~May Your Light Shine :D~

Monday, September 22, 2008

I am currently writing out my literature review for my honours project about English phonology in preschool Singapore-Chinese bilingual children and have been reading about Singapore English. It truly has been very enriching and entertaining to read about Singlish and the world's view on it. Here was something not very related to my topic, but hilarious nonetheless:

The 3 Little Pigs – Singapore version

Ones apron a time got tree little pig, call them Ah Beng, Ah Seng and Ah Tee. They think they big already and no wan to liv with mama, because liv with mama sometimes quite pek chek and also can become suaku! So they say goodbye to their mama and go out of house. Mama tell them to be careful of the big, bad woof, because you know, this big, bad sabo king want to eat them. They tell their mama, "we know lah, not scared one". We build house so woof cannot get us. If he try, he will be sorry.

The first pig, Ah Beng he think he very clever, he also cannot wait one, very kancheong type you know. So he build a house very quickly. Finish very fast- how? Aiyoh, he use straw lor, just tie and tie and tie together and then very quick okay already.

This woof very clever kay see, so he pretend and say nice things and ask Ah Beng to let him to inside house. Little Ah Beng also quite clever, he say, "No way man, I know you, don't bluff. Sorry you not welcome here".

The woof say "U no let me in mare? U dare mare? I blow your house down then you know". And he blow and blow and he poon and poon and he use all his inside strength and jia lat man, Ah Beng's house come down.

...

Moral of the story :->

Number 1 - do things slow, slow, must plan, think, plan, nowsdays they say strategic planning. No lush and lush and chin chai build. Chin chai do things ownself die - never think, how can use straw build house, how can house be strong, sure kanna one lah.

Number 2 - don't be so tum sim. Blow down one house, two house not enough want to blow until all tree. Given people some face, don't be too hao lian! In the end too tum sim also kanna - woof kanna heart attack.
Same lah we all also like that, enough is enough, some people pia until they mati.

Number 3 - those who got must kongsi with those who no got then the world sure better place. Remember : if you have and your neightbor no have, kongsi lah. And those who tumpang must know cannot tumpang too long, or else. But when kongsi right hand must not know what left hand give or else no use lah. This mean kongsi quietly, don't let whole world know you give okay. Very chim, right?

My apologies to all non-Singaporeans/Malaysians reading this, I'm afraid you probably have absolutely no idea what this story was all about. Perhaps you have come across one of my countrymen and have wondered what on earth we were saying - it sounds like English but then again, it doesn't. Welcome to the world of Singlish - a force that unites all Singaporeans (Gupta, 2001).

Lydea blogged at 5:42 PM

May your light shine...
in the darkness...