I know parents who balk at the idea of their kids speaking Singlish but in our house, we embrace it. Not as a replacement for English, but as a language in itself. The way we see it, it’s like a second or third language and we teach it as such.
I have nothing against the Speak Good English campaign. In fact, I fully support it because we should speak English the way it’s supposed to be spoken, with a stiff upper lip, a cup of tea in one hand and a scone in the other. So it’s non-negotiable that the kids learn how to speak good English. We make sure they watch the right films like Monty Python and ‘Allo ‘Allo to complete their English education.
On top of that, we (try to) teach Mandarin and several Dialect phrases. The husband is responsible for teaching Hokkien (so Tru can survive NS) and I’m in charge of Cantonese (so they can order Dim Sum).
So back to Singlish. We both agree that it’s an important language to learn. Growing up, I only spoke *proper* English at home with my parents so I had a tough time adjusting in Primary School. For most of my life, I was the chiak kantang (which means ‘eat potato’, or someone that speaks with an American/British accent) kid in school. To avoid getting stoned, I had to learn Singlish and learn it fast. I learnt to codeswitch when necessary in order to blend in.
Instead of asking “would you guys want to go for lunch together?”, I learnt the appropriate “eh, go lunch leh…”
Or instead of asking “where should we go tomorrow?”, it was “tomorrow how ah, go where happening?“
Besides, when used right, Singlish is so much more colorful and fun.
When you want to say that someone got you into trouble, you can say “I kenna sabo by that joker lah”
Or to describe nice food, you can go “you got try the char kuay teow? Lagi shiok man.“
It’s extremely versatile. Plus it earns you street cred and people are more likely to help you because you’re not seen as hao lian (stuck up).
Ever since the kids started school, we knew that they would inevitably be exposed to Singlish. To avoid confusion, we embarked on their Singlish education. We taught them the differences between the two and how to speak both effectively.
I have to say that it’s incredibly cute to hear them speaking Singlish. A couple of days ago, Kirsten came into our room with her arms full of stuffed toys and exclaimed “I got so many things hor?”
And Truett is now the master of Singlish.
Me: Tru, can you go pack up the room? You were the one who messed it up, so you go pack it.
Tru: WHO SAY? I NEVER WHAT…
Me: And in English?
Tru: I didn’t do it. Mei mei messed it up.
Me: Nice. Go ask mei mei to come here.
