Friday, November 19, 2010

Our Language

Today there’s an article on Yahoo Singapore about the unofficial national language of Singapore; Singlish. Written by an “ang moh”, it’s basically a foreign look at Singlish. Anyone who read the article can easily see 2 things;
1) Singlish is distinctly Singaporean
and 2) foreigners loved Singlish!

This is generally true as most foreigners I know, even those from other Asian countries, think Singlish is fun. They are amused by it and most think of it as a national trait. As they say, “You can dress like a Singaporean, walk like a Singaporean, but the moment you open your mouth, people can tell you are not a Singaporean.”

Now the Singapore government might be embarrassed by Singlish (remember the stupid “Speak Good English” campaign?), but most Singaporeans are proud of the unique language. There’s even a Facebook page asking the government to declare Singlish as an official language.

I’m not on Facebook but if I am, I’ll be on the page. Why not? Singlish has its own distinct grammar and vocabulary, so why not call it what it is; a national language.

2 comments:

Natalie said...

Good stuff, keep it up! I think Singlish is a valuable part of the country's culture. More power to you.

Ghost said...

Thanks. Frankly, Singlish is not just a valuable part of my country's culture. It's the ONLY part of our culture that is distinctly Singaporean.