For the past five months that I have been here, I have noticed that in the preschool, they do not just use Singlish (Singaporean English) as their medium of instruction (even if they are not supposed to), but they also have these distinct expressions I hear often when talking to one another. Before moving here, I was expecting to hear "lah," "leh," "lor," or "meh" in each sentence. My assumptions where kind of accurate; only little did I know that even as young as three-years-old, they use such suffix.
Apart from that, I also noticed that they have their way of constructing sentences which sometimes, foreigners like me get confused with. Proper usage of verbs and pronouns are also not exercised correctly that much which makes a disadvantage in the foundation of early childhood education. To better understand their language, I Google-d it and this is what made me understand the the language/dialect better. I guess being too diverse has its own drawback too. So many new things to learn and there's a year and half for me to do so!
1) "He took my one!"
Correct: He took mine!
Most of the students in our centre have this habit of using "my one" in lieu of "mine." I am not too sure if this is something I should be bothered about. But for now, I know it's cute whenever I hear them say this.
2) "Teacher, I cannot bluff right?"
Bluff is something I never wished to hear from my preschoolers. For one, it is eensy-bit harsh for a child; and two, it is just a bit inappropriate for a three-year-old to know and use.
3) "He said he don't like to be my friend leh."
Incorrect usage of singular and plural verbs is just unforgivable- most especially if they are aware of it. Period.
4) "You work at 8:30. Can?"
This will forever be one of the trademarks of Singapore. Haha!
5) "(insert a verb here) yourself!"
Correct: (insert a verb here) by yourself!
This will always be an awkward moment for me whenever I hear them say this. Take note: they use this phrase ALL THE TIME.
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