Good morning friends! It is Saturday morning, and I've just finished up a run before logging on to work for the day. The weather has been really mild this week, so it is such a nice change to not be drenched in sweat one minute into a run. There was even a bit of a breeze today, so it was exceptionally nice!
As you may know, January is usually a pretty busy time at work for me. I've been trying to use this January to also work on a little bit of my Mandarin since I spend most of my day with my local co-workers.
One of the first things people would usually ask when I said that I was moving to Singapore was.. what language do they speak over there? Officially, there are four national languages - English, Mandarin, Malay, and Timil, but English is the primary language, so that was always a point of comfort for me. But here is something that I never thought much about.. "English" can take on a lot of different forms in terms of vocabulary. So while, yes, everyone here speaks English, it is often a different type of English.
The first time I really became aware of this was when I visited back in March 2012. I was speaking with a co-worker about some stuff, and she was explaining how a few things work. I could tell by our conversation that she was telling me to coordinate with all these different people, but she definitely wasn't saying the word "coordinate". I knew what she was communicating, but I had no clue what actual word she was using. Turns out, she was saying "you need to liase with so and so". But "liase" is not something that Americans typically use in their vocabulary, so I was having a hard time figuring out what she was saying. As a former British colony, a lot of the speech patterns are dictated by that style of English, but the Singaporeans also mix in some Mandarin habits and/or words, to form a style of speech called "Singlish".
So I've gotten used to hearing "lah" tacked onto the end of absolutely everything. I've also gotten used to hearing "nice" instead of "good" (as in, the food there is quite nice). Here are some other things that I've learned to translate:
lift = elevator
Should we take the stairs or the lift?
toilet = bathroom
Where's the toilet?
MC = sick day
Mari Jane took an MC today.
can-lah = ok
Want to go to the movies tomorrow? Can-lah!
arrow = assign
Someone needs to order lunch - I arrow you.
booking = reservation
I made a booking for dinner at 7pm.
queue = line
If we don't get there before noon, there will be a long queue.
hand phone = cell phone
I'm not in the office so please call my hand phone.
hand luggage = carry on luggage
Please make sure your hand luggage is stowed away.
SMS = text
Just SMS me if you want to meet up.
1 for 1 = 2 for 1
Drinks are 1 for 1 from 6pm - 8pm.
set meal = combo
Do you want just the sandwich or the set meal?
top up = add value or upsize
I'd like to top up $20 on my Starbucks card.
I'd like to top up to the large fries.
Some of these phrases I have actually incorporated into my language (set meal, 1 for 1, lift), and some of these I still absolutely refuse to say (SMS, lah!). Now if only I could become more adept with my Mandarin...
Hope everyone has a great weekend. An awesome NFL conference championship weekend is lined up, and I couldn't be more pleased with the match ups. I hope everyone spends some time on Sunday watching the four best teams in the league battle for a trip to the Super Bowl!! Go Seahawks!!!!!
Boat Quay is so quiet on a Saturday morning
Totally empty
I bought these Lock Laces for Christmas and I LOVE them! #GoHawks
As you may know, January is usually a pretty busy time at work for me. I've been trying to use this January to also work on a little bit of my Mandarin since I spend most of my day with my local co-workers.
One of the first things people would usually ask when I said that I was moving to Singapore was.. what language do they speak over there? Officially, there are four national languages - English, Mandarin, Malay, and Timil, but English is the primary language, so that was always a point of comfort for me. But here is something that I never thought much about.. "English" can take on a lot of different forms in terms of vocabulary. So while, yes, everyone here speaks English, it is often a different type of English.
The first time I really became aware of this was when I visited back in March 2012. I was speaking with a co-worker about some stuff, and she was explaining how a few things work. I could tell by our conversation that she was telling me to coordinate with all these different people, but she definitely wasn't saying the word "coordinate". I knew what she was communicating, but I had no clue what actual word she was using. Turns out, she was saying "you need to liase with so and so". But "liase" is not something that Americans typically use in their vocabulary, so I was having a hard time figuring out what she was saying. As a former British colony, a lot of the speech patterns are dictated by that style of English, but the Singaporeans also mix in some Mandarin habits and/or words, to form a style of speech called "Singlish".
So I've gotten used to hearing "lah" tacked onto the end of absolutely everything. I've also gotten used to hearing "nice" instead of "good" (as in, the food there is quite nice). Here are some other things that I've learned to translate:
lift = elevator
Should we take the stairs or the lift?
toilet = bathroom
Where's the toilet?
MC = sick day
Mari Jane took an MC today.
can-lah = ok
Want to go to the movies tomorrow? Can-lah!
arrow = assign
Someone needs to order lunch - I arrow you.
booking = reservation
I made a booking for dinner at 7pm.
queue = line
If we don't get there before noon, there will be a long queue.
hand phone = cell phone
I'm not in the office so please call my hand phone.
hand luggage = carry on luggage
Please make sure your hand luggage is stowed away.
SMS = text
Just SMS me if you want to meet up.
1 for 1 = 2 for 1
Drinks are 1 for 1 from 6pm - 8pm.
set meal = combo
Do you want just the sandwich or the set meal?
top up = add value or upsize
I'd like to top up $20 on my Starbucks card.
I'd like to top up to the large fries.
Some of these phrases I have actually incorporated into my language (set meal, 1 for 1, lift), and some of these I still absolutely refuse to say (SMS, lah!). Now if only I could become more adept with my Mandarin...
Hope everyone has a great weekend. An awesome NFL conference championship weekend is lined up, and I couldn't be more pleased with the match ups. I hope everyone spends some time on Sunday watching the four best teams in the league battle for a trip to the Super Bowl!! Go Seahawks!!!!!
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