Singaporean Accent / Singlish
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I met a new person from Singapore today. I didn't know her, nor she me. I was just showing my apartment for her to rent.
Upon first meeting her, I said "Hi." One word, one syllable. "Hi." She immediately asked, are you Singaporean, you sound like one. Oh my god. Three years of living overseas, trying to enunciate and articulate my Rs, and Ls, going for speech making preceptorials and she can tell I'm from Singapore just by listening to one single word out of my mouth.
I give up. Once you've been infected, its with you for life. If anyone knows of any effective speech therapy suitable for this case, I'm all ears.
PS: I love Singapore, love the people and the food, but I can't afford to remain heavily accented, especially as it is not exactly sexy like French and British accents. -
so..ur not in sg now?
compared to singlish, there are other worse accents to have. -
Will be back by the end of the month. Yeah, I could have a strong Indian, Japanese, Korean, what not accent, but the fact that Singapore is so close to American English that makes it all the more frustrating when you can't drop it.Originally posted by alexkusu:so..ur not in sg now?
compared to singlish, there are other worse accents to have. -
There are just some particular habits that Singaporeans have and only Singaporeans know.
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Count yourself lucky.
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the only cure is to be proud of it...
i also spent 4 years here in US, but my accent still there ppl always say i m either a Malaysian or a Singaporean when they talk to me -
no the irish accent is the closest to the american..and which part of america are you talking about?Originally posted by kivichio:Will be back by the end of the month. Yeah, I could have a strong Indian, Japanese, Korean, what not accent, but the fact that Singapore is so close to American English that makes it all the more frustrating when you can't drop it. -
I don't see where your problem in. Considering she understood you. Or you think you dont sound angmo enough?
Singlish is only a problem if you have problems with your grammar. YOu can speak perfect English with a local accent. Accent is really pretty much a style of intonation - considering that most people from other countries don't have an issue with themselves speaking English with an accent - ask the Australians and the Americans. -
malaysian n singaporean different lahOriginally posted by rainee:the only cure is to be proud of it...
i also spent 4 years here in US, but my accent still there ppl always say i m either a Malaysian or a Singaporean when they talk to me malaysia is malay accented 1 lah 
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anything but irish..
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nah, mine is more like a chinese accentOriginally posted by Chelzea:malaysian n singaporean different lah malaysia is malay accented 1 lah -
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I too can speak Good English, but will have this accent at times.
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And englishman said, by adopting the accent of a particular anglo-saxon country, you will be looked down as low-class and inferior.
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I personally think there is nothing to be ashamed of.
So long as people understand you... I don't believe that it should be something to lose sleep over. In fact, the angmos would not expect an Asian to speak the way they do. Imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery, but when it comes to being overly conscious about how you speak, in any country and culture, people would know that its simply put on.
And trust me - it can sound really ugly when one over enunciates the intonations and syllables of a spoken word.
Maybe our tongues are made and shaped differently? So long as we're still able to speak and be clearly understood - it doesn't matter if you speak in Afrikaan / Malaysian / Irish / Chinese / Australian or Ah-Pek accented English.
I, for one, would rather speak like a Singaporean-soh, than a fake peroxide blonde.
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my accent comes and goes as i have been in and out of usa more than i can remember.
so when i am in usa, like now, the people would not have thought that i came from a different country
whereas when i am in sg, the people would not have thought that i studied in usa when i was young -
~we are singapore we are singapore we will stand together hear the lion roar~!~!~!Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:There are just some particular habits that Singaporeans have and only Singaporeans know.
isn't that great? -
Well, I know a few people who are versatile enough to be able to switch back and forth from speaking Singapore accented English to a more American like inflection. My sister constantly amazes me when I observe her on the phone changing her speaking style depending on who she is talking to. Some might called it two-faced, I call it practical.
But going back to an issue that has been raised, I know its easy to say that everyone should be proud of Singlish, but lets have a look at reality. Even the government is against the mutilation of British English. I know they concentrate more on the fact that Singlish mangles grammar, but pronounication is also important in that everlasting "first impression."
Take a look at the forum threads. Not all, but a significant percentage of posts reveal a very abbreviated form of English. Singlish, mixed with slang, internet abbreviations, and Singapore-centric terms such as NPNT. A foreigner coming upon sgForums would probably not understand, and worse, have a low opinion of our English skills.
This is absolutely not a problem and infact a plus for the the site as SGForums is built for Singaporeans and frequented by Singaporeans. However, compare the language to that of an American forum site like Craigslist's Rants and Raves, and you'll see the difference. In the case of Singaporeans living overseas and working overseas, we have to adapt to their culture. After all, we are guests in their country, so if we want climb their social ladder and advance ourselves in their system, we have to play by their rules. As a result, it is frustrating not to be able to adjust speaking style when others do it so effortlessly.
Again, I would like to stress, there is nothing wrong with Singlish, but that only applies if you restrict yourself to a small corner of the world. -
The speech pattern you are referring to is most like the "Valley Girl" style. It doesn't really have a great reputation for intellectual prowess in America as well. Most girls in my school who actually do come from the Valley try really hard to get rid of it as well. Afterall, you're not exactly going to get a high flying career speaking like a fake peroxide blonde [your words not mine].Originally posted by BabyRS:I, for one, would rather speak like a Singaporean-soh, than a fake peroxide blonde. 
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I have seen those trying to imitate the way Americans speak here...and they just sound all wrong.
It is better to be yourself than to pretend to be someone you are not... -
i hate it when people feign the languageOriginally posted by rainee:I have seen those trying to imitate the way Americans speak here...and they just sound all wrong.
It is better to be yourself than to pretend to be someone you are not...
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i can pronounce "siao eh" in perfect British English accent anytime.
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yea, it makes them sound fakeOriginally posted by dark_snowboy:i hate it when people feign the language
honestly, you can get a good career as long as you can communicate well and people can understand you...i have had many friends here who managed to secure a good job with reputable companies in US even though the way they speak is accented... -
They sound "wrong" because you have become accustomed to hearing the Singaporean accent. To you its not an accent, it is the way English is supposed to be spoken. Switch environments and you become the exception, the oddity. And that is just a fact. Anyone living in America has been exposed to the jokes about how the Chinese speak English, a classic being the class clown trying to imitate a chinese restaurant owner's pronounciation of "flied lice." Just as we make jokes about Ang Mohs who speak chinese without the four inflections.Originally posted by rainee:I have seen those trying to imitate the way Americans speak here...and they just sound all wrong.
It is better to be yourself than to pretend to be someone you are not...
We are naturally impressed by foreigners who speak mandarin like a native. It shows he is intelligent as well as trying hard to understand the culture here. I too want to capitalize on that mentality. Its just proving a lot harder than it seemed. -
No, they sound wrong because they sound like they are trying hard to sound like someone they are not.Originally posted by kivichio:They sound "wrong" because you have become accustomed to hearing the Singaporean accent. To you its not an accent, it is the way English is supposed to be spoken. Switch environments and you become the exception, the oddity. And that is just a fact. Anyone living in America has been exposed to the jokes about how the Chinese speak English, a classic being the class clown trying to imitate a chinese restaurant owner's pronounciation of "flied lice." Just as we make jokes about Ang Mohs who speak chinese without the four inflections.
We are naturally impressed by foreigners who speak mandarin like a native. It shows he is intelligent as well as trying hard to understand the culture here. I too want to capitalize on that mentality. Its just proving a lot harder than it seemed.
And as long as we can speak English which is understandable by the people around us, I don't see what's wrong with having an accent. It is not like you are babbling sth that is totally not understandable to the Americans. And face it, if Americans were to make to speak Chinese from scratch, they too will speak it with an accent. But does that mean he does not know how to speak it well? He might have gotten the grammar and sentence structure right, but his accent is something that has been with him since birth, something that he cannot change unless he wants to come out sounding all wrong and fake. Does having an accent make him less intelligent?
And so what if your accent is different from everyone else's? Like I said, as long as people can understand what you are trying to communicate, why want to strive so hard to blend in with the rest?