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A Dictionary of Singlish
and Singapore English

www.singlishdictionary.com

Tell me how much a nation knows about it own
language, and I will tell you how much that
nation knows about its own identity.

— John Ciardi

Links

Last updated on 10 February 2016

 

Contents

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Citations to this Website.

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Singlish and Singapore English: Linguistics.

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Singlish and Singapore English: Vocabulary.
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Humorous treatment.

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Singlish and Singapore English: News and opinion articles.

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Standard English.
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Singapore.

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International.

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Etymology.

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On-line dictionaries.

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English Slang.

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Words on the Web.

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Citations to this Website

Columbus, Georgie, A Corpus-based Analysis of Invariant Tags in Five Varieties of English” in Antoinette Renouf & Andrew Kehoe (eds), Corpus Linguistics: Refinements and Reassessments (Language and Computers; no 69) (Amsterdam; New York, NY: Rodopi, 2009) at 401414

Gupta, Anthea Fraser, Singapore Standard English Revisited” in Lisa Lim, Anne Pakir & Lionel Wee (eds), English in Singapore: Modernity and Management (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2010)

Hellequist, Kristina, Pragmatic Particles in Colloquial Singapore English: The Case of the Particle Ah (unpublished paper, Department of Humanities, Mid Sweden University, 8 June 2008) (archived version)

Khoo, Velda Yuan Ling, The Sia Particle in Colloquial Singapore English (unpublished graduate project in partial fulfilment of BA (Hons) degree) (Singapore: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 2012)

Lee, Ein Lin, The Chinese Malaysians Selfish Mentality and Behaviors: Rationalizing From the Native Perspectives” (October 2007) 3(4) China Media Research 91–101 at 94 and 101 (archived version)

Leimgruber, Jakob R E, Singapore English” (January 2011) 5(1) Language and Linguistics Compass 47–62, doi: 10.1111/j.1749-818X.2010.00262.x (archived version)

Leimgruber, Jakob, “Singapore English: An Indexical Approach” (March 2012) 31(1) World Englishes 1–14, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-971X.2011.01743.x (archived version; pre-print version)

Liew, Warren Mark, “Sing(apore Eng)lish Oracy Education: An ‘Online Discussion’” in Kathryn A[nne] Davis (ed), Critical Qualitative Research in Second Language Studies: Agency and Advocacy (Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2011) at 115–148

Leong, Amelia Xue Wei, “Colloquial Singapore English Never” (Fall 2013) 4 Rice Working Papers in Linguistics at 1 and 19 (references)

Ng-Loy, Wee Loon, “Trade Marks, Language and Culture: The Concept of Distinctiveness and Publici Juris” [2009] Singapore Journal of Legal Studies 508–544

Poon, Angelia, “Common Ground, Multiple Claims: Representing and Constructing Singapore’s ‘Heartland’”  (2013) 37(4) Asian Studies Review 559–576 at 574, n 6, and 575 (references), doi: 10.1080/10357823.2013.844768

Wutiolarn, Nopsarun, & Damrong Attaprechaku, “A Study of Nonstandard Orthography and Vowel Omission in an International Offline Game: AuditionSEA” in The First LITU International Graduate Conference: Conference Proceedings (English Language Research: ASEAN Synergy of Pedagogical and Professional Perspectives, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand, 1 May 2012) (Bangkok: Thammasat University, 2012) at 8997

Zaamah Mohd Nor, Norazrin Zamri & Su’ad Awab, “Lexical Features of Malaysian English in a Local English-language Movie, Ah Lok Café” (20 November 2015) 208 Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 282–299, doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.204

 

Singlish and Singapore English: Linguistics

“English in the Linguistic Ecology of Singapore” (June 2001) by Dr Anthea Fraser Gupta, Senior Lecturer in English Language, School of English, University of Leeds.
A paper given at the GNEL/MAVEN Conference on the Cultural Politics of English as a World Language held at Freiburg, Germany, 6–9 June 2001.

“International Englishes – English in Malaysia, Singapore, and Other Regions of Southeast Asia: A Citation List” compiled by Dr Martin Kich, Professor of English, English Department, Liberal Arts, Wright State University Lake Campus, Celina, Ohio

Singapore Colloquial English (Singlish) by Dr Anthea Fraser Gupta, Senior Lecturer in English Language, School of English, University of Leeds, from the Language Varieties website of the University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales

“Singapore English” (August 2004) by Dr Anthea Fraser Gupta, Senior Lecturer in English Language, School of English, University of Leeds

“Singapore English: An Annotated Bibliography” (2005) by Associate Professor David Henry Deterding, English Language and Literature Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

“Singapore English for Speech-Language Pathologists” (September 1995 – April 1996) by Dr Anthea Fraser Gupta, Senior Lecturer in English Language, School of English, University of Leeds
Articles that appeared in the SHA(S) Newsletter published by the Speech and Hearing Association (Singapore) between September–October 1995 and March–April 1996.

“Singapore English: Important Readings” (25 May 2006) by Dr Anthea Fraser Gupta, Senior Lecturer in English Language, School of English, University of Leeds
A select bibliography of important articles and books on Singapore English.

Singlish from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia

 

Singlish and Singapore English: Vocabulary

Humorous treatment

Ah Beng’s Guide to Singlish

Ah Kow’s First Ingglish Dicksionary

Ah Kow’s Sekand Inggrish Dicksionary

Ah Kow’s Third Inggrish Dicksionary

The Coxford English Dictionary from TalkingCock.com

“Singlish A to Z” from Tony’s World blog

 

Singlish and Singapore English: News and opinion articles

Standing Up for Singlish: S’porean Student Defends Singlish Online after Foreigner Implies Locals who Speak the Language are Incompetent. Her Reply Goes Viral” (8 December 2013) by Koh Hui Theng from The New Paper

“For the Young, ‘Singlish’ Rules” (7 November 2006) by Denyse Tessensohn from Today (Todayonline.com)

“Got Culture?” (7 October 2006) by Lynn Lee, Aaron Low and Keith Lin from Straits Times Interactive

“Perils of Singlish: Not Many can Switch from Poor to Good English Easily” (16 August 2006) by Anthony Lee Mui Yu from Straits Times Interactive

“Singlish Problem is about Poor Standard of Spoken English” (15 August 2006) by Ho Kah Hui from Straits Times Interactive

“Get it Right. It’s Wrong to Say Singlish Comprises ‘Four National Languages’” (15 August 2006) by Irwan Jamil from Straits Times Interactive

“Don’t Sniff at Singlish. It’s Part of Singapore Culture” (15 August 2006) by Liying Ho from Straits Times Interactive

“Singlish is Part of Our Culture, an Infusion of All Things Singaporean” (12 August 2006) by Neo Yue Zheng from Straits Times Interactive

“Uniqueness of Singlish Does Not Mean We should Tolerate it or be Reluctant to Curb its Growth” (12 August 2006) by Vidyasagar Ananthan from Straits Times Interactive

“Time to Get Tough on Problem of Singlish” (10 August 2006) by Ng Ya Ken from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Relooking the English Class: Is the Speak Good English Message Missing the Lower Income, Less Educated S’porean?” (10 August 2006) by Low Wu Yang from Today (Todayonline.com)

“Speak Good English Campaign Should be Aimed at Less Educated and Youths” (10 August 2006) by Low Wu Yang from Straits Times Interactive

“What if We’re Understood Only in S’pore, Malaysia and Batam? Speaking Good English is Necessary if We are to be Understood and Not Lose Out, says Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew” (6 August 2006) by Felix Soh from The Sunday Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“S’porean Accent Makes Us Unique, not Singlish” (5 August 2006) by Chow Kin Wah from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Singlish is Part of Singapore’s Heritage and History. Respect It for What It Is” (5 August 2006)
 by Jerome Toh from
 Straits Times Interactive

“Some S’poreans Don’t Understand Govt’s Thinking about Move to Raise Standard of English” (5 August 2006) by Yeo Chow Khoon from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Decoding the Language Environment: It’s Not About Just English Classes, All Teachers Must Speak Correctly” (2 August 2006) by Julia Gabriel from Today (Todayonline.com)

“Conducive Social Environment the Way to Improve Linguistic Standards” (31 July 2006) by Daniel Chew Wen Chao from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Why Youths Prefer Singlish in Day-to-Day Speech” (30 July 2006) by Nur Amira Abdul Karim from The Sunday Times (Straits Times Interactive)

Speech by Radm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of State for Education, at the launch of the Speak Good English Movement on Tuesday, 25 July 2006, 11:00 am, at the National Library

“Crux of English Debate” (21 July 2006) by Warren Mark Liew from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Speaking of Good English...” (20 July 2006) by Paul Tan from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Wrong: Can Fit or Not ? Right: Is that the Correct Size? Speak Good English Movement Targets Service Sector Workers” (19 July 2006) by Maria Almenoar from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

Want National Identity? Foster, Not Teach It (15 June 2006) by Lynn Kuok Chern Shih from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Teach English Grammar Again in Schools to Get It Right” (12 June 2006) by Wong Leung Yan from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Don’t be Dismissive of Singlish. Be Careful When Making Value Judgments” (12 June 2006) by Mark Chia Mingde from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“Master English? Dump Singlish, Teach Grammar” (9 June 2006) by Ong Siew Chey from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

“S’pore’s Elusive Identity Quest”(8 June 2006) by Shirley Lim Geok-Lin from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

Too Much Singlish on TV Undermines Speak Mandarin Campaign” (27 March 2006) by Heng Cho Choon from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

Beng is Cool, Singlish a Signal” (20 March 2006) by Terence Chong, and the related comment What About Mother Tongues?” (23 March 2006) by Yeo Chow Khoon, both from Today (Todayonline.com)

Singlish Dictionaries Should Include Source of Words (14 February 2006) by Yap Chee Gee from Straits Times Interactive (and the unpublished response)

How to Use ‘Aiyah? Look it Up Online, Lah (10 February 2006) by Zakir Hussain from The Straits Times (Straits Times Interactive)

Singlish Part of the Natural Ebb and Flow of English?” (13 December 2005) by Neville Stack from The Electric New Paper

Misadventures in English (10 December 2005) by Philip Lee from The Electric New Paper

“Simple Lors of English” (18 November 2005) by Cornelius Kan Wai-Chung from Todayonline.com

“Dialect-Laced English Can Confuse” (8 November 2005) by Jeremy Chen The Electric New Paper

“Foreign Words Enrich English” (3 November 2005) by Nelson Quah from The Electric New Paper

“Time to Tingo and Celebrate the Joy of Foreign Words” (30 October 2005) by Neville Stack from The Electric New Paper

A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English (30 September 2005) by N Sivasothi from Habitatnews (archived version)

TV rapped up for lowbrow humour, poor English” (26 July 2005) from the Associated Press, reproduced on Singapore Window (archived version)

“Alamak! It’s the Message, Not the Words, that Matter” (3 June 2005) by Guntmar Kerbl from Today

“Don’t Let Singlish Distract from Goal of Good English” (28 May 2005) by Koh Tai Ann from Today

“Should we preserve Singlish?” (27 May 2005) from Today

“Save Our Shiok!” (26 May 2005) by Denyse Tessensohn from Today

“Improve Your Singlish” (12 March 2005) by Mark Abley, from Times Online

“No Need to Construct Artificial Words” (19 November 2004) by Ng Kiat Han from The Straits Times

“Lost for Words? Morble and Pleep the Answer” (15 November 2004) by Anthony Lee Mui Yu from The Straits Times

Acting Minister Engages in Campus Dialogue on Nation Building” (October 2004) by Juat Leng Halliday, from Knowledge Enterprise Online, vol. 4 no. 4, published by the National University of Singapore

“Don’t Be So Malu, Lah, Says Expat: Thumbs-Up for S’pore English” (26–27 July 2003) by Craig McLeod from Weekend Today (Todayonline.com)

“A Sibling Tongue: English, Not as a Father Language but as a Playmate” (24 July 2003) by Teng Qian Xi from Today (Todayonline.com)

‘Must Speak Like Ang Mo? Wah Lau!’: Linguistic Imperialism and Singapore’s Speak Good English Movement” (April 2003) by Michael Eng, from his website Daydream.org.uk (archived version)

“Is Wah Lau Vulgar or Harmless?” (1 December 2002) by Karl Ho from The Sunday Times

“Wah Lau, Jack Neo Wasn’t Wrong” (28 November 2002) by Lim Lye Choon and Lim Yew Ping from The Straits Times

“Mind your PCKs? I Not Stupid” (28 November 2002) by Henry Lim Li Shun from The Straits Times

Wah Lau! Jack Neo Got It All Wrong” (26 November 2002) by Tan Kim Hock from The Straits Times

Wah Lau, Jack Neo Wins Speech Award (24 November 2002) from The Sunday Times

Singlish Cannot Meh?(August 2002) by Colin Goh, from Elle (Singapore edition) and reproduced on Singaporedreaming.com

A War of Words Over ‘Singlish’: Singapore’s Government Wants its Citizens to Speak Good English, but They Would Much Rather be ‘Talking Cock’” (29 July 2002) by Hwee Hwee Tan, from Time Asia (archived version)

Speech at the launch of The Coxford Singlish Dictionary (April 2002) by Colin Goh at Borders Singapore, from Talkingcock.com (archived version)

Singapore’s Social Engineers Push Proper English; Common Folks’ ‘Singlish’ Seen as Barrier to Success” (29 July 2001) by Seth Mydans from the New York Times, reproduced on SFGate.com (archived version)

Nations in Asia Give English Their Own Flavorful Quirks” (1 July 2001) by Seth Mydans from the New York Times, reproduced on Singapore Window (archived version)

Speak Good English Movement, Part 1” (11 April 2001) and “Speak Good English Movement, Part 2” (18 April 2001) written and presented by Felix Tan, from the Radio Singapore International website

Singapore Attack on ‘Singlish’” (5 April 2001), from the BBC News website

In Defence of Singlish (May 2000, rev. March 2001) by Tim Richardson (archived version)

Oxford Singlish Makes It Online” (14 March 2000) by Barry Porter, from the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), reproduced on Singapore Window (archived version)

“Singapore: A Multilingual, Multiethnic Country” (2000?) by Amy J. Moyer, from the website of the Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Prime-Minister’s National Day Rally Speech: First-World Economy, World-Class Home” (extract on education) (27 August 1999) by Goh Chok Tong, then Prime Minister of Singapore, from the website of the Ministry of Education, Singapore (archived version)

“Please Use Singlish Sparingly” (3 May 1995) by Tan Kim Hock from The Straits Times

Let’s Not Push Use of Singlish: Its Proponents Must Realise that Most S’poreans Do Not Speak English Well” (2 May 1995) by Roy Tan Chee Keong from The Straits Times

Bad News for All English Purists ‘Scared to Lose Out’ to Singlish: Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary Editors are Ready to Legitimise Singlish” (24 April 1995) by Koh Buck Song from The Straits Times

 

Standard English

Singapore

PROSE (Promotion of Standard English) from the National University of Singapore website

Singapore Speak Good English Movement

International

The Vocabula Review

Etymology

Online Etymology Dictionary

Take Our Word For It

The Word Detective

Wordorigins.org

World Wide Words

On-line dictionaries

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Cambridge Dictionaries Online

Merriam-Webster Online

OneLook Dictionary Search

Wiktionary

 

English Slang

Dictionary of Slang

Online Slang Dictionary

 

Words on the Web

Word Spy

A website devoted to the sleuthing of new words and phrases that have appeared in newspapers, magazines, books, websites and other recorded sources.

Wordsmith.org

The home of A.Word.A.Day, a community of more than 600,000 linguaphiles in at least 200 countries who delight in the joy of words.

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