Singlish: A hybrid language?

Other than our SEP friends, I'm sure everyone knows about Singlish. It can be seen as a result of hybridization between English and a couple of languages used in Singapore's setting, such as Malay and Hokkien. I believe Singlish is still evolving so we can't be sure whether other languages will come into play in shaping Singlish. Obviously, this resultant language, if it may be accorded the status of a language, is a consequence of linguistic socialization. I must admit that I am not sure how Singlish came about, but I believe it has something to do with the rise of English as a global language and its importance in 'official' everyday activities such as school and work. I don't think it is so much a case of rejection of English but perhaps Singlish might have come about due to the need to stay economically competitive (by using English) while staying 'rooted' at the same time. Again, it is difficult to ascertain whether the speakers of Singlish speak Singlish because they are engaged in globalisation or because it has become so routine that they just speak Singlish without consciously thinking of their reasons for speaking it.

Firstly, it is important to note that Singlish is officially negatively valued. Rather than seeing it as a result of the enrichment of gene pools (Pieterse, 1995), Singlish is officially seen as a language which is not to be used in school and work. Those who speak Singlish are identified as heartlanders, as opposed to cosmopolitans who speak Standard English (Goh, 1999). Even local sitcoms were not spared as a popular sitcom character, Phua Chu Kang, was told to go for English lessons to tone down his supposedly bad English.

With regards to the social response to this phenomenon, I think I can speak for most Singaporeans when I say Singlish has become part and parcel of our lives. Like what is discussed in tutorial, it is very easy for a Singaporean to identify where a person is from when he/she hears Singlish being spoken. Like what Dr. Pereira said, the person can only come from two places, Singapore or Malaysia. Thus, one can ascribe to a Singlish speaker the identity of a 'true' Singaporean, supposing there is a Singaporean identity.

Lastly, I would like to say that Singlish is not the only hybrid language we can talk of. Many other languages, including English, are indeed hybrids which are consequences of language contact. Yesterday, I came across an article in The Straits Times which was about Hinglish, a hybrid between English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. It is stated Hinglish is a language that underlines the globalisation of India. The article did not state the official state response to this phenomenon but like Singlish, it is part of everyday life.

And if Singlish has come to be part of our everyday lives, I think Singlish, rather than being wiped out through language planning, is here to stay.

-Rozana