Bea Johnson Chao Ang Mo Makes fun of Singlish

[Leongsam]

The 'wah lan you tekan...' is what you'd be using with true-blue S'poreans. Obviously, people should have the ability to codeswitch as and when the situation calls for it.


In anycase, Singlish is a variety of English. Ever heard of that linguistic term? Samleong seems to have not allowed any of my posts on varieties of English. Why, huh, samleong?

Singaporeans used to be able to code switch. Sadly, the switch doesn't work very well anymore as the foundations of good English are no longer taught.

Not a single post of yours has been disallowed. The approval process is automated. Only posts with keywords that indicate the presence of spam are held for manual approval.

 

[formerlyknownas_ew]

I dun know what u are talking about, u need to stop using clones. I have been to Britain, I don't discern any social backgrounds, or class system as u say. I know rich Indians in the UK, who have children marry white people, rich and poor whites doing business with rich and poor pakis, chinese, etc. Brit girls I find are some of the most open minded when dating men not of their own race, regardless of their social backgrounds. ......So, get your head out of you buntak, ah?

If you had read what I first wrote, I said the way Brits regard social background has nothing to do with money. It has to do with WHERE you've come from. That's why even if someone has risen from the lower classes, either via business or as a professional (became accountant, lawyer, doctor, engineer, but parents were working class), they may not quite be accepted. Tolerate yes, may not fully be accepted. And of course alot of such people try to lose their previous accents, associations etc.

Look at how some Brits laugh at the likes of footballers and their WAGs, especially people like Rooney and his silly wife, Colleen. Yes, those who laugh at these ah beng footballers may never see that kind of $$ in their lifetime but it is not about money.

That's why as you've pointed out, rich Indians in the UK marry whites. You should also look at each of those people's backgrounds. Were they merchant Indians or educated upper-middle class types? Did they get their wealth from trade or through certain middle/upper-middle professions? I should have qualified myself earlier by saying that surprisingly it is also NOT about race. Do you know that for some people, it is better to marry ACROSS a DIFFERENT race, but SAME social class, rather than marry the same race, but an ah beng --- ie, some your upper-middle class ang mo son/daughter marrying an ah beng trailer park white trash (in this case, the chavs) is worse than if they marry the same social class Indian or Brit Chinese, for that matter?

I know in Sg this is a very sensitive topic -- social class. But it is a reality in Britian, and I'm just trying to point it out to you.

Then you get your knickers in such a twist (a British term, lah) that it makes me think you get uncomfortable with it. In Sg, we are not uncomfortable with it, are we????? Why, in just one generation, some peasant is living in a condo and strutting about like some rich guy (and yes, he is rich) but just one generation before, he was some beng. It's ok, what. Why should you be ashamed of your own social background, such that when I mention this case, you get all hot and bothered. Aiyah, don't lah. You have made it.

 

[formerlyknownas_ew]

Singaporeans used to be able to code switch. Sadly, the switch doesn't work very well anymore as the foundations of good English are no longer taught.

Not a single post of yours has been disallowed. The approval process is automated. Only posts with keywords that indicate the presence of spam are held for manual approval.

For that, I agree with you that the ability to codeswitch isn't working as well. But then again, I think the majority would be able to do so.

As for the other posts, I thought I posted a few one-liners, or at the most, 2 sentences about varieties of English. How come don't see? (sorry, huh, a bit singlish, that last sentence)

 

[glockman]

You seem to take pride in the fact that China is a source of slave labour for the Western world.

Apple is worth billions. In the meantime, the chinks at Foxxcon are literally worked to death making the stuff that Steve Jobs sells, at a huge profit, to the rest of the world.

Let me know when some Giant Chinese multinationals start assembling their inventions in the sweat shops of the USA. I'm not holding my breath.

You ought to know the chinese have brilliant minds. In almost all aspects of industry, they will succeed more than any other races if they put their minds to it. Business, electronics, aerospace, pharmaceutical, automobile, etc. The whites fear the chinese, because they know the chinese can do much better work for less. Chinese kids usually do better in school than kids from other races.

Regarding red china, it is just unfortunate that political strife set them back many years. And they had to play catch up, which they are doing very well.

No one wants their goods to be made in the USA. It would be too damn expensive to buy. In Australia, there used to be a lot of goods with this label :

It seems less and less goods bear this logo today. Why? Because the Aussie worker demands and gets a pay that far outweigh his productivity. And what happens thereafter?

And so the ang moh worker loses out, and have to go on the Doe.

 

[hokkienpeng]

Did u not read about the days where technologically advance China has the highest GDP per capita in the world invented stuff such as paper, gun powder, compass, silk, etc, which all contribute immensely to humanity

Even the Chinese themselves question the significance of the "Four Great Inventions":

http://news.163.com/06/1214/10/32A2PSPS00011243.html

And you should probably know that it was the westerners who came up with this "Four Great Inventions" list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Great_Inventions_of_Ancient_China#Origins

<i>The modern list of the Four Great Inventions originated in the 19th century with the missionary and Sinologist Joseph Edkins (1823–1905). Edkins, when comparing Japan with China, noted that scholars should bear in mind that the Japanese did not have inventions as significant as papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder. This list was later popularized and augmented by the noted British biochemist, historian, and Sinologist Joseph Needham, who devoted the later part of his life to studying the science and civilization of ancient China.</i>

 

[formerlyknownas_ew]

And come on, people, what's wrong with singlish? The thread in this very forum itself that reads: "Ah Tiong kena wack by sinkee, then complain mata bo hiew..." -- doesn't it give you the fuzzies (warm and fuzzy feeling)? It's completely singlish, and I think only a true-blue S'porean (and perhaps probably Malaysian too) can understand it, and revel (yes, revel, not reveal) in it? Then can reply with as much or as little singlish, as you like. Who else will understand? But since in certain situations, we are only speaking/writing in Singlish, who cares?

I'm sure the cunt, Bea isn't too happy about her Cockney background, would she? Or she may be an Essex girl. That wouldn't be too good either, would it? However, if she were a Hooray Henrietta, that would be fine (to her fellow Brits, that is. The Americans won't give a hoot). So you see, Bea in Sg is acting this way because she has a big chip on her shoulder.

But of course papsmearer would go and defend her as he did. The Bea kind are the types who would open legs to Bali boys, and be very indiscriminate as to who she bangs. Brit girls of a certain class - certain the Essex type girls - are known for that.

So ultimately, it all boils down to social class, doesn't it?

(And in case you find it hard to figure these cultural icons, papsmearer, maybe I give you one that's more readily available - that is, if you watch more American TV/pop culture than Brit. Essex girls are the equvilanet to those Jersey Shore (the American series) girls - you know, Snooki, the Guidette. And yes, Essex boys are the Brit equivalent of the American Guidos. So perhaps you might go figure out what the Sinkee version is. )

 

[hokkienpeng]

The prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace were first awarded in 1901.
1901 was the time of the decline of China,China was top of the world before.

China woul get back its rightful share pretty soon!

To win a Nobel prize in the sciences, one needs basic qualities like imagination and curiosity, as well as a capacity for rational thinking and abstract reasoning, but most of all the willingness to question existing theories and to challenge the status quo. Chinese seem to be somewhat lacking in these aspects. Perhaps it has to do with an entrenched culture of unquestioning obedience to their elders and teachers, and the fine tradition of kowtowing to authorities and deities.

As for the prizes in Literature and Peace, China has produced two recent winners &mdash; Gao Xingjian and Liu Xiaobo &mdash; but it looks like China is more upset by their winning the prize than anything else. Gao is in exile while Liu is in prison.

 

[silverfox@]

Singlish is hardly a cultural icon. It's nothing more than fucked up English.

Its use has resulted in the vast majority of sinkies being unable to string a single grammatically correct sentence together to save their lives.

You need look no further than the contents of this forum.

The word "sinkie" isn't an english word at all, but you are still using it too. :p

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

You ought to know the chinese have brilliant minds. In almost all aspects of industry, they will succeed more than any other races if they put their minds to it. Business, electronics, aerospace, pharmaceutical, automobile, etc. The whites fear the chinese, because they know the chinese can do much better work for less. Chinese kids usually do better in school than kids from other races.

Regarding red china, it is just unfortunate that political strife set them back many years. And they had to play catch up, which they are doing very well.

No one wants their goods to be made in the USA. It would be too damn expensive to buy. In Australia, there used to be a lot of goods with this label :

It seems less and less goods bear this logo today. Why? Because the Aussie worker demands and gets a pay that far outweigh his productivity. And what happens thereafter?

And so the ang moh worker loses out, and have to go on the Doe.

You know the most surprising thing is that there are chinese dogs in here that would probably not agree with you and in fact look down on your mentioning those facts.

Instead they always over look these facts of the chinese but praise other races to the skies. Like malays loving to relax all day isn't seen as laziness but rather enjoying life, or indians with forked tongues make good lawyers and you know basically stuff that puts down their own race. I have no qualms if they want to put themselves down but to stereotypes others to their level no way.

 

[formerlyknownas_ew]

Since Bea the cunt started it all, wouldn't it be interesting to hunt out her background? I already posted her linkedin link. Wonder if can trace more. She spent some time during high school days in Brazil - wonder what her parents did. Mind you, a Brit in Brazil doesn't necessarily mean upper class, you know. Overseas Brit-expat --- well, it doesn't translate that way.

And Scroobal's right when he mentioned that she sounded very condescending. Knn (singlish again - don't you just love your own cultural references...), if you read her whole piece, it really is very oblique. I think she was also in HK, and we know what kind of Brits go to HK, don't we?

And people, do you realise her piece about Leonie Hill is somewhat sliming the way Chinese/Japanese speak 'Rs' and 'Ls'? Come on, for those who take cabs in Sg- how many cabbies actually speak that way??? To me, this silly twat is really making fun of the country that has naively 'welcomed' her kind. Dont' you think she deserves to be hunted down, and spat upon, metaphorically, I mean.

Stupid shit of a chao lao ang mo cunt. Bet you even as she disses Sg, she's opening her fat thighs to native guys, hahahaha.

 

[glockman]

You know the most surprising thing is that there are chinese dogs in here that would probably not agree with you and in fact look down on your mentioning those facts.

Instead they always over look these facts of the chinese but praise other races to the skies. Like malays loving to relax all day isn't seen as laziness but rather enjoying life, or indians with forked tongues make good lawyers and you know basically stuff that puts down their own race. I have no qualms if they want to put themselves down but to stereotypes others to their level no way.

You must be a stupid dig m&d or a drain digging ah nei!! :oIo: And I am not stereotyping. BTW, that post was for Leongsam.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

You must be a stupid dig m&d or a drain digging ah nei!! :oIo: And I am not stereotyping. BTW, that post was for Leongsam.

Go back and read my post again. I was commenting on how certain ppl hate praising the chinese race and some of them are chinese themselves.

 

[glockman]

Go back and read my post again. I was commenting on how certain ppl hate praising the chinese race and some of them are chinese themselves.

whoops sorry!

 

[Soul_Reaper]

when I first went to western country I also laugh at all the Ang Mos there for speaking with funny accent what!

Even Ang Mos sometimes dun understand what the other Ang Mos are saying I dread going to Liverpool home games with my Ozzie friends coz I know I gonna end up deciphering the Englishman's english for them to understand.

 

[GoldenDragon]

To win a Nobel prize in the sciences, one needs basic qualities like imagination and curiosity, as well as a capacity for rational thinking and abstract reasoning, but most of all the willingness to question existing theories and to challenge the status quo. Chinese seem to be somewhat lacking in these aspects. Perhaps it has to do with an entrenched culture of unquestioning obedience to their elders and teachers, and the fine tradition of kowtowing to authorities and deities.

Agree. An old friend of mine came to S'pore for sabbatical a decade ago. He has been teaching in North America since mid-80s. Still teaching - Engineering.

I questioned him on his assessment of local students at NUS and those he taught in N America. He opined that when it is standard questions and answers/solutions, local undergrads fare much better than the ang mo kias. But when there is no straightforward answer or solution, ang mo kias are better. They are trained to think creatively from young.

 

[heartlander]

Read this imbecile's comment about her article. This guy must be so thick that he does not know that he has been insulted.

criticise 1 week ago

Dear Ms Johnson, welcome to Singapore and your enthusiasm to improve your Singlish is an applaudable move. Not all foreigners coming here will bother to try to blend with our local environment. As such, your move is a good example of respecting a local culture without undermining it.

I've joined the Speak Good Singlish Movement facebook group (see http://www.facebook.com/pages/Speak-Good-Singlish-Movement/152213451475413), and urge all fellow Singaporeans and foreign friends alike who are devoted to keeping Singlish as an important part of our Singapore Identity join this group as a show of support too.

sounds to me like he's just playing along. maybe the sarcasm was lost.

 

[scroobal]

Good One. I enjoyed that.

I once had a QANTAS flight attendant said to me, "wow, you speak good English". I said to her, "And so do you."

 

[scroobal]

You are not kidding are you? Britain is the most socially stratified society and the class system is obvious even today.

Notice the clothes and keeping up with Jonese etc. Half their comedies allude to class and barriers between them

I dun know what u are talking about, u need to stop using clones. I have been to Britain, I don't discern any social backgrounds, or class system as u say.

 

[scroobal]

I read twice and it is not even attempt at poor sarcasm.

Many have missed the point. Singapore English is certainly not as good as before and people have commented on Singlish on many occasions. But the tone of this article is completely patronising.

sounds to me like he's just playing along. maybe the sarcasm was lost.

 

[Ramseth]

You are not kidding are you? Britain is the most socially stratified society and the class system is obvious even today.

Notice the clothes and keeping up with Jonese etc. Half their comedies allude to class and barriers between them

I agree. Ability to dress correctly and speak in the correct accent gets you somewhere, even girls all the way to bed. Fortunately, I'm quite endowed with that proficiency and adaptibility. It's not a matter of colour or race.