Variations in Singapore English a case study based on an excerpt from 'The Teenage Textbook Movie'

Abstract

Having had its origins from British English, its superstrate language,
Singapore English has now evolved to become one of several
independent varieties of English; varieties which have been described
in various literature as 'New Englishes' (e.g. Kandiah, 1998, Winford,
2003) as well as 'Non-Native Englishes' (e.g. Kachru, 1982). As with
most other Englishes, Singapore English exists in its standard variety
(standard Singapore English) as well as its colloquial variety (colloquial
Singapore English). Such variations in Singapore English can be
described in terms of two basic frameworks which acknowledge
variations on the basis of proficiency or communicative intent as
proposed by Platt and Weber's lectal continuum and Gupta's diglossia
frameworks as well as two other frameworks by Pakir (1995) and
Deterding and Poedjosoedamlo (2000) whose frameworks acknowledge
and renect variations based on both factors. A brief look into the history
of the spread of English in Singapore shows that Singapore English, in
its early days, was very much innuenced by the local languages,
especially Chinese and Malay. It is understandable, therefore, that the
resultant form of Singapore English we have today carries a significant
number of features from the local indigenous languages. These features
are most prominent in its colloquial form (CSE). Based on a case study
of the language used in a Singaporean-made movie, it has been
concluded that among the prominent features of CSE in the chosen
verbal interaction are the lack of verb innection, lack of subject and the
omission of auxilIary verbs. Motivations for the use of such features
have also been explored and these include the speaker's low proficiency
level as well as the speaker's conscious choice to make use ora wider
range of resources as a strategic move to create solidarity and mutual
understandmg among the interlocutors. It can therefore be concluded
that substratal influence plays a very important part in the evolution of
the features of Singapore English and that both the Lectal Continuum
and Diglossia frameworks (and therefore, especially Pakir's and
Deterding and Poedjosoedarmo's) reflect these variations in its use.