98-072 Student Taught Courses (StuCo): Introduction to Singlish
3 units, Carnegie Mellon University
If you have spent enough time on CMU's campus, chances are, you'd have had a (possibly) fleeting encounter with speakers using a variant of English you couldn't quite put your finger on. Whether it's that teaching assistant employing a rather unique use of "can" as a standalone reply; or someone presenting with quasi-British pronunciations minus the slang. You might, as any reasonable individual would, wonder and even hazard a guess as to where they might hail from. And if you were to guess Singapore (or one of its neighboring countries) based on the above, you'd likely be right. So, how can one start slinging colloquial Singapore English ("Singlish") particles without making a Singaporean cringe? What is the history behind this linguistic phenomenon - wait before that, is it a dialect, idiolect, pidgin, or creole? Or something else? Do Singaporeans really sound like how they are portrayed in "Crazy Rich Asians"? (Short answer to that last one: NO!) If you find yourself asking these questions, or would like any or all of them answered, this course is the Singlish primer you are looking for. In this course, students are introduced to Singlish, the colloquial form of English spoken in Singapore (not to be confused with Standard Singapore English). Students will be exposed to some concepts in linguistic analysis for the purpose of cross-referencing with English and other languages from which Singlish derives loanwords. Students will also learn a brief history of Singlish and better understand the cultural milieu it emerged from. Emphasis will be placed on attaining a level of Singlish proficiency that allows for meaningful and practical conversations. All in, students will gain a deeper understanding of the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural significance of Singlish in Singaporean society.
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Fall 2025
Courseweave needs JavaScript to show sections, workloads and planning tools.