EL1102 Studying English in Context

Tutorial No. 9 (uploaded 20.3.01)

 

1. The piece of verse given below presents a (rather frivolously painted) picture of the current dilemma over the use of Colloquial Singapore English (CSE) vis-à-vis the Standard variety in Singapore at large. You will find some examples of Singapore English in it, of the kind set down under the headings of lexis (borrowings, loan translations, hybrids, no collocations and coinages, new meanings), idiomatic expressions, discourse, features, phonology and syntax/grammar. Add further items of Singapore English under each of these categories, on the basis of your own familiarity with this variety. Then make sentences which illustrate how they are used in Singapore English and also how they may not be used.

 

Just for laughs

Wah! I heard we all now got big big debate.

They said future of proper English is at stake.

 

All because stupid Singlish spoil the market,

Want to change now donno whether too late.

 

Aiyoh! Ang mo hear us talk like that also want to faint.

Even our ‘U’ graduates speak like Ah Beng, Ah Seng.

 

Singlish is like rojak, everything throw inside anyhow mix.

Got Malay, Indian, Chinese and English, can give and take.

 

When you donno something is under table or chair,

You ask loud loud ‘Oi! Under where? Under where?’

 

When you see somebody behave very bad,

You scold him, ‘Aiyah! Why you so like that?’

 

When you ended up in a traffic jam, and got stuck,

You complain, ‘Today, I sai chia kena very chia lat.’

 

When you warn your kinds to be careful all the way,

You tell them, ‘Careful har, you better don’t play-play!’

 

When you see mooncakes with many egg yolks,

You say, ‘Wah! This type good to eat, very shiok!’

 

When your friend mistook his mother for his aunt,

You disturb him, ‘Alamak! Why you so blur one?’

 

You write like that in exam you sure liao.

Teacher mark your paper also kee siao.

 

This kind of standard how to pass?

Wait, you sure kena last in class.

 

Other people hear you, say you sound silly.

So like that how to become world-class city?

 

Basically Singlish got good and got bad.

Aiyah! Everything in life is all like that.

 

Actually Singlish got one bright side.

I am talking about our national plight.

 

Maybe I must explain to you what I mean.

If you’re prepared to hear me, I’ll begin.

 

Other people all say we all got no culture.

All we got is a lot of joint business ventures.

 

So we got no culture to glue us together.

End up we all like a big bunch of feathers.

 

Wind blow a bit too strong only we fly away.

Everybody all go their own separate ways.

 

Now we must play Internet otherwise cannot survive.

Next time the only way to make money, or sure to die.

 

When other countries’ influences all enter,

We sure kena affected left, right and centre.

 

Sekali our Singaporean identity all lost until donno go where.

Even Orang-Utan Ah Meng starts thinking like a Polar Bear.

 

But still must go IT otherwise become swa koo,

Only smarter than Ah Meng of the Mandai Zoo.

 

Wait the whole world go IT, we still blur as sotong,

Next time we all only qualified to sell laksa in Katong.

 

So got this kind of problem like that how?

Either sit and wait or do something now.

 

But actually we all got one ‘culture’ in Singlish.

It’s like rice on the table; it is our common dish.

 

I know this funny ‘culture’ is not the best around

So we must tahan a bit until a better one is found.

 

Not all the time can marry the best man,

So bo pian got no prawns, fish also can.

 

I donno whether you agree with me or not?

I just simply sharing with you my thoughts.

 

Singlish is just like the garden weeds.

You pull like mad still it would not quit.

 

Sure got some people like and some do not like.

Singlish and English, they’ll still live side by side.

 

2. In which situations would you use the acceptable sentences you produced during your discussion of Question 1? Would there be situations in which you would avoid using these? What does this tell you about the social dimensions of Singapore English?

 

3. Given below are a number of negative evaluations/perceptions of NVEs put forward by Prator. Argue for or against them and provide valid reasons to support your position.

 

Negative Evaluations of NVEs

Arguments For/Against NVEs (give reasons)

(1) NVEs are L2 varieties that cannot be legitimately equated with ‘mother tongue’ varieties.

 

(2) NVEs are not coherent. Homogeneous, stable linguistic systems, which may be described in the way that the speech of an identifiable social group may be described.

 

(3) NVEs represent chains of imperfect imitations of imperfect imitations of the original model. The end-product is a ‘pidgin’/ ‘jargon’ which is nobody’s language.

 

(4) Using NVEs can reduce intelligibility ‘to a point at which no reliable communication can take place.’

 

(5) NVEs are fossilised ‘interlangauges’ (i.e. showing ‘attempted’ rather than ‘successful’ learning).

 

(6) NVEs have a ‘narrow range of purposes’. They are ‘reserved for use with specific individuals in a narrowly restricted range of situations’.

 

(From: Cane et al (1997) Encounters with the English Language, Simon and Schuster (Asia) Pte Ltd, Singapore)

 

4. What is meant by fulguration? Provide examples from CSE (or any other NVE you know) to illustrate your understanding of the concept.

 

5. What do you understand by the terms ‘exonormative’ and ‘endonormative’ standards? How do they apply to NVEs? Are there any valid reasons for Singapore to want to adopt an exonormative rather than an endonormative standard?

 

6. What is a pidgin? When does it become a Creole? What arguments would you put forward to support the claim that Singapore English is or is not a pidginised variety of English?

 

 

© 2001 R Rubdy

 

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