Singapore English
1.0 Introduction
The presence and use of borrowed words and discourse particles in Colloquial Singapore English (CSE) have been widely studied by linguists (e.g. Lim, 2007; & Deterding, 2007). It is also widely accepted, both amongst scholarly literature and within the general population, that CSE (its lexicon/syntax/etc.) is predominantly Chinese- or Malay-based and that Tamil has only had minimal influences (Leimgruber, 2009). However, little thought has been given, by the general population at least, as to why exactly this is so (that CSE is predominantly Chinese- or Malay-based); most Singaporeans simply take this ‘phenomenon’ for granted without knowing that there are sociolinguistic reasons which give rise to such situations. A detailed discussion of the possible causes of this would be most beneficial.
This paper therefore seeks to discuss and propose possible explanations for this sociolinguistic phenomenon. Specifically, this paper asserts and hypothesises that the comparatively small Indian population and the lack of Tamil speakers (due to the ethnically-diverse Indian population) are the principal reasons for the lack of Tamil features in CSE.
2.0 Method for Data Collection
The data for this study was retrieved from a YouTube video; ‘Singlish: 24: Dyslexic Dr Jiajia Prepares for Exam’, which depicts two Singaporean brothers conversing in CSE in a typical home-setting. This video was chosen as it presents us with an authentic representation of a typical conversation between Singaporeans in a non-formal setting, where CSE is typically used. For the purposes of the analyses and discussions that follow, the video was transcribed and the data referred to in the following paragraphs are from the transcript in Appendix A. For the purposes of this study, this paper will only examine and analyse the use of borrowed words and particles, as they are quite arguably the two most distinctive and unique features of CSE.
3.0 Data Analysis
A major
The presence and use of borrowed words and discourse particles in Colloquial Singapore English (CSE) have been widely studied by linguists (e.g. Lim, 2007; & Deterding, 2007). It is also widely accepted, both amongst scholarly literature and within the general population, that CSE (its lexicon/syntax/etc.) is predominantly Chinese- or Malay-based and that Tamil has only had minimal influences (Leimgruber, 2009). However, little thought has been given, by the general population at least, as to why exactly this is so (that CSE is predominantly Chinese- or Malay-based); most Singaporeans simply take this ‘phenomenon’ for granted without knowing that there are sociolinguistic reasons which give rise to such situations. A detailed discussion of the possible causes of this would be most beneficial.
This paper therefore seeks to discuss and propose possible explanations for this sociolinguistic phenomenon. Specifically, this paper asserts and hypothesises that the comparatively small Indian population and the lack of Tamil speakers (due to the ethnically-diverse Indian population) are the principal reasons for the lack of Tamil features in CSE.
2.0 Method for Data Collection
The data for this study was retrieved from a YouTube video; ‘Singlish: 24: Dyslexic Dr Jiajia Prepares for Exam’, which depicts two Singaporean brothers conversing in CSE in a typical home-setting. This video was chosen as it presents us with an authentic representation of a typical conversation between Singaporeans in a non-formal setting, where CSE is typically used. For the purposes of the analyses and discussions that follow, the video was transcribed and the data referred to in the following paragraphs are from the transcript in Appendix A. For the purposes of this study, this paper will only examine and analyse the use of borrowed words and particles, as they are quite arguably the two most distinctive and unique features of CSE.
3.0 Data Analysis
A major