Everyone in Singapore speaks English. It's a former British colony, after all. English is the first language taught in schools. Even the street signs are in English. However, after having spent two weeks here, it's become clear to us that the language actually spoken by most locals is not English. It is Singlish.
Here is an example of a vehement argument between our friend Jeanne, who was, de rigeur, wearing 6-inch heels, and our taxi driver, who refused to pull into the club's driveway to drop us off.
Jeanne: Pull in there.
Driver: Cannot.
Jeanne: Can.
Driver: Cannot.
Jeanne: Can!
Driver: Cannot!
Jeanne: Caaaaaaaan.
Jeanne won.
Jeanne's had lots of experience with Singlish, having moved here from San Francisco a year ago to open her yoga studio, Yogaffinity. She kindly gave us a primer course.
Can = Yes
Cannot = No
keh-leck, keh-leck = Correct, as in "Okay"
chact-lee = Exactly, as in "That's right"
Medical leave = Sick Day. Businesses require you to present an official doctor's notice when you miss a day because you're ill.
Ang mo = White person, aka Haole in Hawaiian pidgin, falang in Thai, guai-lo in Cantonese.
To really pass as a Singlish speaker, you must frequently add "lah" onto the end of phrases. Eg, "Cannot buy gum in Singapore, lah." Also add "ah" onto the end of words. Eg, "Jeanne-ah! Long time no see!"
As with Hawaiian pidgin, Singlish speakers frequently neglect verb conjugation as well as use of plurals. Eg, "You go MRT station now?" or "So many car, lah."
We talk soon, okay, lah?
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