Problem
I know what they mean but it sounds different.
Answer
Stop worrying about Singlish and be glad that you are constantly reminded that you are in a foreign country and if you come from England, America, or Singapore, you have your own brand of English.
Here are some differences which strike me in Singapore even though I've been visiting and living in the country on and off for more than twenty years, since the 1990s.
A Singaporean asks me, 'Where do you stay?'
I answer, "I live near Cashew MRT." (Meaning Cashew underground railway station. MRT is the Mass Railway Transit system.)
I don't copy his sentence construction and he does not copy mine. I am wondering whether it is time for me to start echoing local people and talking like them. However, I have positioned myself as a teacher of English, so I should sound English to maintain my credibility.
I ponder the subtle uses of the word stay in British English. When I say I am staying somewhere, I mean temporarily. I am staying with a friend, on holiday. That's a temporary arrangement. Living with a friend would be a permanent arrangement.
You stay in a hotel. Years ago, people lived in hotels, for years.
On the other hand, I could say, "We went to Singapore on a two-year contract but ended up staying there for more than a decade." That's a long-stay arrangement.
Car parks are short-stay and long-stay. You don't live in a car park.
Moving and Shifting
My conversation with the Singaporean continues. He says, " I used to live near there, but I have shifted to Yishun."
That's very Singaporean. Nobody in London would say that. I might move from the centre of town to the suburbs. I shift furniture. You shift something small and heavy, like a wardrobe, a big box of records. You say, "Can you help me shift this into the corner of the room?"
You don't shift people, unless they are in wheelchairs or on stretchers and unconscious. You shift something with a trolley. Lift and shift. You shift things short distances, within the same room, or within a house or building. Lift and push. You don't shift yourself.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
I know what they mean but it sounds different.
Answer
Stop worrying about Singlish and be glad that you are constantly reminded that you are in a foreign country and if you come from England, America, or Singapore, you have your own brand of English.
Here are some differences which strike me in Singapore even though I've been visiting and living in the country on and off for more than twenty years, since the 1990s.
A Singaporean asks me, 'Where do you stay?'
I answer, "I live near Cashew MRT." (Meaning Cashew underground railway station. MRT is the Mass Railway Transit system.)
I don't copy his sentence construction and he does not copy mine. I am wondering whether it is time for me to start echoing local people and talking like them. However, I have positioned myself as a teacher of English, so I should sound English to maintain my credibility.
I ponder the subtle uses of the word stay in British English. When I say I am staying somewhere, I mean temporarily. I am staying with a friend, on holiday. That's a temporary arrangement. Living with a friend would be a permanent arrangement.
You stay in a hotel. Years ago, people lived in hotels, for years.
On the other hand, I could say, "We went to Singapore on a two-year contract but ended up staying there for more than a decade." That's a long-stay arrangement.
Car parks are short-stay and long-stay. You don't live in a car park.
Moving and Shifting
My conversation with the Singaporean continues. He says, " I used to live near there, but I have shifted to Yishun."
That's very Singaporean. Nobody in London would say that. I might move from the centre of town to the suburbs. I shift furniture. You shift something small and heavy, like a wardrobe, a big box of records. You say, "Can you help me shift this into the corner of the room?"
You don't shift people, unless they are in wheelchairs or on stretchers and unconscious. You shift something with a trolley. Lift and shift. You shift things short distances, within the same room, or within a house or building. Lift and push. You don't shift yourself.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
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