1. There are four official languages of Singapore;
Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English. English is
the most common language used and is the
common language between the different ethnic
groups. Children are taught in English at school
but also learn their mother tongue to make sure
they don’t lose touch with their traditions and
culture.
2. Most Singaporeans speak a
localized dialect of English
called Singlish or Singaporean
English, which can be difficult for
foreigners to understand at first.
Singlish is based on standard
English with influences and loan
words from Chinese, Malay and
Indian languages. Singapore is a
multilingual society, which is why
Singlish developed over time.
Singlish phrases are most
common in the informal aspects
of the English language, such as
casual conversation. In school,
all students learns English and a
second language of their choice.
Mandarin is the second most
popular language, with over 70%
of the population speaking it as a
first or second language.
3. Vocabulary Singlish
•habis – finished
•makan – to eat
•chope – to reserve something
•cheem – difficult, complicated
•ang mo – a white person
•rojak – mixed, a mix of
•liao – finished, the end
•kiasu – afraid to lose mentality
