Singlish ; formally known as Colloquial Singaporean English, is an English-based creole language originating in Singapore. Singlish arose out of a situation of prolonged language contact between speakers of many different Asian languages in Singapore, such as Malay, Cantonese, Hokkien, Mandarin, Teochew, and Tamil. The term Singlish refers to a blend of Singaporean slang and English and was first recorded in the early 1970s.
Exaggerated Singlish on an advertising board outside a cafe in Pulau Ubin
Many signs in Singapore include all four official languages: English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay.
Speak Good English Movement
The Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) is a Singapore Government campaign to "encourage Singaporeans to speak grammatically correct English that is universally understood". It was launched by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 29 April 2000. The purpose was to ensure that Singaporeans recognise the importance of speaking Standard English and to encourage its usage. It is seen as a measure to counter the usage of Singapore Colloquial English, known as Singlish.
A Get It Right Poster at a food-court displaying a correction of ungrammatical English.