Singlish , The Unofficial Singapore English

Is Singlish going to hurt Singapore’s image and competitiveness ?

Ever since Sir Stamford Raffles discovered the tiny island of Singapore in 1819 , English language has had a place in Singapore. Though many people still speak local dialects today , English is the most common medium of communication in businesses , schools and daily life.

Talk to a Singaporean and chances are pretty strong one will hear a local dialect composed of Malay , Indian , Chinese and English root words. Young Singaporeans call their unofficial language Singlish - a unique combination of Singapore with English. Despite the government’s efforts to stamp down this form of English , young Singaporeans continue to speak Singlish in daily life. Probably the government knows Singlish is trendy , it’s using the soft sell approach.

Language change is driven by forces nearly always well beyond the control of government and authority. Many people think that the concerns over Singlish is a treat to the international competitiveness of Singapore are wrong.

Singlish is raw because it is tracked back to Singapore’s unglamorous past. This is a nation built from the blood and sweat of immigrants who settled down here long time ago.

Most Singaporeans are rather proud of Singlish. Most certainly can or do speak Singlish , and certainly all understand it. It has become our daily life and it is likely to grow in popularity. Obviously , Singapore’s language education system is working fine. In a tiny red dot that is speaking so many languages , it’s ridiculous to think that Singlish is a threat to our competitiveness status in the world. What say you ?

Hello from Singapore. You may like to share your views about Singlish in the comments box below.

Don’t be scared lah. It is ok if people don’t understand what talking you. Singlish are allowed in your comments lah.

Hello Singapore