MARCH 26 — “Here can charge phone,” read the sign on one of Singapore’s latest generation of double decker buses plying Route 143.
Now, to the uninitiated it might look like the signs have simply been written by someone with a faulty command of English — but it’s not so, rather they are in a language of their own.
Based on a fusion of Malay, Chinese and Indian languages and dialects wrapped around something of an English core, Singlish is classified as a creole language.
That is to say it isn’t just an ad-hoc mixture of English and Chinese/Malay — a pidgin, or variant of standard English — but rather it has a stable grammar, vocabulary and syntax of its own and will, if nurtured, endure for generations.
Its succinct, snappy phrasings are unique to the island and capture the fundamentally multicultural and creolised experience of being Singaporean.
Despite its unique position, the language doesn’t always get the love it deserves — far from it.
The Singapore government in fact has long waged a rather ironic war on the only language native to the island.
Seeing Singlish and reliance on Singlish as potentially weakening Singaporeans’ command of English since independence, we have had “Speak proper English” campaigns; efforts to wean the populace off creole and put us back in the mainstream,
Singlish has always been unwelcome from television, schools, class rooms and even a few years ago Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long was urging Singaporeans to stop using Singlish.
But Singlish is Singapore and the little signs on Route 143 seemed a welcome indication the government might have finally given up trying to squash our nation’s most creative creation.
But of course after the Singlish signs appeared, there has been a deluge of admittedly, well written letters addressed to editors despairing at this attempt to normalise Singlish.
“What will happen to the nation’s English?,” ask the concerned complainers.
While some debate over the move was to be expected, I really think it is time we got over ourselves.
The use of Singlish on the bus is simple and fun. It is clear the signs are humorous and Singaporeans will be able to follow them.
If foreigners leave with a poor impression of our English from a couple of bus signs, that’s not really relevant is it? What matters is what we think of ourselves.
To embrace Singlish is to be proud of our own heritage and to accept the fact that it isn’t a rival to English but a complementary but separate language for use in a different context.
This was clearly understood by the people behind the Route 143 campaign because the signs derive their humour and impact from the fact that we are seeing Singlish in a place we don’t expect it.
We aren’t confused by it; Singapore has one of the most successful education systems in the world and this education is, largely, in English so we know we are seeing Singlish and not English but are amused and happy to see it on a public bus.
Singlish has a place; it is how we express ourselves in our most intimate moments with friends and family.
It is also how we order noodles or curries and exclaim in moments of triumph. It is one of the few things in the country that transcends race; Indian, Chinese, Malay, Eurasian... everyone who has grown up in Singapore speaks Singlish which is why no one should ever be made to feel ashamed for speaking it.
Singlish needs to be normalised and as a society, without cajoling by the government, we need to decide exactly what spaces it should occupy.
This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
