Singlish
Singaporean street language
Singlish is the English-based creole spoken in Singapore, blending English with Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, and other Chinese dialects.
It features distinctive grammar, vocabulary, and sentence-final particles like *lah*, *leh*, and *lor* that convey tone and emphasis: Can lah, no problem.
Officially discouraged in favor of Standard English, Singlish remains a marker of Singaporean identity and casual speech.
Alternating between linguistic varieties
- pidginImprovised contact language
- creoleNativized pidgin tongue
- lingua francaShared tongue between peoples
- multilingualismMultiple language proficiency
loanwords · particles · syntax · substrate · Hokkien · Mandarin · Malay · Tamil
Sixth scale degree
Native of city-state near Malaysia
- hawkerRoving vocal merchant
- National DayOfficial patriotic state holiday
- heartlandCentral region of significance
- neighbourhoodResidential area nearby
code-switching
Alternating between linguistic varieties
- pidginImprovised contact language
- creoleNativized pidgin tongue
- lingua francaShared tongue between peoples
multilingualism · loanwords · particles · syntax · substrate · Hokkien · Mandarin · Malay · Tamil · Cantonese
lah
Sixth scale degree
Singaporean
Native of city-state near Malaysia
- hawkerRoving vocal merchant
- National DayOfficial patriotic state holiday
- heartlandCentral region of significance
neighbourhood · local · aunty · uncle · pragmatic
Gullah
Sea Islands creole language
- Haitian CreoleCaribbean nation's primary language
SinglishStandard English
Codified mainstream dialect
Queen's English · BBC English · King's English · academic English · Oxford English
SinglishBritish English
UK's native dialect
Oxford English · American English · Indian English · Australian English