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Wednesday, December 3
the niche of singlish 11:29 AMWhy ah, tell me why is Singlish such a great language to converse in?
No wait, it's not even a language right? According to Prof Wiki hor, Singlish is the English-based creole spoken and written colloquially in Singapore leh. And of course English is the lexifier language la, but Singlish has its unique slang and syntax ma, so is more commonly used in informal speech lor.
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I'm pretty sure my international friends don't understand the above; sometimes they think JS and I are speaking in a different language altogether! Haha. And for that matter, and for the many fascinating things I've shared with people here about Singapore, I was randomly inspired to come up with my very own list of favourite Singlish words/phrases:
#1 Chart Toppers (for most Singaporeans, apart from the usual la/lor/leh/meh/ouis)
- sian - tell me, which other word encompasses the combined meaning of boredom, fatigue and so much more? I wouldn't know what to do without it! Haha.
- nua - we taught Laura and Judy how to use it, and they pronounce it in a sophisticated, "noir". Heh.
- wah lau - I'm quite sure people use this 3564789590 times a day!
- chui - the universal word for anything that's cmi (cannot-make-it)
- gian - as in the craving for prata kinda gee-anne..
- shiok - for all kinds of food we have
- zai, skarli, paisay, simi, jialat, suey, siao, gao wei, chiong, pia
- "eh dun lidat leh"
Other personal favourites I often use include chope, kope, ka jiao, chapalang, machiam, cheem.. and the adding of tenses behind words - nua-ing, sian-ness etc. Haha.. ok sheesh I can't stand all the red curly wurly lines on my screen anymore!
I seriously think most Singaporeans abroad are proud and most comfortable conversing in Singlish with their fellow mates; as long as one knows when/how to distinguish this from standard English, I'd contend Singlish to be a Uniquely Singaporean identity for all of us. :)
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Winifred Lim
Arthur V Mauro Residence, Box 436B
120 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 6B3
Canada
About me
You are an enthusiastic innovator, always seeing new possibilities and new ways of doing things. You have a lot of imagination and initiative for starting projects, and a lot of impulsive energy for carrying them out. You are stimulated by difficulties and are most ingenious in solving them. You can get so interested in your newest project that you have time for little else. Your energy comes from a succession of new enthusiasms and your world is full of possible projects. Your enthusiasm gets other people interested too.
Your feeling preference shows in a concern for people. You are skillful in handling people and often have remarkable insight into the possibilities and development of others. You are extremely perceptive about the attitudes of others, aiming to understand rather than judge people. You are much drawn to counseling and can be inspired and inspiring teacher, particularly where you have freedom to innovate. With talent, you can succeed in almost any field that captures your interest.
A difficulty for you is that you hate uninspired routine and find it remarkably hard to apply yourself to sometimes necessary detail unconnected with any major interest. Worse yet, you may get bored with your own projects as soon as the major problems have been solved or the initial challenge has been met. You may need to learn to follow through and finish what you have begun, but are happiest and most effective in jobs that permit one project after another, with somebody else taking over as soon as the situation is well in hand.
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