Following up on my previous entry, here's something I noticed in today's 'State Times'.

I refer to the letter, 'The beauty and threat of Singlish' (ST, Feb 16), by Mr Tan Wei Min.

I agree with the writer that Singlish is not a separate language altogether. In its purest form, a separate language would have to share no common history with the language it is being compared to. An example would be English and Chinese; they are quite different in both script and speech with no overtly discernible common history.

Singlish clearly does not qualify under that description, for it is rooted in the tongues of Singapore's various communities, in more ways than one.

Describing it as a dialect of English, however, might not be entirely accurate either. It is possible to speak in Singlish without uttering a single word of English - for example, 'Wah lau eh, macham gu niang ah!'

This being the case, can it still be 'an alternative form of an established language'?

However, this is a secondary concern. Of greater significance is that there are actually two forms of code-switching - one possibly invidious, but the other probably of benefit. The invidious form of code-switching would be the effect of having an inadequate grasp of the English language. This form of code-switching, whether to Mandarin, Singlish or any other language, is probably a legitimate cause of concern and should impel us to teach better English or teach English better.

The other form of code-switching is, however, a blessing. No matter how proficient you are in
English, there will always be some things that are better said in Mandarin or Singlish. Perhaps the emotional equivalent is absent for the speaker or listener when it is said in English, or perhaps some aspect of meaning is lost in translation.

As an example of the former, ask any Singaporean who has been abroad for a long time and stumbles upon a group of people in a Starbucks outlet sounding the unmistakable strains of Singlish. The use of Singlish in such a context evokes an emotional response that, I daresay, would be absent if the group had been speaking perfect and flawless English replete with an accent that most Westerners would understand.

As for definitional meaning, while I am most comfortable with the English language, I feel that some things can be adequately expressed only in Singlish, and some things better said in Mandarin than English as well. I have often faltered when trying to describe an Ah Beng to a non-Singaporean. After all, a Beng is not a 'hooligan' or a 'delinquent' or a 'ruffian' or... You get my point.

This is not the consequence of not appreciating the richness of the Oxford English Dictionary but, rather, recognising the limitations inherent in any language and, for that matter, all
languages. After all, there are always moments in life that are truly ineffable.

Switching tongues out of necessity need not always be an urgent matter to deal with, and sometimes out of necessity we can but hold our tongues.

Wahlau eh! A lot of long words there. But anyway, it kind of serves to reinforce the beauty and expressiveness of Singlish which I pointed out earlier.

PS: The Singlish example in the letter means, "Wow! (or similar exclamation) the dude is like a lady!". Well, more or less. It seemed to fit the Aerosmith song pretty well.