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Singlish to English TO English Singlish In a country like Singapore, where a non-native language is adopted as a native language, the style, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, etc. will have its own flavour and even its own unique code of usage, like a grammar. This chapter will focus on specific problems students have when studying English in Singapore. A comparison will be made between standard English and Singlish in terms of structure and form. It should be noted that Singlish and Singapore English are two very different things. A person who speaks Singapore English uses standard grammar and vocabulary but pronounces words the way most Singaporean English speakers do. Singlish, on the other hand, includes the same kind of pronunciation, although Singlish speakers may have a stronger accent in that some sounds are changed or dropped entirely. 1. CAN and the omission of the subject. In Chinese, the verb “can” has different meanings. One means ability (I can speak English) and the other meaning possibility (We can go now) or permission (We can’t smoke here), etc. The biggest difference in these expressions between Chinese and English (and Malay too) is that in Chinese and Malay, “can” is sometimes used without the subject, as it is not necessary when the meaning is understood. Also, in Chinese, a simple question marker “mah” is used to make questions (in Malay, it is necessary only to change intonation for a question). This “mah” cannot be translated into a word in English because we change word order and intonation to make questions. The result is often sentences like these: Can go? This one can? Can? Cannot. Why cannot? The subject is missing in all of these sentences. In English we have to include the subject and would say: Can I (we, he) go? Can this be done? Can I? No, you can’t. Why can’t we (you)? For more on making questions, see part 4 below (Question form and problems with HOW). The same can be said of other verbs, particularly when they are model verbs. For example: Must go? Must this one? Must? No must not. Why must not? 2. Absence of the Passive Voice. In Singlish, like in other creole languages, we find the absence of the passive voice. So in sentences like “This house will soon be built”, in Singlish we find, “This house will soon build.” This is sometimes doubled with the use of can, so instead of “Can this jacket be washed?” we find “This jacket can wash?” In order to make your English more accurate, a good review of the passive voice and practice in both writing and speaking should help. Here are some sentences in Singlish that should be in the passive voice, but are not. Next to them are the correct standard English forms: SINGLISH STANDARD ENGLISH Everything I buy lost. Everything I bought has been lost. A new house build very soon. A new house will be built very soon. Many people have kill in the war. Many people have been killed in the war. Letter deliver already? Has the letter been delivered yet? This one must cook one hour. This has to be cooked for one hour. 3. Already and the Present Perfect. The word “le” in Chinese translates as already or yet in English. The first problem that Singlish speakers have is in differentiating when to use “already” and when to use “yet”. Already is used for positive statements (He has already finished his assessment.) Yet, on the other hand, is used for negatives (He hasn’t finished his assessment yet.) and for questions (Has he finished his assessment yet?). It is also common to see the present perfect omitted in favour of the word already and the word already in the wrong place in the sentence. In some Singlish sentences, especially negatives, the yet/already portion is omitted completely. Below are questions comparing Singlish to Standard English forms. Note the use or misuse of yet/already. SINGLISH STANDARD ENGLISH You eat already? Have you eaten? This one finish already? Is this one finished yet? He arrive already. He has already arrived. I no finish. I haven’t finished yet. 4. Question form and Problems with HOW. As mentioned in section one of this chapter, question form in Chinese (and therefore Singlish) differs from accurate question form in Standard English. In Chinese, the question marker “mah” is used after an affirmative or negative statement. No other changes are required in the grammar of the sentence, like in the following Singlish sentences: You go to school? You need money? You don’t want? Do you go to school? Do you need money? Don’t you want this? It is common in Singlish to add the marker “ah” at the end of a question to replace the question marker “mah” in Chinese. This is incorrect in Standard English. This is further explained in the next section entitled “Tag Questions”. In Standard English it is usual to change the Subject-Verb configuration in an affirmative or negative sentence to Verb-Subject. For example: He is a good student. – Is he a good student? When there is no auxiliary, modal verb (or the verb ‘be’) the verb ‘do’ is used in Standard English question form (the verb-subject order is maintained): He loves her. – Does he love her? When a question word (who, what, when, where, why, etc.) is used, the verb-subject word order is maintained unless the question word is the subject: Who did you see? (“who” is the object) Singlish: Who you see? Who saw you? (“who” is the subject) Singlish: Who see you? ASKING QUESTIONS WITH ‘HOW’ In Singlish, it is common to hear questions with “how” (meaning method) with a to-infinitive. For example: How to go? How to do? How to spell? These forms are incorrect in Standard English because, as pointed out above, there is no subject. Also there is no conjugated verb, therefore, no complete sentence. The correct form should be: “How do I get there?” “How do you do that?” and “How do you spell that?” It is also common to hear simply the question “How?” or “So how?” This means “Now what?” or “What should be done now?” It can also be a question inquiring on the state of something, for example, “Mary how?” (meaning “How is Mary?”) Compare the question forms with ‘how’ between Singlish and Standard English below. SINGLISH STANDARD ENGLISH How to do? How do you do this? How to say? How do I say this? Singapore how? What is Singapore like? How like that? How can I do it like that? 5. Tag Questions. Tag questions have the same purposes in Standard English and Singlish (as well as in Chinese). They can be used to ask a real question or to seek confirmation of a statement. She needs money, doesn’t she? (real question). She is nice, isn’t she? (confirmation). In Chinese there is only one for of the tag question; it translates roughly to “isn’t it?” In Singlish it is normal to hear ‘is it?’ or ‘isn’t it?’ for all verb forms. This is only correct in English if the verb in the sentence happens to be “is” and the subject happens to be “it”. The table below shows how often the use of ‘is it?’ or ‘isn’t it?’ can be incorrect, compared to the accurate forms in Standard English. SINGLISH STANDARD ENGLISH We should eat better, isn’t it? We should eat better, shouldn’t we? He can’t speak Japanese, is it? He can’t speak Japanese, can he? They like rice, isn’t it? They like rice, don’t they? She hasn’t finished, is it? She hasn’t finished, has she? He isn’t working, is it? He isn’t working, is he? She is ill, isn’t it? She is ill, isn’t she? 6. Singular and Plural Variation in singulars and plurals can often be hear throughout Singapore. The most common being a gereral omission of plural form. For example: Three person Many time go to abroad. I see all the student every day. Of course, it is necessary in standard English to pluralize any countable noun when there is more than one. There are, however, a number of pluralized forms in Singlish that are not pluralized or that are uncountable in Standard English. These words should never be pluralized in Standard English: Cutleries (this should always be cutlery). Crockeries (this should always be crockery). Informations (this should always be information). 7. Simplified Forms In Chinese, people often ask if something is good or not (or if it is ok). That expression translated is “good, not good?” In Singlish that becomes “Good or not?” This also happens with expressions like “Can or not?” “Must or not?” “Want or not?” All of these are incorrect according to standard English. The main problem here is the absence of the subject (the object is also missing for ‘want’). So, the sentences should read: “Is this any good?” / “Is this ok?” “Can I (we) do this?” “Do I (we) have to?” “Do you want this?” It is always necessary in Standard English to include a full subject and verb as well as a direct object when a transitive verb is used (a transitive verb is one that requires a direct object). 8. Vocabulary blur As with any language variety, there are vocabulary entries that are either translations, actual foreign words used within the dialect or completely new words exclusive to the users of that dialect. Also possible is the appearance of words used as a different part of speech.
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