I Used to Be Ashamed of My Singaporean Accent and Singlish. Now I Embrace It.
Since I was young, I’ve had the luxury of being exposed to international media such as American movies and television shows, as well as English storybooks. I gained further exposure when I got to know about the world of social media. Being a person who likes interacting with people all over the world, I have always joined online communities consisting of international members according to whatever fleeting interest(s) I had at that point in time. As it is mandatory to learn English in school, English being the official language in Singapore, I can be considered fluent in the language.
Being fluent in English, I could easily tell the differences between the English I was speaking and the English people from other parts of the world were speaking. I remember really disliking how Singaporeans sound when we speak, be it English or Singlish. I enjoyed conversing sassily with my Singaporean friends in my Singlish accent and Singlish because Singlish just makes things funnier or more dramatic a lot of times. It also feels the most comfortable for me to speak in, and I feel more connected to the listener when I converse in Singlish. However, a lot of times when I had to interact with a non-Singaporean or watch something where people are speaking in the American or British accent, these thoughts would creep into my head:
“Why do we sound so… Ugly? I wish I sounded nicer when I speak English. I wish I sounded like an American or British. I wish I wasn’t born Singaporean.”
I like filming and uploading videos, but whenever I do, I would try to avoid speaking, because I didn’t want anyone to look down on me after discovering I am Singaporean. Whenever I type online, I type in “proper English”, even when my audience is largely Singaporean. I found myself wishing I didn’t have a Singaporean accent, then I can talk freely about anything and everything, and people would like me more.
Then, one day, I became a linguistics student at university. During my time there, I was taught by this professor who is also a researcher in Singlish. I cannot remember what exactly was it that caused this, but she made me develop a newfound love for Singlish. When she spoke, her English was immaculate. However, her speech was also peppered with Singlish, Singlish particles like lah and hor, as well as sentences that used Singlish grammar. She was also very enthusiastic every time she talks about Singlish, like it’s the thing that makes her want to wake up every morning. I remember having a Eureka moment then.
“Wait! There are actually Singaporeans who speak good English AND Singlish?? And she likes Singlish?? So Singlish isn’t a lowly language?”
Oh my dear Singlish, I am so sorry for saying all these mean things. Close your eyes you didn’t see anything. But yes, that was what I thought after getting to know about this particular prof. I began to see Singlish with fondness, getting interested whenever someone, especially foreigners, talk about it. When I learned that this prof would teach a course on Singlish in school, I knew I had to sign up. And I was glad I got in eventually, as I learned so much about the language I grew to love.
One of the things I learned was the reason I disliked my accent and Singlish so much as I was growing up. Two words: Linguistic insecurity.
According to linguists, being linguistically insecure means seeing your own speech variety as inferior, while seeing other speech varieties as superior. Singaporeans see Singlish and the Singaporean accent as inferior and incorrect while seeing varieties like American and British English as superior, correct Englishes. A factor that could have resulted in this linguistic insecurity is the Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) that was launched in 2000. An almost twenty-year-long national language campaign, the SGEM pushes that Singlish should be eliminated, and only “good English” should be spoken, for economic and social reasons. As Singapore was colonised by the British, “good English” here refers to British English. Singlish was also painted in a negative light, being labelled as “bad English”. As a result, many Singaporeans naturally see Singlish as that. Bad English.
In truth, Singlish isn’t even English. It is a language on its own, created by influences from multiple language varieties like Hokkien, Bazaar Malay and English. It has its own grammar rules and its own vocabulary. On the other hand, Singaporean English is the English variety that comes closer to British English, yet has its own local touch. But because many Singaporeans are unaware of this, coupled with the drillings that British English is the correct English we should be speaking, many Singaporeans develop a negative attitude towards Singlish and their accent.
There may be other reasons Singaporeans hate Singlish and their accent, but I think that we should start being kinder about what gives us our unique Singaporean identity. For the ones who worry that their English would deteriorate if they start speaking and liking Singlish, don’t worry, we are capable of speaking both Singlish and Singaporean English equally well. My professor is a perfect example. Besides, you are able to speak English and your ‘mother tongue’ language, aren’t you? Sure, a lot of us do better in one language than the other, but multilingualism is a thing and you can work towards it. Once you start removing the dislike for Singlish, you may even find Singlish to be a fun, mysterious and useful language for daily conversations!
Research has shown that the Singaporean accent and Singaporean English are actually easily understood by foreigners. This is consistent with my experience, where I video-called a Canadian friend last year. I just spoke normally and even included a few lah leh lors out of habit, and then asked “Can you understand me?” She said yes and we were able to hold a regular conversation on the movie we were streaming together. So there is no need to try your hardest to speak in a non-Singaporean accent unless for some reason you want to sound like you are from another country. (But what for? People still like and understand us even if we sound like our Singaporean selves. You may even have a harder time making friends with an impersonated accent because it’s obnoxious.)
My love for Singlish has definitely soared as compared to when I was younger. I use it all the time, want to learn more about it, and am always intrigued when foreigners upload Singlish-related videos on the Internet after visiting Singapore. I still don’t really fancy how my accent sounds, but I have learned to accept and embrace it, for it is my identity. I don’t hate or dislike my accent or language repertoire anymore, and I hope after reading this you will have a change in mindset as well, my Singaporean friend!
