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Cultural Nuances of Life in Singapore
Life in Singapore can be very confusing to the uninitiated. Guidebooks to Singapore don't cover the nuances in language that are necessary for daily survival. There will, of course, be the odd chapter or paragraph about "singlish" and the odd mix of Chinese/Malay/English that many Singaporeans speak fluently, but rarely do these chapters go into the phrases and situations that have different connotations for Singaporeans than they do for everyone else. For instance: ~Your "leg" is any part of your lower body. Similarly, "arms" are everything from shoulders to fingernails. ex. (after accidentally stepping on someone's toes): "You hit my leg!"
~"Just now" does not mean any time in the preceding ten or fifteen minutes. "Just now" can mean anything that happened forty seconds, six weeks, or even three months ago. ex. (upon meeting the guy that stepped on your toe last week): "Oh yes, when you hit my leg just now!" ~In Singapore, you don't "turn" off the light...you just off it. ex.: "Aiyo! Off the light lah!" ~As most guidebooks will tell you, "lah" is the universal end to a sentence. It's sort of like the Canadian "eh". It's used pretty much universally, and even Singaporeans will make fun of the fact that they say it. Interestingly enough, it's not just "lah" that ends sentences, but also variations of "lah" such as "lor," "leh," and even "ah". ex.: Any sentence you can think of, with LAH at the end for emphasis. "I need to makan lah!" ~"Aiyo" is not only a Singaporean oddity, but an Asian one. It's a word used to express irritation, frustration, or exasperation. There are variations for this one too, most notably the similar "aiya". ex.: "Aiyo! Off the light before you hit my leg in the dark!"
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Contributor's Note
I live in Singapore, but I'm not a native Singaporean. The Singlish examples above come from things I have heard and the definitions come from things I have noticed. Take my information with a grain of salt.
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Excellent, well done those nuances in language are the difference between conveying that all important message or ending up not knowing what is going on. Well done.
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May, 2012
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