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EL1101E/ GEK1011 The Nature of Language Week 11, Tutorial 9. Colloquial Singapore English and Contact Linguistics. Question 1. Contact Linguistics and Singapore English . - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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EL1101E/GEK1011The Nature of LanguageWeek 11, Tutorial 9
Colloquial Singapore English and
Contact Linguistics
CONTACT LINGUISTICS AND SINGAPORE ENGLISH
Question 1
A pidgin is a simplified form of speech which arises to fulfil certain restricted communication needs among people who have no common language.
Example: Chinese Pidgin English
• English: Can you do it?• Mandarin: 可以不可以 ?• CPE: Can do, no can do?
Example: Chinese Pidgin English (CPE)
A creole arises when a pidgin becomes the mother tongue of a speech community, the next generation grow up speaking this language as their first language.
Example: Jamaican Creole aka Patois
Singapore English is a ‘creoloid’ because
1. It has similar structural variables to post-creoles based on the same ‘standard’ language.
2. Did not develop from a pidgin but by some other process.
3. It developed from the transference of features into the ‘standard’ language from the languages of several (sometimes unrelated) ethnic groups.
4. The superordinate language is usually only one of the official languages.
5. It is usually also used as lingua franca in inter-ethnic group communication within the speech community where it is one of the sub-varieties.
(Platt, 1975)
• Part 2B)
African Pidgin/Carribean Creole Singapore English
Slave History (different languages)
Colonial ruling meets multilingual people
Need for common language among workers and between
slave-mastersEnglish-medium Straits
Settlement schools
Sole means of expression Separate Mother Tongue still spoken
NP ELLIPSIS AND SUBSTRATIST EXPLANATION
Question 2
What is noun phrase ellipsis?
It refers to subject, object and possessor omission in Colloquial Singapore English.
Subject Omission
Standard English:After one gets sick, one cannot help it.
Colloquial Singapore English:After Ø get some sickness, Ø can’t help it.
The subject “one” is ommited
Object Omission
Standard English:‘I have never tried it before.’
Colloquial Singapore English:I never try Ø before lah.
The object ‘it’ is ommited.
Possessor omission
Standard English:‘My head is painful.’
Colloquial Singapore English:Ø Head very pain.
The possessor ‘my’ is ommited
So where did noun phrase ellipsis in Colloquial Singapore English originate from?
Subject Omission
Standard English:How do I get to Malacca Train Station?
Hokkien:Ba la ka cia tau bhe an zua ki Malacca station will how go
The subject ‘I’ is ommited
Subject Omission
Standard English:I remember, when I was still small, I often went fishing.
Malay:Ingat-ingat, waktu masih kecil, sering pergi memancing
remember when still small often go fishing
The subject ‘I’ is omitted
Object Omission
Standard English:I have never tried it before
Chinese:Wo mei shi guo
I never try before
The object ‘it’ is omitted
Object Omission
Standard English:I have never tried it before
Malay:tidak pernah cuba sebelum ini
Never tried before
The object ‘it’ is omitted
Possessor Omission
Standard English:My head is painful
Mandarin:tou hen tong
Head very painful
The possessor ‘my’ is omitted
Possessor Omission
Standard English:My head is painful
Cantonese:Tao ho tong worHead very pain
The possessor “my” is omitted
In our examples, we see that noun phrase ellipsis can be found in
MalayMandarinHokkien
Cantonese
Noun phrase ellipsis in CSE does come from both Malay and varieties of Chinese such as Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese.
PRAGMATICS OF SENTENCE-FINAL PARTICLES Question 3
Example 1 - LAH
Do you love me?
Yes, I love you!
Do you REALLY love me?
I REALLY love you LAH!
Function:• Aggressive statement of emotion
Example 1 - LEH
Do you love me?
Yes, I love you!
Do you REALLY love me?
I REALLY love you LEH!
Function:• Makes the sentence sounds softer than the previous
Example 1 - LOR
Do you love me?
Yes, I love you!
Do you REALLY love me?
I tell you how many times
already! I REALLY love you LOR!
Function:• Resigned expression of a feuding spouse which has no choice
Can help me do this survey? You’ll stand to win attractive prizes!
Huh? Are you sure can win?
Really! There’s something here for everyone LAH.
Example 2(a) - LAH
Function:• Appeal for accommodation.• Persuade you to help to do the survey.
What LAH!
Example 2(a) - LAH
Function:• Mood marker (annoyance)• The mood or attitude being conveyed will depend on specific
contextual factors.
OI! Can help me with this question?
We’re going to catch a movie. Do you want to join
us?
Example 2(a) - LAHMaybe not, I have a lot of assignments due this
week.
Just come with us LAH!
Function:• Soften the force of an utterance• “Come with us” A request• “Come with us LAH” makes it more polite and persuasive
Example 2(b) - WHAT
Function:• Indicate obviousness that the person asking the question
did not think twice about it. • Marks contradiction - A thinks that B can park here but B
replies that he can’t cause there are no other cars around.
No car parks here, WHAT. You stupid
ah? Why you don’t just park here?
Example 2(b) - WHAT
Function: • Marks contradiction – Edelia and Gabrielle has different
thoughts about the standard of Mabel’s cooking.
Mabel’s cooking very lousy leh!
But she can cook WHAT. Her fried
rice very tasty!
Example 2(c) - HOR
Function:• Attempt to garner support for a proposition
Yeah, super big and a lot of shops! I like
it too!
This shopping centre very nice
HOR.
Example 2(c) - HOR
Function:• Attempt to garner support for a proposition
(no response)
That guy is always trying to take advantage of others. Never do his part for the
group project.
HOR?
Yeah lor!!
Example 2(c) - HORThe use of HOR requires that the speaker assert a proposition. Hence, HOR is only found with questions which have a declarative form.
You very rich hor?
I bought a prada wallet yesterday at
the shopping centre!
Example 2(d) - MEH
Function:• Indicate skepticism/surprise• Mabel thought that Gabrielle will choose book A instead of
book B.
Confirm? You don’t like that one (book A)
MEH?
Which book should I buy? A or B ah? I think
I’m going to get book B.
Example 2(d) - MEH
Function:• Indicates surprise
Yeah! You didn’t know MEH?
Mabel! You can bake ah! Why you never tell
me!
OWNSELF IN CSE = 自己’ ZIJI’ IN CHINESE? Question 4
SINGLISHChinese dialects
Vernacular Malay
自己 (ZIJI)
OWNSELF
Ownself is likely to have derived from ziji
Both exclude involvement of others
Semantically, ziji can express a contrast between the ‘self’ in question
and others who could be involved
Zhe shi wo ziji zuo de!This is I ownself do one!
{as opposed to having other people involved}
In imperatives, both do not require the subject (NP) to precede it
Example 1
(You) Ownself open the door lah! Example 2
(Ni) ziji chi fan! (You) eat rice by yourself!
Take noteYou can’t do this in English!
You yourself open the door!*Yourself open the door!
Ownself is may not have derived from ziji
Ziji—regular reflexiveZiji can function like a regular reflexive
(Used to refer back to the subject/object of the sentence)BUT ownself cannot function as a regular reflexive
Example 4
Lisi is blaming himself.Lisi zai zebei (ta) ziji
Example 3
He cut himself.*He cut ownself.
OverallSeems like they can replace each other
Even though ziji is in fact a Chinese expressionBased on example 1
Why you keep asking me! You ziji go open door lah!
Why you keep asking me!You ownself go open door lah!
Conclusion
Ownself is likely to have developed on the basis of the form and functions of the
Chinese expression 自己 ‘ self’
Although the functions of ziji seems to be wider
THANK YOU!
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Wee, L. (2007). Singapore English X-self and ownself. World Englishes , 26, 360-372.
Platt, John T. 1975. The Singapore English speech continuum and its basilect ‘Singlish’ as a ‘creoloid’. Anthropological Linguistics 17:363–374.
BBC News. (1999, Aug 30). Singapore declares war on singlish . BBC News World: Asia-Pacific. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/433745.stm Last accessed 1 April 2014.
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