streets of Singapore, it also became very fashionable to be able to speak English. People from all walks of life learned it imperfectly from each other and perpetuated the broken English that we now identify as Singlish.
Singlish is the half sister of pidgin. It's like a lame man's limp. It is English spoken badly that's all.
Singlish is as senseless as junk.
You have to be dense if u actually believe what you said💀
Pig Latin is like Singlish
such un-educated and low. i found it very disturbing.