singlish justified?

nismoS132 SG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_switching

Code-switching
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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.

The switch is commonly made according to the subject of discourse, but may be for a variety of other reasons such as the mood of the speaker (for example, a person might swear only in French).

Code-switching often occurs in bilingual communities or families. For example, a family that has recently immigrated to a country where a different language is spoken may switch back and forth between that language and their mother tongue, while they are learning the new language (this phenomenon is frequently noted amongst first- and second-generation immigrants to France from its former North African Arabic-speaking colonies, now the Maghreb countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria). Also, in communities as, for example, the United States with a large number of Spanish speakers, a sentence might have a mixture of Spanish and English words known as "Spanglish" (a similar situation can occur in communities in Canada with both Francophone and Anglophone populations). Another example of this phenomenon is the mixing of Japanese and English by Western-educated Japanese and half-Japanese children, most notably those living in bilingual environments (e.g., attending International schools in Japan). Code-switching from Tatar to Russian is very popular around bilingual urban Tatars. This situation is similar to other non-Russian urban population of ex-USSR.

In countries such as India, where English is a lingua franca, educated people whose first language is a language other than English but who are also somewhat fluent in English often employ code-switching by inserting English words, phrases or sentences into their conversations. Examples of this type of code-switching can be seen in many Bollywood films.

Code-switching also occurs within a particular language. For instance, a person would likely not use the same words or phrases when speaking to a superior (e.g. an elder, teacher, advisor or supervisor) as they would use when speaking to their friends in an informal atmosphere. Another example is African American Vernacular English among African-Americans.

Code switching is distinct from pidgin, in which features of two languages are combined. Code-switching is also different from (but is often accompanied by) spontaneous borrowing of words from another language, sometimes outfitted with the inflections of the host language, sometimes not.

Code-switching within a sentence tends to occur more often at points where the syntaxes of the two languages align; thus it is uncommon to switch from English to French after an adjective and before a noun, because a French noun normally "expects" its adjectives to follow it. The same is true for switching from French to English after a noun and before an adjective. Code-switching between a subject and its verb is much more likely, because both English and French normally place the subject before the verb.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Don’t quite get what you are trying to say.

ceecookie SG

he means like u speak singlish to ur fren while to refined clints like angmoh u talk prefert english to em....

it was in the news last time Rolling Eyes

AugoeideS SG

"Eh, bu yao buy na ge tong xi lah."

nismoS132 SG

means other people elsewhere in the world use code-switching like we do.

FireIce SG

nobody ever said singlish is wrong.....

yes, code-switching happens everywhere......except for communities with own "pure" language like tribes that had never been in contact with anyone else.....so their language is not contaminated or influenced....

^tamago^ SG

some people are just more comfortable in their mother tongues or dialects, or they just can’t find (or lazy to find) the right expression to convey their ideas in a single language.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Oh.....

MobyDog SG

Singlish.. ok...wat

Can be a national identity U noe... many ang mo find it interesting way of communication. Not so rigid but funny at the same time.

A group of Ang mo was surprised when I switched to excellent english ( with bit of american accent) while ordering and chatting with a waitress, while I talk funny with my group of friends in Brisbane. They also find a bit childish also.. I think.

Same with some tourist, chatted up with me in Singapore.

sinicker SG

actually, to me, singlish is PERFECTLY alright. as long as we know when is the right time to use correct english and when to slack and use singlish.

however, the reasons why we dont condone singlish is simple.

1. parents complain child's english grades are dropping.
2. my son likes to imitate PCK. this is bad!

how? speak english lor.

fudgester SG

X2. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with Singlish as long as you know when to use it and when to use standard English. Use Singlish for informal occasions with your friends, but standard English for more formal occasions.

I find it highly disconcerting that the government is equating Singlish with 'bad' English. After all, English itself has many different forms, from the Queen's English to Australian English to American English. Even the Brits themselves have several different dialects: Geordie, Liverpudlian, etc. Instead, what we should be doing is to leave Singlish alone and promote the use of the Queen's English at the same time.

After all, Singlish is one of the very few things that truly defines a Singaporean. If the government is so concerned about building an identity for Singaporeans, it would do well to leave Singlish alone.