Source: SingaporeSceneAs many of you may already know, Singlish is the English-based creole spoken colloquially within Singapore, and despite the government's efforts over the years with the Speak Good English Movement, Singlish is still frequently heard on the streets.
Some Singaporeans have even gone to the extent of preserving our distinct culture by harnessing social media sites like Twitter and gadgets such as the iPhone to remind us of the Singlish words we often use or to help us pick up new phrases.
Launched in December last year, the Hosay! iPhone app allows users to hear more than 80 funny Singlish phrases and to read their definitions.
Available for free on the App Store, the app features cute animated characters, crisp recorded voices, and an English definition for every phrase. The phrases are neatly categorised into sections such as "gambling", "kopitiam" and "insults". The Singlish insult phrases are however, all PG-rated like "ya ya papaya" and "swa koo".
The creator of the HoSay! app, Mae Lyn Urquhart, a Eurasian but a true blue Singaporean with a growing repertoire of Hokkien, Teochew, Malay and Singlish, sees a lot of potential for the app to be a mini-archive of our heritage, to record phrases before the they become obsolete, as well to add new ones.
Even foreigners are interested in picking up some common Singlish sayings.
"It's also been a great tool to educate people new to Singapore, and we've had friends from other countries (Philippines, Indonesia, Spain) who were curious about kopitiam lingo and the app was a helpful primer for them," she said.
The app has received high ratings on the App Store, and many Singaporeans who have tried out the app have sung praises.
Michelle Tan, a 24-year-old fashion blogger, is impressed by the Hosay! app and thinks it is not only a creative way to learn new Singlish phrases, but is also a way to bring laughter into her day.
"When I utter a Singlish phrase during my ordinary conversation with friends, I don't find it peculiar or funny. But as I hear the same phrase on the Hosay! app, the good voice acting just makes it really amusing!" she told Yahoo! Singapore.
Despite complaints from English professionals and teachers, Mae Lyn Urquhart disagrees that Singlish undermines the ability for kids to learn proper British English, and that their HoSay! app is aiding that degradation.
"Blaming the inability of kids to learn English on the existence of Singlish is simplistic. What is the social context for kids that are struggling with proper English —- is Singlish their main medium or would it be their mother tongue? If that's the case, why not use Singlish as a stepping stone to teach proper English? And, separately, could it be that kids are able to code-switch?" she proclaimed.
A group of Polytechnic students created @justSinglish on Twitter. (Screencap)
Meanwhile, newly-created Twitter account @justSinglish is making waves in the local Twitter community for creating an interesting way of acquiring new Singlish words on the social networking site.
Maintained by a group of Polytechnic students, they post words of the Singlish lexicon, including their pronunciation and the definition in English. For every Singlish phrase, they will also give their followers an example on how it can be formed into a sentence.
In addition to the Twitter site, they plan to roll out a blog that gives more details on a word like its etymology and origin, especially the newer entrants into the Singlish vocabulary.
Speaking to Yahoo! Singapore, Eugene Teh, one of the creators of the @justSinglish account, feels that Singlish helps to bond the citizens together in a country like Singapore, where embracing nationalism without a common identity and culture is difficult.
"It is difficult to harness nationalism without a common identity and culture, and I believe that Singlish is that common identity. It's definitely something that we should build upon to bond together as one Singapore," said the 20-year-old Polytechnic student.
