Coming from a different culture and a country which speaks American English, Singapore English was refreshing... at first. The initial difference would be that, Singapore English was influenced by the British, elevator vs lift, pants and trousers, truck and lorry, Gas and petrol, take-outs and take aways and so on... But, like most places, they have developed their own linguistic system that is now known as (tantananantadaa!) Singlish.
Most encountered Singlish phrases/words:
Can lah?
So how?
Ayo! - An expression which conveys disappointment, frustration and the likes
What to do? - this (along with the tone usually associated with it) kind of annoys me
Is it? - Means 'Really?'
Since I really really don't want to sound and talk like them, I am now consious of how I speak (don't want to scare my nieces and nephews when I'm on vacation in Manila with a 'How are you, lah?'). It reminds me of the days when I was in Laguna where I temporarily adapted the southern Tagalog intonation, hence, my proneness to adapting theirs.
So, for those planning a trip here, I suggest you brush up on your Singlish, can lah?
On a different note, someone I know here always use the phrase 'Can I have the...' when what he really means is 'Can I borrow the...', sometimes I just wanna ask him 'Why? Is it yours?'. Hehehe...
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