5.06.2011

"Later go where?"

Typical Singlish (Singaporean English) is characterized by shortened and simplified sentences like Mandarin. They think that "Where are we going later?", the correct full sentence, is too long so they just make it like "Later go where?" probably because they are used to speaking Cantonese, which often lacks subjects and has flexible word orders.

It is sometimes hard for even other English-speaking citizens to understand what Singaporeans are talking about. A bit of knowledge about Mandarin will help. For those whose mother tongue is not English, though, getting used to Singlish too much might not be very good because it could confuse the proper English structure they learned.

I emphasize, however, that there are quite a few Singaporeans who try to speak correct English, to become more neutral. It would be easier for foreigners and at the same time, be beneficial for the Singaporeans too because it makes them competitive.

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