A tribute to our good old Singlish
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Dec 13, 2010 - Straits Times
By Shivali Nayak, Multimedia Journalist, RazorTV
SINGLISH is an integral part of our Singaporean identity, and one true blue Singaporean has been fighting to keep it alive for the last 30 years - by penning down Singlish phrases used by everyday Singaporeans.
The result? Two books titled 'Eh, Goondu!' and 'Lagi Goondu', published in the 1980s that went on to become best sellers.
The author, Sylvia Toh, launched her sixth book, 'The Complete Eh, Goondu!' on Sunday. This book, a compilation of her two best sellers from the 1980s, comes with a new foreward and a new book cover. However, the content remains the same.
Sylvia hopes the new book will help post-baby boomers appreciate Singapore's social fabric of the 1980s. As for the baby boomers themselves, she hopes the read will a trip down memory lane as they re-live life in Singapore as it was in the 1970s and 1980s.
Observing the evolution in Singlish over time, Sylvia noted that Singlish phrases back in the 1970s and 1980s involved mostly Hokkien influences, coupled with smatterings of Teochew and Cantonese phrases, as dialects were still very much in use in those days. These phrases have petered down over the years simply because most households now speak only Mandarin.
The 64-year-old writer, who is also a columnist with The New Paper, also observed the similarities between Singlish and American slang due to the heavy exposure to Western media.
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Singlish is being replaced by more pidgins from FTs.
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singlish is unique ma, cannot undestand by foreigners nice ma :P
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Originally posted by cutepanpan:
singlish is unique ma, cannot undestand by foreigners nice ma :P
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
This book, a compilation of her two best sellers from the 1980s, comes with a new foreward and a new book cover
Why is the Shit Times employing a "journalist" who is unable to distinguish foreward from foreword? -
Originally posted by cutepanpan:
singlish is unique ma, cannot undestand by foreigners nice ma :P
Every native English speaking country has it's own slang.Englands is completely different from the USA's which also is completely different than from Canada's etc...Singlish is interesting as it has slang from other languages in it and has it's own slang. It is different but no more "wrong" than any other native English nations slang.Singapore also has Singapore hokkien, Singapore Chiu Chow ,Singapore manderin, Singapore cantopnese. There is no problem with Singapore having Singlish
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Originally posted by Meia Gisborn:
Why is the Shit Times employing a "journalist" who is unable to distinguish foreward from foreword?Possibly a typo error?
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Originally posted by Meia Gisborn:
Why is the Shit Times employing a "journalist" who is unable to distinguish foreward from foreword?
Let's all be nitpicking perfectionists....ok ? -
Even when I call my Mumbai colleagues at India, they too speak singlish.
They find it more comfortable and relaxing, less hostile manners to communication one another.
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Originally posted by likeyou:
Even when I call my Mumbai colleagues at India, they too speak singlish.
They find it more comfortable and relaxing, less hostile manners to communication one another.
Some nitpicking freaks might have been offended that you didn't use perfect British English though.