I love
Singlish.
It is
brilliant.
Provocative.
Succinct.
Purposeful.
I am
hopelessly and helplessly addicted. Amongst my favorites is "can"
and it's counterpart "cannot".
They are
diametrically opposed.
When asked if
you are going out for a drink tonight one can simply reply "can".
Alternatively
you can include it in your own question. "Drink tonight? Can?"
I overheard a
Singaporean colleague on the telephone the other day. I was eavesdropping. It
was at least a five minute conversation where the caller was - I assume -
asking many questions. My colleague replied "can" no less than
17 times in a row.
I was
counting.
He terminated
the call with a resounding "cannot'. No other words were
uttered.
It was
magnificent.
With Singlish
one can also add colour with the use of "la". It has no
meaning.
The enquiry "Drink
tonight? Can?" may be responded to with a "Can la" It
adds emphasis.
Conviction.
Another
popular piece of Singlish that I adore is poetically polite. It is beautifully
Singaporean and is only uttered between noon and 2pm. It is time sensitive.
It is the
question "Have you taken your lunch?"
When I first
arrived on this wonderful island and this was asked of me I was
perplexed.
Confused.
Alarmed.
Was there
somewhere I should be physically taking my lunch? Where do I take it? I didn't
bring any in!
Now I ask it
with abandon.
And
when put to me I now reply as a matter of course.
I say, "Taken" or “Taking”
Whichever the case may be.
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