Should Singlish be treated as a legitimate form of culture?

Singlish as a Source of Pride

by Francine

Why is Singlish so entrenched in our local culture? One would think that Singlish would be abandoned due to Singapore’s education system. Singlish is a form of local language or a vernacular language in Singapore. I believe that the use of Singlish should be advocated due to its sense of locality and identity. Singlish should be seen as a legitimate form of culture.

Firstly, Singlish is a legitimate form of culture as it gives a sense of locality in this globalised world. It makes Singaporeans stand out in a uniform world. This language also gives Singaporeans a sense of belonging and a sense of identity. According to local radio station Morning Express, Beyonce mocked Singaporeans in her Formula 1 interview by saying, “although Singaporeans don’t speak good English, I am glad that they sang with me.” This inflamed Singaporeans who were protective towards their culture, revealing unity among Singaporeans concerning the respect for Singlish as a culture. Therefore, Singlish is important because it makes us different from the world that is becoming ubiquitous.

In addition, speaking Singapore’s colloquial English helps all generations to understand each other. For example, at coffee shops youths converse with the older generation in Singlish to be better understood. According to a local website, “Friends don’t greet each other with a ‘hello’ or ‘how do you do?’ Instead, they’ll say in Singlish slang, ‘sudah makan?’ or, “have you eaten?” Singlish has a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian slang phrases, which helps all races and generations to understand each other. Therefore, Singlish bridges generation gaps, and this allows all generations to understand and communicate with one another.

On the other hand, some people think that Singlish should not be seen as a form of culture as it creates the misconception that Singaporeans have a poor grasp of English, which is supposedly our lingua franca. It makes Singapore look as if it has low education standards as Singlish is grammatically incorrect. According to local website New Age Parents, Singlish should not be supported because children say what they hear. Young children often learn language by listening to the way their parents, main caregivers or teachers talk. These people have a big influence on a child’s accent, intonation, pronunciation, vocabulary and ability to form proper sentence structures in English. Therefore, Singlish should not be seen as a form of culture due to criticisms that Singaporeans could be seen as poor English speakers.

 However, if speaking Singlish does not truly reflect Singaporeans’ proficiency in English, the potential for misconception will diminish. According to local Singapore website Lifestyle, a musical was made about the fascination of the English language by introducing foreigners to Singlish. This reveals that foreigners do appreciate and respect Singlish. Though, the only difference between foreigners and Singaporeans is their accent, this helps Singaporeans stand out even if foreigners do know how to speak Singlish. Linguists are also interested in learning Singlish due to its unique sentence structure that only Singaporeans understand. Therefore, Singlish does not only create misconceptions, but it also fascinates foreigners who want to learn it.

In conclusion, Singlish is entrenched in our local culture due to it giving Singaporeans a sense of locality and identity in a world that is becoming ubiquitous. It is also the true lingua franca of Singaporeans. Even though it creates a misconception that Singaporeans have a poor grasp of English, foreigners are also more aware that Singlish is used idiosyncratically. Therefore, Singlish should be a form of culture since it gives us a sense of locality in this globalised world and gives equality for all races as a way of speaking the same language.

Mentor’s Comments:

This essay is very well structured, following the P-E-E-L structure to the point, yet still retaining her personal style. The conclusion is also very good, tying up all the above arguments tightly. While the examples could be more succint (so that they could be remembered and reused), they are whimsical and keeps the reader interested.  Good job Francine!