The Official Anti-Singlish Thread

trendz SG

National identity can be forged in a struggle for ideals: multi-racialism,
democracy, social justice, meritocracy, and openness to westernization.

In Singapore, the government has helped to create a strong national identity through schools (educating the children about our history, daily recital of the national pledge), public housing (where racial integration is practised), the work place (stress is laid on performance and meritocracy), military service (where defence of the nation is inculcated as a civic responsibility) and community centres.

The government also deliberately fosters public identification with Singapore through rituals such as National Day Parades and Rallies and other public events and promoting national symbols such as the flag and Merlion.

One of the most powerful forces to strengthen national identity is pride of achievement and identification with Singapores success in economic development.

A multi-racial country that reacts instinctively to an external threat or internal crisis, rather than having its various ethnic groups reacting differently along racial or religious lines: this is the litmus test of its national identity.

According to some analysts, there are six criteria of nationhood: language, territory, culture, a common national interest, a common sovereign, and an imagined political community.

Singapore fulfils 3 criteria easily territory, sovereignty and a shared political community. Singapore also uses English as its common
language (fourth criteria).

The common national interest is what the
government is trying to create through programmes like Singapore 21.

One important means of creating a Singaporean national identity is to
establish a national ideology.

Eat your words; d*ckhead!

trendz SG

did i say i'm not happy? we do not revolve around the world; then what is global competition? bonds our people together? LKY even lamented the excessive use of Singlish and hopes that most Singaporeans would be proficient in both English and Mandarin.

But i don't think that works for you; you suck in both.

please don't assume, kiddo.

you speak like a simpleton. don't portray your low level of intelligence here.

(and the word is) Thanks. =)

trendz SG

Singlish is not a universal language. Can't you get my point?

To be honest, no use blasting me when you guys don't even get what i'm tryin' to say.

C'mon. flame me for all i care.

But at the end of the day; i guess what i'm trying to say may be mis-interpreted or maybe my words are beyond some idiots' comprehension..

oh well.. Rolling Eyes

tiggersgd SG

u win liao lorz! (singlish enuf?)

kum sia...

exits.

+1

Hidden^OnE SG

Let's play a very simple game now. I would like to invite the forumers to tell us what do they identifies with more. Singlish, or the points listed by Mr Trendz.

By the way, I do not appreciate your usage of vulgarities on me. Also d*ick is an American slang for penis. If you are able to accept an American slang, why not a Singlish slang?

And finally, west does not always equals good. =D

Ito_^ SG

smlj la.. knn ccb.

SexyChin SG

'

Chill man.

[email protected] SG

breathed. back. felt ditzy's crotch. fingered ditzy too. blondes are so clueless Laughing

[email protected] SG

defeatist attitude Laughing

chinese this one call "bu qiu sang jing"

[email protected] SG

German don't speak english. Laughing

And American DOES understand what a brit says. ditto for vice versa. I've been in UK for almost 2 years now, and i've met many americans here. They can understand. But dun mean they like it

so what else have u got to say? pls think before u say it

Apex-LW'21 SG

People should learn more English and cut down all unneccessary Singlish habits. People in foreign countries may not understand the way Singaporeans speak.

[email protected] SG

and thats why i look down on many brits as well Laughing

btw tell u something funny. All the damn adverts here are narrated by people with a northern accent. Its a very irritating accent, sounds like they're tryin to gargle with a mouthful of mud. But why are all the narrators people with northern accents? Apparently 10 years ago a survey was done to see which accent is sexiest. Scottish was sexiest, northern accents 2nd. Seems nobody remembered to update tho Laughing

[email protected] SG

At least singlish in singapore is understandable. I really wince when i hear singaporeans who persist on using singlish here all the time. A bit to remind one of home, fine. BUT ALL THE TIME?! *loads my MAC10 up*

Apex-LW'21 SG

hmm... it might not be necessary all the time. Some of them went to British Council and learn English before they went to other countries like the UK...

[email protected] SG

honestly if u consider that english is our 1st language, that they EVEN need to go to british council to learn english is already a disgrace of sorts Laughing

SaintDL SG

Not bu qiu shang jing. Is ru jing sui su

Dood. Like i said. Use standard english when speaking with foreigners so they can understand us. That will be enough. We have been speaking this way for years and there isn't a need to change it just so some people can feel good and thinks this si called shang jing.

And btw. Not defeatist attitude. Every country have their own accent. We have ours. What's the big deal?
Just because it comes out on the newspaper means we have to make a big deal out of it?

And just look at trendz. Just cos you can flame pople well doesn't mean people will respect you for your english, dood. Germans speak english with an accent. Frenchs speak with accented english. Italians speak with accented english. Hell even some texans speak with an accent so thick that you cannot make anything out of it. Why should we get rid of our accent? Because you're an asian trying to be a caucasian?

In that case get out of here for all i care.
You dun like things in this country, leave. You want to make a difference go join the PAP and work your way up. Otherwise what you are doing here is just starting flame wars and beign sacarstic to people.

I can speak english well enough for americans and englishmen to understand me. I've been diving before and i spoke to them before. But i talk to other people in singlish all the same. Hell, kid you go up to malaysia and they speak to you in singlish. See? We're a force to be reckoned with. Haha. C'mon folks just look. Anywhere there's indians, malays and chinese living together, the people speak singlish.

Its not the end of the world. And i will not change my way of life(speaking in this case) just because some kid hates how his countrymen speaks.

But! But! I would like to point out that people SHOULD always use standard english when talking to foreigners AND ONLINE DAMMIT
ONLINE! Most important...
You see it's that simple. You don't want to change the way you talk to locals, you make sure you make people understand you online or when talking to foreigners. See? Simple.

JJxJJ SG

my cd player broke because of one Laughing

[email protected] SG

You guys use so much singlish that most of u can't even use standard english when speaking with foreigners alright. I think there is a lot of 'shang jing' here to be had.

Like I said, neatly typed letter, words spelled in shit on the floor. both can communicate, but which would u prefer? Unless u're so used to shit of course. Laughing

Singlish is NOT an accent dear boy. Singlish is a bastardazation of many different languages. The closes I we can label it, is a pesudo-language. The hell it is an english accent. Not even close

trendz's flaming is a different issue. Lets leave it out for the moment and concentrate on the issue.

Germans didnt learn english as a 1st language. Italians didn't learn english as a 1st language. French sure as hell didn't learn english as a 1st language. But we're not china. we're singapore. We DID learn english as a 1st language. That was a lousy comparism there. As for texans, if u're talking about the rednecks who don't have much education, then yea they do. So in the end, u're telling me, the only valid excuse for singaporeans not to speak good english is a low educational standard then. Soooo then, who wants to show that they are uneducated? Its your loss, not mine. Laughing

once again, a bu qiu shang jing attitude. If one doesn't like things in the country, one always has the right to speak up and fight for changes. Join PAP and work your way up? My dear, you make us sound like a communist country. Perhaps we are? Join the "party" before we can make any changes? Then again, that is doomed to failure. If you don't stay in line in the party, how are u going to move high enough to change anything? If u do stay in line, it won't be long before u're corrupted as well. Im afraid you don't know how things work in Singapore.

Meanwhile, even though Trendz's flaming can be rather uncalled for, he has every right to comment on the inability of Singaporeans to speak proper english and overusage of Singlish. The whole "don't like it can leave" response is, to be honest, very disgusting and uncivilized.

Good for you. However, its not the same for others. People use too much singlish online and even when abroad. And that is why a backlash against singlish has arisen. Its only natural. Bashing the threadstarter won't do singlish itself any good. See? It's simpler.

ruuix SG

Singlish or English?

In my own opinion, what matters most is our ability to code-switch. For all of you out there who don't know what is 'code-switching',

Code-switching is a term in linguistics referring to alternation between two or more languages, dialects, or language registers in the course of discourse between people who have more than one language in common. Sometimes the switch lasts only for a few sentences, or even for a single phrase.

-- wikipedia.com

To me, speaking Singlish is just code-switching. Throw in some malay, chinese, hokkien or even some alien language and viola!

By speaking Singlish, it doesn't mean that we are not proficient in English. The most important thing is to know when to code-switch, and when to not. If we are speaking to our own group of friend, i don't see why we can't throw in a few 'lor's or 'la's in our conversation. If our intended meaning is not distorted by our frequent lors and las, i think it is perfectly okay to speak in Singlish.

Just do not make a fool out of yourself by speaking in such proficient Singlish such that other people, such as foreigners, do not even understand what we are trying to say. I believe this is what the Speak Good English Movement is all about. To speak good English is not about using bombastic vocabulary, but simply being grammatically correct and not using our Singapore speak that often.

[email protected] SG

nobody here is suggesting that if one speaks singlish, one is not proficient in English. However, if one uses singlish EXCESSIVELY or even EXCLUSIVELY, then one IS likely to be nonproficient in english.

the other point is that its quite jarring to the ears. Even if we don't condemn it, theres nothing that says we cannot say its a nasty sounding pesudo-language.

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