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Mind Your Language

Cartoon aso can can lor but rojak blog more shiok. Otherwise you aso chapalang ma. So I go write now. Ploplem?

For the non-sillyporeans, thats Singlish (Singaporean English), not an alien code. And it translates into "while drawing cartoon is fine, a blog with variety is cool. If not I can’t hold you here for long too. So I will write instead. Any problem?"

Any problem? Just that I get puked at by most English speaking foreigners. To some, its like you have committed incest. And they would even administer lethal injections on their children for using Singlish. I was one such arrogant prick too. But let me tell you why it is such air headedness to shun a national identity. You see, there are 3 reasons why Singlish is considered a disgrace – Its Accent, vocabulary and grammar (or the lack of it).

Lets take the accent aspect. Once, my ex boss was standing behind me giving instructions. Suddenly, he went “Tupyoo, Tupyoo, Tupyoo…” I concluded that he put 3 bullets into my head and wondered how come I dint die yet. Soon I realized that he was requesting me to load a website starting with www…. Those days I used to stay in Bukit Batok. It took me years to pronounce it correctly (Puki Batho??!!) so that taxi drivers won’t drop me out of the country. But hey, isn’t this common? It needs subtitles for a Canadian to understand a Scott’s accent. A Texan can only be understood by his relatives and his farm animals.

Second issue is the vocabulary or the slangs. Etymologists would say that foreign words are the proteins for any language to survive and grow. And Singlish, like a good citizen, does contribute a colorful and picturesque lot. Say ‘rabak rabak’ louder and revel at the naughtiness it brings to the rather plain phrase ‘to make out’.

The last piece is the grammar. What say you? Yea, I have no strong arguments here. But a foreign language is like rain - when it drops on the red soil, the mud will be red. Sod it, its already becoming a super long post. The point is, the less educated mass of any country, say India, are too timid to speak in English. But if they have no choice, then you will hear ultimate grammar fun. And Singaporeans know they have funny grammar, otherwise they wont make TV sitcoms like “phua chu kang” and laugh at themselves.

So, for me, Language is after all a tool meant to connect you with your audience. To nuke it as ‘not impeccable’ is a poor judgment without an open mind.

Comments

  1. I dont get your sarcasm this time, but I am a global citizen with an universal belongingness! :))

    ReplyDelete

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