I feel that this interview really brought up struggles that many Singaporeans face regarding this "unofficial" language, and also the pride that we have for Singlish. Thanks for providing this great insight to many others!
Question form in Turkish is made by saying mi or mu (depends on vowel of the last word in the sentence). Must be a big coincidence that Chinese languages have a very similar sound for this purpose.
WOW Benny are you here?!!!! I love this video, after living in SG for a while i started to sound SGporean lah. I would say that Singlish is a Chinese Malay Indian and English mix of language, specially the way they are expressed, (literal translation from those languages). Thanks and want more videos!!!!!!! Saludos desde Singapore!!!!
Singlish is a creole language but different from Caribbean creole in that it is spoken in a developed and prosperous country and therefore has more traction and credibility.
The english accent she has in the start of the video sounds pretty much like any german that i've ever heard talk english, but a bit more easy on the ear.
Interesting... There are some similarities with the situation here in Switzerland. I come from the Italian part but now I'm studying in the German part, where everybody speaks Swiss German. The actual German is used as little as possible, like in universities and official meetings. The main difference is that there are far less influences from other languages (a couple from French), is more of a dialect.
@7.50 u can say " Arrow" is an army slang created by the conscripted army boys in singapore and i have done my national service and im as young as this nation.
@Jade. In just a few minutes of your explanation of Singlish, I am impressed by how you well a job you do. You have done it brilliantly! You are really smart. You should be in academia.
7:35 They are using action to describe someone because they are acting like a character from an action movie which is usually full of fast paced impressive stunts and acts. Singlish to me just sound like a heavily accent English with Cantonese mixed in.
Sazman5615 Sazman is it okay to sound ignorant? You need to direct your pride somewhere else! Singlish has grown into a national problem that the government is trying to correct or at least control its spread. Rightly said the Singaporean do not know it is a problem until they travel to an English speaking country. While growing up in America we took English classes to learn proper grammar and usage. This has help to a certain extent standardize American English. Singapore being such a small country should better control this national problem. If Singapore can control gum chewing and littering, why not bad English?!
Thank goodness she speaks grammatical English without British or American accent. A good reflection of many educated Singaporeans, irrespective of socio-economic backgrounds. She knows the term code-switching, so I wonder whether she majored in English Language in university.
In my opinion, the Singlish or Malaylish evovled because of the inabilitilies of residents in the past to speak proper English. Unfortunately, the failure of the schools to have qualified English speakers to teach proper enunciation of alphabets and words have only contributed to the way the residents continue to sound the way they are today. I personally think the Indonesians do not have these problems.
You don't really learn Singlish. IMHO Singlish is a product of our environment and education. The main reason is how we think. We, Singaporeans are birthed into this cultural 'hot pot', while here, we think in multiple languages. English, Mother Tongue and Dialects. So if you were to say things like 'Fat Die Me', '7 Early 8 Early' these are common Chinese terms which we use and we just simply direct translate. Meh, Lah, Loh these are more like punctuations.
+Steve Lee We shouldn't be teased. They speak "beautiful/elegant" English just because they are native. But when they speak cantonese, they have weird accent too. How can they judge/jeer at our accents. I dunno why people consider westerners are "more superior". Just because they are maturely developed? but there are many regions are developed too (like SG and HK)
Singaporean alway thought they speak better English than Malaysia. And they never thought of our education background. We learn Mandarin when we was primary. Malay for secondary. College is based on English. Yeah singaporean better. no should be in this way, they better lah!
If one would to imagine people in Singapore code-switching their language like you 2 say in the video, (s)he would be very very disappointed when (s)he comes here for real.. Gut feeling tells me singaporean mandarin is first language for the majority of the population and a lot,really a lot of people, regardless of age or education, can't switch to "proper" english anymore. Maybe I've been "unlucky" (it's not the right term because i do appreciate Singlish as a language, but try to get what I mean) all 7 years and counting of my life here
"Singlish" is simply a form of english as spoken in singapore with a mishmash of words derived from different languages and chinese dialects used by the locals, these locals include chinese, being the majority, followed by malay and indians respectively. So, if the languages spoken by these three different ethnic groups are all greek to you, then you won't be able to understand those borrowed words used. Words apart, singlish speakers obviously can't be bothered to obey grammatical rules, so to speak. Who cares about subject-verb agreement, tenses, etc.?? Also, their pronunciation may sound real weird or hilarious to those who think they pronounce "correctly", ahem.. So, with the above mentioned "thingz" put together, there you go, you speak singlish, uniquely singaporean, haha..
+Lydia Kishon This is what happens when English begins to dominate in your country, taking over business, education and government as the main language.
no offense but that''s how I think. I am a big fan of English so I really can't accept the way Singaporeans speak English. Why alter a foreign language and make it your own!
She is really educated, her analysts is so good. It's just like she is writing an essay
Beautiful back ground, so many plants and tree.
I feel that this interview really brought up struggles that many Singaporeans face regarding this "unofficial" language, and also the pride that we have for Singlish. Thanks for providing this great insight to many others!
Singlish is essentially English with Chinese grammar...with some other bits of vocab from various languages
It kinda depends on who speaks it
Chinese grammar and chinese word tones sometimes lol
erm not really. In many ways, Singlish is like English with Mandarin, Malayu & Chinese dialects' (Hokkien, Teochew & Cantonese) grammar.
I really enjoyed this video, it was very informative and interesting. Thank you Benny. Greetings from Chile!
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Question form in Turkish is made by saying mi or mu (depends on vowel of the last word in the sentence). Must be a big coincidence that Chinese languages have a very similar sound for this purpose.
There is no informal form of English in Singapore. So Singlish fits into that void. It would be strange if we speak formal all the time.
Fook Seng Loke i dont see why one could not choose to speak formally if he or she wants to
Excellent, great interviewee / explanations some parallels with my Thai struggles, much appreciated.
she's one hell of an animated speaker! literally.
She has such great insight.
WOW Benny are you here?!!!! I love this video, after living in SG for a while i started to sound SGporean lah. I would say that Singlish is a Chinese Malay Indian and English mix of language, specially the way they are expressed, (literal translation from those languages). Thanks and want more videos!!!!!!!
Saludos desde Singapore!!!!
Make sure to come to one of the events this weekend to meet me! Details are in the UA-cam video description.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Great questions, insightful answers.
Here's a Ph.D. thesis about the discourse particles ("lah", "ah", etc.) of Singlish:
scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/bitstream/handle/10635/14757/LerSLV.pdf
FKLinguista wah got so cheem one leh...
Singlish is a creole language but different from Caribbean creole in that it is spoken in a developed and prosperous country and therefore has more traction and credibility.
The english accent she has in the start of the video sounds pretty much like any german that i've ever heard talk english, but a bit more easy on the ear.
I like to see she's hands .. cannot stop meh ? - Singlish! love it :D
Interesting... There are some similarities with the situation here in Switzerland. I come from the Italian part but now I'm studying in the German part, where everybody speaks Swiss German. The actual German is used as little as possible, like in universities and official meetings.
The main difference is that there are far less influences from other languages (a couple from French), is more of a dialect.
Is it too much different from the way they speak in Germany?
LatinAmericanDog
It is quite different. this video is a good example: ua-cam.com/video/ckBSxekVt2s/v-deo.html
Great video Benny! I was wondering when will you post the video of the book signing in Baltimore?
I may post it a bit later, but I actually recorded that video to take specific clips for a shorter video that you will see soon!
@7.50 u can say " Arrow" is an army slang created by the conscripted army boys in singapore and i have done my national service and im as young as this nation.
If you tied her hands down, she will not be able to speak!
Thomas Hom lmao
Thomas Hom lmao
9:53
I think most Singaporeans are like that. Cos I’m like that too
Like the vid, but more examples of Singlish would have been great.
See the blog post linked to in the description
@Jade. In just a few minutes of your explanation of Singlish, I am impressed by how you well a job you do. You have done it brilliantly! You are really smart. You should be in academia.
Really interesting!! thank you for doing this great interview.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is just like Spanglish in California.
English with chinese characteristics
Damn, she's good. True blue Singaporean but foreign tertiary educated. Probably from Oz...
Looks like you've been working out, Benny! Great for you! :D
I speak American English/Spanish can Singaporean people understand or speak spanish as well?
7:35 They are using action to describe someone because they are acting like a character from an action movie which is usually full of fast paced impressive stunts and acts.
Singlish to me just sound like a heavily accent English with Cantonese mixed in.
Cursively saya daftarkan :
Josafat Benedict Sinaga
Columbus Hutabarat
I like this girl~~
Jade, who brought the hand movements when talking to your area? With the dakine, "Hawaiian Pidgin" they say it was the "Port-ta-gees".
I love singlish because I am a true blue made in Singapore. ..good show guys...terima kaseh, kamsiah, nandri and thank you lah..
Sazman5615 Sazman is it okay to sound ignorant? You need to direct your pride somewhere else! Singlish has grown into a national problem that the government is trying to correct or at least control its spread. Rightly said the Singaporean do not know it is a problem until they travel to an English speaking country. While growing up in America we took English classes to learn proper grammar and usage. This has help to a certain extent standardize American English. Singapore being such a small country should better control this national problem. If Singapore can control gum chewing and littering, why not bad English?!
Thank goodness she speaks grammatical English without British or American accent.
A good reflection of many educated Singaporeans, irrespective of socio-economic backgrounds.
She knows the term code-switching, so I wonder whether she majored in English Language in university.
Most young singaporeans know the term because it's something we do all the time, regardless of major
@@dingus42 Depends on the socio-economic circles u move in.
When you're visited in my country Bro?
When this video was made, about 10 years ago!
YOU'RE IN SINGAPORE??? I wanna meet you!!
Gracias Benny!
Good video,hello from Longford!!!
Singlish requires talking with one's hands? :)
That was interesting. I didn't know about Singlish before. btw Benny you look good.
The secret to looking good is having a wonderful girlfriend who cares :D
Benny Lewis Seems like your gf checks your yt comments :D
Thanks for another video!
Benny Lewis have you any videos on how to find one of those?
In my opinion, the Singlish or Malaylish evovled because of the inabilitilies of residents in the past to speak proper English. Unfortunately, the failure of the schools to have qualified English speakers to teach proper enunciation of alphabets and words have only contributed to the way the residents continue to sound the way they are today. I personally think the Indonesians do not have these problems.
Amazing interview! =)
trust me, when u mute it, u ll see a different world
Ah Singlish, all those lahs and lehs.
The woman's continuous hand gestures...
Liking the beard
The guys arms are 7 times the size of the chick's
Your accent sounds so Nigerian
Like Pidgin English in Nigeria.
Y’all sound Nigerian 😊
You don't really learn Singlish. IMHO Singlish is a product of our environment and education. The main reason is how we think. We, Singaporeans are birthed into this cultural 'hot pot', while here, we think in multiple languages. English, Mother Tongue and Dialects. So if you were to say things like 'Fat Die Me', '7 Early 8 Early' these are common Chinese terms which we use and we just simply direct translate. Meh, Lah, Loh these are more like punctuations.
intelligent and attractive, but i cannot abide people that look like they're trying to scrape their way out of a coffin when they talk
An upload!
Finally, I know! It's been a VERY busy year with the book tour. So glad to be back into regular blogging/vlogging mode. :)
I'm glad too!
An upload it is. lol
Singlish is a slang :)
Necesita que parar usando los aciones
you can do that咩？haha
i love singlish
+Steve Lee interesting tho.
I think you are a Chinese haha
From Hong Kong right
***** why
every region has its accent
+Steve Lee
We shouldn't be teased. They speak "beautiful/elegant" English just because they are native. But when they speak cantonese, they have weird accent too. How can they judge/jeer at our accents.
I dunno why people consider westerners are "more superior". Just because they are maturely developed? but there are many regions are developed too (like SG and HK)
+Steve Lee by the way is "wa lao eh" means what the fuck
+Steve Lee haha night
Try Scottish accent
Singaporean alway thought they speak better English than Malaysia. And they never thought of our education background. We learn Mandarin when we was primary. Malay for secondary. College is based on English.
Yeah singaporean better. no should be in this way, they better lah!
Don't believe me I'm Singaporean lah!
Singlish is fluid, no proper structure. Just getting the point across in the shortest way possible.
うでほそ。。
narrow arms
If one would to imagine people in Singapore code-switching their language like you 2 say in the video, (s)he would be very very disappointed when (s)he comes here for real.. Gut feeling tells me singaporean mandarin is first language for the majority of the population and a lot,really a lot of people, regardless of age or education, can't switch to "proper" english anymore. Maybe I've been "unlucky" (it's not the right term because i do appreciate Singlish as a language, but try to get what I mean) all 7 years and counting of my life here
singaporean mandarin is not the first language by far, it's at most the 3rd-most common native language behind English, Hokkien, and even Singlish
Meh 咩？
No tamil or hindi
blingblingshine
guava/baba
The girl is not speaking in the typical Singaporean way
you guys just stereotype yourself with your arrogance. Not saying you can't but you just won't.
哈哈哈，
If you tied her hands down , she will not able to speak.
"Singlish" is simply a form of english as spoken in singapore with a mishmash of words derived from different languages and chinese dialects used by the locals, these locals include chinese, being the majority, followed by malay and indians respectively. So, if the languages spoken by these three different ethnic groups are all greek to you, then you won't be able to understand those borrowed words used. Words apart, singlish speakers obviously can't be bothered to obey grammatical rules, so to speak. Who cares about subject-verb agreement, tenses, etc.?? Also, their pronunciation may sound real weird or hilarious to those who think they pronounce "correctly", ahem.. So, with the above mentioned "thingz" put together, there you go, you speak singlish, uniquely singaporean, haha..
you shhhhhhhh
English linguistic imperialism and native language decline.
She trying too hard to speak like Ang Moh weh ...
she does not sound Ang Moh, she has accent
It's a creole with bad Mandarin and English pronunciation and butchered grammar structure borrowed from Mandarin.
+Lydia Kishon This is what happens when English begins to dominate in your country, taking over business, education and government as the main language.
hokkien pronunciation, not mandarin.
Sheridan Su wrong, not Mandarin at all. It is Chinese dialects and Tamil and or Malay.
It's kinda a mix
no offense but that''s how I think. I am a big fan of English so I really can't accept the way Singaporeans speak English. Why alter a foreign language and make it your own!
It is just the decolonization of english