English and Singlish and Five Languages To Learn While Travelling

Hello. Ni Hao. (Hello in Mandarin - pronounced knee how, meaning you good? The reply is 'how' meaning good.)

 When I arrived in Singapore I wanted to learn the local language. Chinese? Yes, the official local Chinese is Mandarin. Also spoken in China. Good news.  

But in Hong Kong the Chinese people speak Cantonese. Bad news. 

However, the Chinese writing, symbols, is similar in both Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese - and also used by the Japanese. Good news.

But Singapore has not one, but four official languages. One of them is English. Good news.

And an encouragement to learn three other languages. You can hear all four on the MRT (underground train in the city centre, overground on the outskirts). Good news. 

Wikipedia has free information and word lists of easy to recognize and remember words. Good news.

But the local slang which now even appears on your box of Kleenex tissues, not translated, is Singlish. d

Singlish sounds like English but adds words from other languages, and drops what English speakers regard as essentials, such as the verb. Bad news.

However, I can explain the commonest one. Off the light. On the light.

That means turn off the light. Turn on the light.

In Singapore you can learn about four languages on the MRT trains. And attend Toastmasters bilingual clubs such as Eunos, English advanced clubs such as braddell Heights Advanced - and currently (May 2021) in addition to the hybrid club at the Sheraton hotel, you can attend online from anywhere in the world, clubs such as Eunos bilingual, English speakingbs, Mandarin Speaking clubs, Malay clubs, Tamil clubs and a French seaking club. 

If you are looking for a subject for a humorous speech, you can write about your trouble understanding local dialects.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish

about the author

About the Author

About Angela The Author

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President.

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

The recent meeting of BHA included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . Also an educational on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, (subject to revision)

1 (Saturday, May 15th, was 2 pm Singapore time, postponed because of national speaking contest.) 

After Vesak day and Hari Raya: 

Postponed to Saturday May 29th, 2021, at 2pm. Login to bha.learncool.sg earlier.

2 Next June meetings 1st Wednesday evening June 2nd at 7 pm Singapore time. 

3 Third Saturday afternoon, June 19th, Singapore time.  Thanks to the old team and Inauguration of New Team. 

Special speech with slides about teamwork in sport and Toastmasters International and life, by the President of West Coast Toastmasters Club who often help BHA with workshops and invite us to give speeches at their club.

Inauguration of new committee by incoming Area Director of S

About Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs on speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

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