Do Singaporeans Know How Their English Sounds? (Singlish) | Street Interview

[@AsianBoss]

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[@fanlie1576]

Non-English speaking countries often speak English with their own unique accents, but it's remarkable how Singlish has gained such prominence compared to others. People from English-speaking countries who haven't interacted much with international speakers may find this surprising. In contrast, those with more international experience are generally more accustomed to different accents and can understand them more easily.

[@DangDuctri-ky8vg]

Thank you so much😢😢🌟🌟😭⭐️⭐️💝 asian boss, its no easy for these interview

[@David-x2c8l]

Singlish is for those citizens that belongs to Singapore and differentiate those foreigners that does not belongs to Singapore

[@DanSurprise]

Interviewer needs to understand the difference between 'Accent' and 'Singlish'. Everyone has an accent, Singaporeans of course will have a Singapore accent. Singlish is totally different from accent. Singlish is basically a local language where there are unique words being used, which usually will only be understood by Singaporeans and some Malaysians.

[@RuthS.]

Yeah! I was about to say this! Singlish ≠ Singaporean accent. This video is informatively wrong. 🤦🏻

[@mingzmings88]

That's why Singaporeans are largely ignorant of the world..

[@jaywong6964]

yea the malay bro mixed them up

[@wildreams]

Singlish is both a slang and accent.

[@lyhthegreat]

@@wildreams nah, i've heard a british guy who has been living in singapore for many years speak perfect singlish in his british accent...

[@Qiyunwu]

2:09 "agreeable to a certain extent" is SO SINGAPOREAN tho

[@BluAngy]

social studies answer lol

[@douknodawae7805]

@@BluAngy LOL SS IS SO NOSTALGIC

[@JojoJoget]

More accurately, history.

[@yxeanget-any]

Typical o level way of answering

[@JS-rm2ws]

I'm British, and I've lived in the UK my whole life. You Singaporeans speak wonderful English, and I like your accent

[@pures1n]

True. Singapore accent is more understandable than british accent ;)

[@jayvynn2391]

@@pures1ndepends where in Britain ur talking about

[@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

hi i would like to make a distinction between Singlish and the Singapore accent. Singlish is the accent complete with the slang words Singlish sometimes is classified as a creole language , its uniquely us and not very intelligible to outsiders , and for the sake of being understood , we can sometimes choose not to Singlish. Now our accent is also quite unique and when heard overseas , is instantly recognizable , but please do not be ashamed of our unique accent , you can speak perfect Singaporean accented english without the colloquialisms , think steven Chia of CNA , Diana Ser , or our newscasters

[@lecherhao86]

Couldn't agree more!

[@SaberShirou]

The communication 'problem' arises when one can't converse effectively in anything but the Singlish creole, as I have personally witnessed one too many times in Teams meetings with people from other countries. The mixing of languages in Singlish often diminishes our ability to properly convey our thoughts in a singular language.

[@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

@@SaberShirou ok ..... I don't see how your comment connects with mine 😬

[@SaberShirou]

@@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo you know, the creole being unintelligible part? While some Singaporeans know when to use Singaporean-accented English and not Singlish, there are instances where Singlish is all they know, leading to their being unable to effectively communicate with foreigners. So yes, there is a distinction between an accent and creole as you rightly put. While the accent is more easily understood, the same cannot be said for the creole, exacerbated further when the speaker is unable to speak in standard(accented) English.

[@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

@@SaberShirou uhhh ok , gotcha , yea I see now .... Bummer

[@EkkoMr]

Greetings from Germany. I can understand every person in the video without a problem. Great people.

[@kamariahabdrahim6963]

Because they speak standard English, not Singlish.

[@athomenotavailable]

Singapore accent and Singlish are different. You can speak english without any singlish phrases, vocab or grammar, and you can still have a Singaporean accent due to your pronounciation.

[@ZAstrayZ]

Exactly. They couldn't even tell the difference between a language and an accent.

[@97ohmygod]

💯

[@yxeanget-any]

Yes. An accent is just a different why of pronouncing the same language, while singlish means Singapore colloquial English, which almost like a dialect with its own vocab and sentence structures.

[@Fakeslimshady]

They know... they just don't care. They interviewed only the people who can't the tell the difference and not a single one called out their BS

[@liaky0089]

Neither sounds good. Like verbal diarrhea.

[@ruminatingenigma4649]

The guy with the floral shirt have the best singlish accent haha

[@beulaho]

I recently moved to Singapore from London and I personally love the musicality of the rises and falls in the Singaporean accent! It's going to take years to fully understand Singlish turns of phrase (is this attainable?) but I'm here for it 🤗 In other unrelated news, I've also LOVED hearing all the old national day songs in the MRT stations and some malls... COUNT ON ME SINGAPOOOOOOOOOORE!

[@cwlim62]

“Attainable?” in Singlish is “You think can or not?” 😁

[@iamkuen2001]

As someone who grew up in the British colonies, mispronunciation was seen as a mistake and needed to be corrected, and in our public exams, there was even an English oral exam. But the Singaporeans show another possibility, as long as there are enough people to speak, and persist for a long time, the non-standard pronunciation becomes a kind of national pride, so the so-called correct standard is nothing more than a kind of hegemony.

[@Isewein]

A language is but a dialect with an army and a navy.

[@ryeman6935]

​@@Isewein that doesn't really apply to English

[@keenangan6047]

singlish is considered a creole language and is studied in the sg level

[@fos86744]

I believe you are from Ghana. I wasn't conscious of my Ghanaian accent until I got to the US.

[@PrograError]

@@keenangan6047 TBH, Singlish is relatively disliked by the government... they had tried to get rid of it... tho these days they do use it for public communications ...

[@Tigerous]

As an Asian American, I spent a lot of my life hearing people with different English accent and Singaporean accent is very easy to understand.

[@Halal_Dan]

Probably because your parents spoke English like that lol

[@ccbowers]

​@@Halal_Dan Why would you assume that? The way the comment read, I would assume the opposite- that his family is from outside of Singapore

[@gitfted_by_AI]

​​@@Halal_Dan he is right i am European

[@joesr31]

@adog3461yeah, I try to speak "properly" when speaking with foreigners haha. But sometimes I would still need to repeat

[@jemchan]

Singaporean.

[@Olivia-to1yf]

Their accent makes me think of a Trinidadian accent. They have a singsong type of accent like the people of Trinidad. I think it is so cute 🥰 plus I find them very easy to understand when they speak English!

[@Murasame]

Agree!!!

[@suplexed]

I was just going to make this comment. You have a good ear 👍

[@MsJ3mmA]

I love it! 😊

[@alanbingham7045]

Can lah! Can hor? Can lor....Can meh? Can sia! Nuances. Singlish is brilliant.

[@teeteetuu94]

Also: "Can ah?" Alas: "Okay, can." - the p-aggro variant

[@lees7340]

Can can.

[@midorievmotor]

cannot

[@glowish1993]

Can is can - the best one

[@dingus42]

@@glowish1993 if you cannot, you must can

[@stephaniecruvant9130]

As an American I know that everyone has a unique regional accent. Singlish is very understandable & lovely. Everyone will speak the language they have heard & learned. We all proudly reflect the sounds of our culture.

[@atomsk1972]

As an Australian, I love hearing Singlish, it reminds me of good friends and happy times.

[@illuminite]

You know the most Singaporean thing about this video? The title. "Do Singaporeans know how their accent sounds LIKE?" Could've made it even more Singaporean by making it, "Do Singaporeans know how DOES their English sound LIKE?" 😂 If you know, you know! Edit: The title got edited (corrected)! There was actually a part of me that thought it might've been deliberate as an ode to Singaporean English! 😂

[@Soshiaircon91]

When the interviewer could not differentiate between slang and accent. This video is a prime example of it.

[@setanwon]

I learned English with the American accents. When I heard the British accent for the first time, I thought I was listening to Germany. Frankly I understand Singlish better than British or American accent. 😂😂 I'm a Korean in my 50s.

[@vyong1]

I feel compelled to comment to make a correction: There is a difference between Singlish and Singaporean accent, which the video has confounded. Many Singaporeans are able to code-swtich to standard English but still retain the Singaporean accent. Similarly, some foreigners try to learn Singlish but are unable to nail down the Singaporean accent. In addition, Malaysians and Singaporeans have a similar accent when speaking English, so the accent is certainly not distinctive to only SIngapore.

[@tacocado89]

exactly. good points made.

[@sart3735]

Malaysians have Bahasa Malay accent.

[@2annec97]

Spot on!

[@JojoJoget]

Probably because they aren’t bilingual or trilingual like most locals

[@JojoJoget]

@@sart3735semsem but diffalent

[@mjs3370]

The guy in the white shirt with flowers has the most funniest & cutest was of speaking Singlish when asked to :) Love his facial expressions :)

[@psoon04286]

Fully agree! If they are looking for a S’porean model, he’s the one👍🏼😄

[@starshine9836]

It's really cool to recognise fellow Singaporean overseas. I was walking on the street, and I heard an 'Eh? No~", I turned immediately, saw a guy speaking to the phone and I eavesdropped a little, confirm guarantee chop Singaporean🤣

[@Twertyuu]

And...that's the moment when i felt a sense of closeness with that random Singaporean stranger overseas.

[@Spyduck]

Singlish is only difficult for outside listeners based on two factors - the speed at which we speak it, which can be accidentally interlaced with words unfamiliar to them, but familiar to us locals. And second, people who are so used to "English" that they spend time processing missing words that we omit due to Singlish. Coupled with the speed at which Singlish can be spoken, and you very quickly lose a person caught between these two. But the fact is, once you listen carefully and piece together the syntax by not trying to search your brains for _absolutely_ proper grammar and what not, you'll find that it's all English, all the same.

[@moeluv]

Is it slang? 🇺🇲

[@TiredBush]

I guess you could consider it as one. It's got all the characteristics of one: It comes with a unique accent and has its own phrases and words that helps locals identify each other. What makes it not a slang though, is probably the incorporation of words from the Chinese, Malay and sometimes Tamil language who form Singapore's dominant local ethnicities.

[@JojoJoget]

Singlish is almost an entirely different language because of all the mix mash of loan words

[@guessmoments]

@@JojoJoget You just make it sound like we are aliens....speaking alien language！ 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@dingus42]

@@TiredBush correction - not Chinese language, but multiple Chinese languages, the main 3 being Hokkien, Cantonese, and Teochew but also a few others like Mandarin.

[@leedehao]

6:42, I think she is saying the "can of drink" instead of 'cannot drink'. This show how nuanced the Singlish is.

[@CYLITM]

9:39 This guy nailed it.

[@NalaRinaldoTV]

When Indonesians are shopping in Singapore, the Singlish accent of the traders is an interesting part and increases the tourism value there. 😅😅

[@jefri4176]

Indonesian also have accent,mostly bad English accent 😅 I am Indonesian,stayed in SG 14 years and have singlish accent 😅

[@NalaRinaldoTV]

@@jefri4176 Indonesia does not have a specific English accent like Singlish. Maybe you are right about Indonesian people's English skills are not very good, but the English accents of Javanese, Balinese, Madurese, Maluku, Ambon are not uniform, so they cannot be called Indonesian accented English. One more thing, English is not the main language of the Indonesian people, while in Singapore English is their main language, Next time when you comment, please be smarter bro! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jefri4176]

@@NalaRinaldoTV haha, that's what you think bro. I stay in SG so long and whenever Indonesian come to SG,it's very easy to identify them. I guess I am referring to only those Indonesian that can afford to come to SG,a specific type of indonesians. Of course I never really hear those other Bali,Maluku,Ambon English, got chance to hear them speak English meh 🤣🤣🤣 KZbin free to comment,no need smart also can. Free speech lah brudder

[@NalaRinaldoTV]

@@jefri4176 Apa yang elo sampein ga nyambung sama komen gue diatas. Gw ngomong bahwa SInglish merupakan salah satu daya tarik Singapura bagi wisatawan Indonesia. Sementara elo nyasar bicara tentang skill bahasa. Ternyata 14 tahun lebih elo di Singapura tidak bikin elo jadi lebih pinter dari rata rata orang Indonesia. 😛😛😛

[@jefri4176]

@@NalaRinaldoTV lah,gw kan bilang gw 14 tahun di sana jadi bisa tahu orang indo kalau ngomong inggris,emang salah. Anda kayaknya terbiasa suka nyerang orang lain,kasian sekali, looks like you have inferior complex. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Sudah tua bukannya makin bijak malah suka merendahkan orang lain,kasian deh 🤣🤣🤣

[@MoPoppins]

I’m American, and I love the Singlish accent! I find it charmingly melodious, and there seems to be a cultural penchant for not taking life too seriously-at least with the Malaysians I’ve encountered on KZbin, they’ve got a laid back vibe & great sense of humor-it’s very disarming, and if the general population is that way, then I think Singapore might be a worthwhile place to visit. In my travels, I’ve found that the people & food make my visit the most pleasant & memorable, which is why I have fond memories of my visit to New Orleans. We were warned by our cabbie to not venture past a certain point (into the hood), but the people were definitely different in vibe from those in LA (generally-speaking), so that makes me smile. We even met a friendly family at the airport, and they contributed to my memories of the city’s culture of hospitality.

[@TadaNoEssai]

as an italian that knows english as a second language, i didn't need the subtitles to understand their accent; but they were speaking proper english without slang most of the video, i needed thre subs when they were challenged to use the most singlish they could

[@bboisydney]

I love hearing Singlish accent overseas especially when I meet other Singaporeans it makes us relatable to each other. But of course we will code switch when we speak to other people/foreigners. What I found annoying was other Asian people trying to ‘mock’ the way we speak when they found out I’m Singaporean. Especially they love to pretend to add in ‘lah’ in the wrong context. So jialat! Also once there was someone from work who kept telling others that she’s Singaporean and one day my colleagues asked me to test her. So I tried to speak Singlish to her and she doesn’t even know her lehs and lahs. Then I asked her further which school she studied and it turns out she was lying and not even Singaporean but just worked in Sg for a little while(she’s from another third world Asian country). So Singlish is also a really useful language for us to identify each other overseas. 😂

[@georgeho8997]

"Asian people trying to ‘mock’ the way we speak" , especially those from the 3 Chinese majority places, you know who they are.

[@guessmoments]

Poor girl, she is just inferior of where she is originated from i guess, hope u didnt get her fired.

[@kageyamareijikun]

A lot of scammers in dating apps claim they are Singaporean but when you text back in Singlish they catch no ball and are unable to reply anymore.

[@guessmoments]

@@kageyamareijikun u r rite! i myself kana before lor. they are so stupid leh. But it seems like singlish became our secret code word like that. like 007 JAMES BOND ..hahaha

[@BoOmMaGuOpEeP]

@@georgeho8997 Those countries start with C, T, and H right? But H belongs to C country. And C wants to take back T country🤣

[@faedeela9]

Your English is very easy to understand. Respect.

[@obiwan88]

"Your England veri der powderful. Ho say lah!" That's your comment, translated to real Singrish.

[@faedeela9]

@@obiwan88 some dutch in there

[@savagetothebones1642]

When there was a Singapore recruiter here in the Philippines, I was so shocked when he said that Singaporeans speak in a British accent, so if ever you get accepted to work in Singapore you should practice your British accent so that Singaporeans can understand you. Hearing him say those words to us, in the most Uncle Roger sounding accent, for real I was absolutely baffled. 😂

[@RonLarhz]

We learn british english but definitely not the accent.

[@joesr31]

Haha he probably meant british english rather than accent. We spell and pronouce words like the british (rather than americans) since they colonized us before

[@savagetothebones1642]

@@joesr31 No, he really said to us to practice the British accent by watching the BBC and mimicking it if we wanted to work in Singapore. I mean, the Singlish accent isn't even _close_ to what I hear in the BBC news channel. And isn't the American accent that we Filipinos use fine? I mean, he was able to understand us without trouble.

[@kzm-cb5mr]

@@savagetothebones1642 That is because some Singaporeans also speak "British English" which is considered proper while Singlish was for more casual settings.

[@PrograError]

@@savagetothebones1642 well... we certainly were "taught" the king's (Queen's) but we definitely don't particularly speak in it as day to day... just like Filipinos don't speak in American for day to day either...

[@vietnammg]

Singapore accent is cool. Be proud of your identity. ❤ from Vietnam.

[@joesatchton212]

As someone who has an interest in global linguistic accents, this is very true - Singaporeans do indeed have a pretty distinct and interesting accent when speaking English. Very obvious when visiting Singapore and living in HK now I have a few Sing friends where I hear it a lot. No value judgements at all, just an observation. Then again, this phenomenon is NOT UNIQUE anywhere in the world where English is not the native language. In every country where people do speak some English, it's usually very distinct and as I mentioned, quite interesting. Then again, as an American go visit England and listen to the differences there even among the "same" language. Hell, even within America there are localizations of the language. Accents are cool. Ultimately, the only thing that matters at all is whether people from all over the world can effectively communicate with each other. And English, being IMO the easiest language of all to learn to speak colloquially comes in all kinds of accents. And that's a great thing for sure.

[@missymannequeen]

I've had a foreign colleague of mine mention that I speak in a very unique way, and she says it's the same for all Singaporeans too! She finds it difficult to understand what we say, though it's not because of the language, it's because of how we say it. I think Singaporeans tend to speak a lot faster and we often use a lot of 'short cuts', which is why it can be difficult for foreigners to grasp what we're saying immediately. While I admit Singlish / the Singaporean accent isn't the most refined, it's definitely distinctive and I am always amazed how I can instantly recognize a Singaporean overseas by the way they speak! 😄

[@guessmoments]

serious meh?? how come i have been speaking like that all my life doesn't find we speak fast fast leh? My frens and colleagues all same frequency leh.

[@jenniferkang5305]

@@guessmoments🤣🤣🤣

[@djgroopz4952]

Loved watching this. Went to university with a lot of Singaporeans and Malaysians. Great people

[@9y2bgy]

Wow, love their accent!

[@Sunset553]

It’s the best

[@9y2bgy]

@@Sunset553 You know what sounds nice? When they use slangs as part of speaking. They flow nicely and sounds like a rap. Love the rhythm of it. I know native Singaporeans might not realize that their slangs and idioms sound beautiful to ears like mine (former music teacher and musician) but I can tell you for many it sounds wonderful.

[@Lulu-lt7ft]

I completely understand this accent as a Native British speaker. It is a lovely accent. To me, they speak very well and they sound polite and well-educated. The only time I find it hard to understand other accents, is when people talk too fast. This can happen with natives too if they live in different parts of the UK like Newcastle lol. To be honest, these accents make more sense than some of the accents we have in the UK 😅 Edit: I typed too soon the slang used around the 10 minute mark was a lot for me 😅

[@dingus42]

Haha tbf they were toning it back for understandability for the interview - if they code-switched to full blown Singlish (which is not an accent but a different language) it would be for the average Englishman like having to parse Scots in a highland accent with 50% of the vocabulary being replaced by Gaelic

[@Lulu-lt7ft]

@dingus42 haha yes, I thought it was an accent until he asked them to speak it 😅

[@suedaniel5130]

Canadian here, didn’t need subtitles to understand them. They all speak pretty fine English with just a bit of accent which is not a problem 😊

[@guessmoments]

How are we different from Hongkongers or chinese who migrated in canada in terms of english accent?

[@suedaniel5130]

@@guessmoments it varies greatly by individual. They can speak very good English in general. However the pitch and stress can be challenging for some with Chinese background. Their speech sometimes lack variation in pitch and tone, giving it a flat or uninflected quality.

[@ree572]

I think they speak great english. Im envious how good they are. Im from PH.

[@ghostid544]

Fantastic video. I enjoyed it a lot. English has been adopted/adapted by so many countries I always enjoy hearing the differences. So much fun.

[@fredlacroix6865]

7:38 she's so funny

[@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

yeah and she gives me a vibe she is like high or drunk hahahah

[@NINJAWHEE]

🤭 Im very sober!! Promise 🤞

[@hayabusa1329]

She's cute

[@Razear]

Considering that English is one of the country's official languages and locals are learning it natively, I think it would be quite easy for most Westerners to understand, aside from the subtle cultural nuances. Compared to Chinglish, it's exponentially easier to interpret. The syntax of the vernacular may sound foreign, but it wouldn't be like trying to parse out the words of an ESL speaker, where there may be an actual language barrier. "Cannot can also become 'can.'" Lmao, best excuse to construe a "no" as a "yes." XD "Shag" might be the only Singaporean word that they might wanna leave behind in a conversation with a Westerner... definitely not a good idea to use that one mistakenly.

[@dingus42]

Shag is actually from an archaic UK slang use, which the UK itself abandoned in favour of its... other meaning, but Singapore never borrowed that other meaning and only preserved the meaning of "extremely tired"

[@kageyamareijikun]

Another word “mug” has a totally different meaning in Singapore…

[@janeloh6064]

Singlish made me feel at home, when I was working with British organization, overheard Singlish during work made me miss home.

[@guessmoments]

Then come back to eat char kuay teow, chicken rice and laksa lor

[@glennextics]

As an Asian American, I self-study linguistics. I understand everyone in the world has an accent of English, even a native English speaker in a different regional accent of the same country does. I always have a strong ambition in human languages. Most of the times, when I interact with other Singaporeans, I don’t have any issues understanding the Singaporean accent since I grew up listening to an Asian accented English 😊

[@PaigeNg67]

singlish is amazing with deep layers of history folded in the way you guys sound. "lah" feels very communal and cute ❤

[@Whatexactlyispeace]

Honest question, but do foreigners really find the English that Singaporeans speak funny or difficult to understand. I do honestly feel that the command of English in Singapore is really really high. The people in the video speak well. Singaporeans should be proud of their singling . That’s a whole culture in itself and it takes generations to build it. Embrace it!

[@CaCtuSnyan]

Singaporean English is my favorite accent of English!!!

[@migsvensurfing6310]

Those people in the video actually speak english very verry well. Easy to understand them even for me as a dane.

[@resuwanrazack7253]

Omg I love it. This is so close to heart yet hilarious!!!

[@jeff__w]

As someone in the US, I have no problem understanding the Singaporean accent and find it rather charming.

[@piggishling1]

Fun fact: Most Singaporeans can actually code switch between Singlish and proper English depending on situation. E.g. Singlish for casual setting while proper English during formal setting such as presentation or work meeting :D

[@fd6944]

I have several colleagues in Singapore and I LOVE their accent! I'm always happy when I get to speak with them.

[@ineeddks]

“Cannot also can become can” I cannot 😭😭😭

[@tiffany_james]

Love their accent, its very distinct. I have friends that visited Singapore and Malaysia and heard it was so beautiful. It seems like they're leaders of innovation and a very prosperous nation. I've visited Japan, Thailand and Cambodia but haven't reached there yet. From the outside Singapore looks like a wonderful nation and unique in its own ways and also the country Malaysia. A lot of foreigners that were in Japan, Thailand and South Korea left and went to now live in Singapore and Malaysia or visit often these days. I heard you can get all kinds of food there and the cities are very developed. It's great how they've built up their nation and society.

[@Jeanniekret]

I left Singapore when 55 years ago when I was 15…I was in a store when I turned around to a couple of people and said to them…”you guys are from Singapore!” We had a good laugh! I recognized Singlish immediately!

[@brendadegroot]

The melody is just so nice. Sharing a first place with Indian English, to my ears, this is hands down the best English accent/version/sister-language of all.

[@ChaseddiHondo]

I just realize the office lady speaks with a Californian intonation style Californian Singlish.

[@kyokokirigiri100]

I think some are unaware that honestly there's not really a lot of attention or focus or thought about Singapore even here in america/nyc, which is interesting to me. I know it's an extremely clean and well-run country and good education but that's about it - I don't think I've ever met someone from singapore in my life and i'm just not aware of too much of this. That being said the accent isn't really strong and it doesn't sound wildly distinctive from other southeast asian accents or even hong kongers speaking english. Pretty neat video. definitely would love to see singapore someday.

[@moonieek]

Hkers speaking English is a lot different from Singlish, they have a distinct Cantonese accent.

[@amandaflood6843]

What an interesting interview! Thanks.

[@mindful47]

Singlish is so fun. And is not easy for foreigners to learn to use appropriately. 😅 We use it so often that we probably don't even know how efficient it is and it takes interviews like this to remind us that indeed, "cannot can also become can".

[@nathanielmills4678]

Great video. Jamaican patois I’d say is more tricky for foreigners to understand. Singlish seems pretty easy to pick up after a while.

[@Danzo_Dattori]

Singlish should be the meta, its the ultimate form of effective communication.

[@mhendrocahyono]

Singlish, Indian Accent is interesting for me. Jamaican English, British English, Australian English, etc. It's not just English, so many English in the world.

[@Simply.888]

I've lived in Canada for over twenty years and I do not speak Singlish, but I do have a Singaporean accent which I'm pretty proud of. Canadians do not have a difficult time understanding a word I say. Perhaps I do not sound totally Singaporean, but you can definitely tell that I have an accent. Btw, I really do miss hearing Singaporeans speak Singlish 🥰 Can't wait to return to Singapore!

[@kevinjanghj]

There is a difference between speaking English in a Singaporean accent and speaking in Singlish.

[@cindywilbur4148]

American here...I didn't need the subtitles to understand any of them, I understand them completely. But I can clearly hear the thick Asian accent

[@joesr31]

Yeah, but people speak in a more proper way in interviews, the accent would be stronger when locals speak to other locals.

[@jemchan]

You know what else is thick.

[@twotec-9s]

​@@jemchan😏

[@Patroclus27]

@@joesr31yeah but that’s pretty much normal with any regional English variant

[@hayabusa1329]

Stop capping

[@jw-729]

Honestly, one of the craziest experience I had in Singapore was when people are reading English menu, but what came out of their mouth was 80% Chinese. I was absolutely mind blown and started to question my existence.

[@soigne21]

I'm South African and Singlish is just fine to be honest.. Having been in Singapore, Singlish wasn't a hurdle at all to my understand how people speak (or the spoken accent). The 'lah' at the end of sentences was interesting to hear, it reminded me of the -喔 or the -ah suffix that Cantonese speaking people add when speaking. It's what makes language beautiful :)

[@bryanjp79]

Singlish is hard on the ears of natural english users. Many Singaporeans will realize that when they go abroad. Code switching is definitely required.

[@LexyBANA]

i think most people here have already said their piece about the whole 'singlish' and 'accent' part so i won't dwell on it. to answer the question of 'am i aware of my accent' the answer is yes of course! when i talk with singaporeans or just ordering food at a kopitiam or something, i speak as how i usually speak, peppered with lots of singlish. when i talk to friends from the states/western parts of the world, i will always code switch because it's easier for them to understand me. some of the terms we use, the ang mohs from the US don't use so to avoid any miscommunication, i just naturally code switch and speak english with little to no singaporean accent.

[@malvinelpinnoy]

I had no idea Singaporeans spoke good English like this, probably way better than every other Asian community I've heard try to speak.

[@Zz7722zZ]

Everyone has an accent. It doesn’t matter where you are from, the only difference is how aware you are of the fact.

[@ssping83]

Singaporean here. Great street interview!

[@Mr4420937]

It was hella funny to me when I visited Singapore and I was speaking English how I would in my country but the locals couldn't understand me so I tried my hand at the accent and viola 100% comprehension!

[@user-ih4gn4ij7z]

I could always tell when someone is from Singapore, yes their English is very different. It is not just the pronunciation, or the "lah" that they add at the end, it is also the tone, it has a Chinese tone to it.

[@RelaxNChillOut]

Totally agree with that gentleman, proud Aussie here and boy we can be really funny when we speak.

[@zabeh._8936]

I think its very difficult to hear Singlish thru an interview bcos many sgporeans will adjust their English to be better when in a formal setting. If you here students in the classrooms or talking amongst their friends, I think the Singlish will be alot more pronounced. But these days, I think Singlish is a shadow of what it once was lah because of the high quality English education given.

[@ISayToMyself]

American here. It just sounds like English to me.

[@chickenfoot2423]

thats because they're code switching and basically didnt use any normal words or slang that you wouldnt know. they only spoke english, but theres other languages influencing singlish

[@Hadrianus01]

Are you deaf?

[@Dominus_Potatus]

As Indonesian, Singlish is really easy. It is basically changing word from Bahasa to English while maintaining Bahasa's grammar. And since Bahasa Indonesia has roots of Bahasa Melayu, both have same grammar. So, yeah, foe SEA Singlish is easier to hear and I start talking more and kore like Singlish because of playing online

[@lecherhao86]

Accent is the way you speak and how you sound. Every country has its own English accent. Isn't it? But Singlish is a language system itself, so Accent and Singlish are not the same bro.. What's more important is adopting proper grammar structure so that what we say make sense to the listener. Most Singaporean speak proper English, and despite our Singaporean accent, people around the world understand what we are saying.

[@Rion-uc4rp]

The thing is most Singaporean could switch between Singlish and English easily depending on our audience. It is more of a speech preference than something we are stuck with.

[@GR________795]

That proper Queen Victoria English was amazing :D

[@Andelie96]

I love the Singaporian accent, sounds so attractive 🥰

[@zigzag-iy7tm]

My personal favourite "Can is can" - totally doesn't make sense but we understand

[@펭귄-01]

I love hearing Singlish!!! ♥️ (My first language is German and I understand everything)

[@LameCarrot]

Singlish is not an accent. Singlish is a language on its own. It has its own grammar and its vocabulary. Accent is how you sound/pronounce words.

[@delsol1967]

Looks like many don't know the difference between accent and slang.

[@ragsoh]

Singaporean here. When I was in Australia about 15 years ago. I felt that some Aussies did not understand me when I asked the local staff for help, e.g. "Where can I find chocolate with nuts?". The staff would look at me - bewildered - and said, "Sorry I don't understand you." After a few encounters, I wondered if my spoken English was OK. Fast forward to 2024. I worked in Changi Airport and in my current job, I deal with many foreigners. To my surprise, all the Aussies that I encounter understood me perfectly. And I speak to all kinds of people - Japanese, American, British, etc and I rarely get someone who said he/she cannot understand me. So I still do not know why I have some difficulties while I was in Australia. A friend of mine said that some Aussies are just being racist (and poking fun at your expense). I am not sure about that but I hope they are not racists!

[@berrratata]

FELT. I can code switch and am pretty confident in it until I went up to a McDonald's counter in a remote Australian gas station and tried to ask for ketchup. "Do you have ketchup?" "Pardon me?" "Do you have tomato sauce?" "ToMAYto? "ToMAHto?" "Ketchup?" Wtf, at this point I was feeling so embarassed that I wanted to walk away. I repeated my question one last time and the South Asian looking worker with 100% aussie accent understood me immediately. Got my sauce and recounted the story to my friends. Friend who lived in Aus for 3 years felt that my accent was fine, we all weren't sure why the angmoh worker didn't understand + had to pull an Asian colleague for help. Reading your POV made me think if this is also an act of racism smh.

[@guessmoments]

@@berrratata now can just use hp and show picture leh, if anyone still say beg your pardon? Then this person is really racist!

[@GingerOreo]

It’s probably due to KZbin and social media, and also more and more Asians from all parts of the world travelling to western countries, western people have become more used to hearing different kinds of accents now which explains why people understand you better. It could also be that the way you speak have also improved.

[@daniels5511]

i love this accent, it's so melodic

[@bellaathena2719]

Every country has their own accent, everyone shld respect... It's a language, it's main purpose is to communicate... As long as we understand each other I don't think accents really matter 😊

[@davidbrink3328]

The English sounds good i have no problem understanding what was said and it’s a good thing for the people to understand English cause they’ll never understand my Singaporean

[@ymmas-SKYT-exe]

I am a proud Singaporean!!!🔥🔥

[@kirareen236]

Our accent is definitely unique - I studied overseas for a time and I was pretty shocked when my tutor pegged me as being Singaporean from the moment I introduced myself. I'd always been aware that I speak pretty fast and don't finish the ends of my words fully 😆but I'd never really realized until that point in time that it was part of my accent.

[@WenoxWen]

I'm from Indonesia, I think Singlish sounds very similar to Malaysian English

[@jefri4176]

Yeah same same lah 😂

[@joesr31]

Yeah its almost the same tbh, i think accents are more different in other languages like chinese

[@sart3735]

No. I can spot a Malaysian in Singapore. Malaysians speak English with Bahasa Malay accent.

[@yuciehayashi266]

​@@sart3735 wait till you see Malaysians speak English with Chinese accents too. And other type of accents and you'll be surprised how diverse it is. Pros can recognize with states in Malaysia they're from just by the accents.

[@georgeho8997]

@@sart3735 No, it's more complex than that, you got to be here long enough to tell the different between the two, it's easier to find Malaysians that sound quite similar to Singapeans, but not so easy the other way.

[@mixedgameart123]

They all sibei funny sia~ great interview. I cannot stop laughing, That Girl in black and white looks quite Chio~

[@nicholasbolas]

It's not the speed. We're not very fast, we're definitely not slow. It's the sound, and the notes we use to string our sentences are different, sometimes confusing to foreigners. It's like they cannot believe a sentence can sound this way.

[@starshine9836]

Just listen to the parliament meetings. All Singaporean accents, but good English. Singlish is kopitiam language, chill and relax.

[@LawlietLevi]

I lived in South Korea for about 3 years and had a lot of International professors + Asian ones, for me their accent isn't difficult at all. Funny fact, sometimes it's a little tricky for me to understand British accent lol

[@suplexed]

Come to Trinidad and y'all will feel at home. Y'all sound so similar. We must have been colonised by the same set of english people 😂

[@00mpa1oomp4]

Singaporeans sound like they are trying to catch a train but it's awesome

[@AndrewOudin]

Seems to me that a light singlish accent can resemble a light Hawaiian accent. They share some aspects, but they diverge in their stronger forms. I haven't had any difficulty understanding these forms of english, but my Hawaiian friends could probably lose me with pidgin if they wanted to.