French woman who’s lived in Singapore for 5 years teaches TikTokers Singlish
A French woman who has lived in Singapore for about five years recently took to TikTok to give a brief lesson on speaking Singlish.
In her video, 27-year-old software engineer Honvault Amandine taught users words like “corright” and “dunnid”.
@new_to_singapore Showing once again the efficiency of Singlish 🇸🇬 #sgtiktok #sglife #livinginsingapore #singlish #sgculture #singapore
♬ original sound – New to Singapore by Amandine – New to Singapore by Amandine
However, her use of Singlish has divided the opinions of Singaporeans online.
Shows ‘efficiency’ of Singlish
Amandine posted her little tutorial in a TikTok video on 30 March, aiming to show the “efficiency of Singlish”.
Titled ‘How to speak English like a Singaporean’, the video presented the French woman as a “Singlish teacher”.
Source: @new_to_singapore on TikTok
Her first lesson taught the Internet how to combine the phrase “you are correct and right” into a single word.
Save your breath and simply say: “Corright.”
Source: @new_to_singapore on TikTok
Her second lesson involved a word that many of us probably utter countless times a day — “dunno” instead of “I don’t know”.
Source: @new_to_singapore on TikTok
Her next lesson continued the theme of how Singaporeans tend to shorten phrases, saying “dunnid” instead of “I don’t need”.
Source: @new_to_singapore on TikTok
Replacing letters and being as “efficient” as possible, Singaporeans also say “izzit?” instead of “is it right?”.
Source: @new_to_singapore on TikTok
Amandine’s final lesson encompassed Singlish’s penchant for using as few words as possible, with Singaporeans saying “see how” instead of “wait and see what happens”.
Source: @new_to_singapore on TikTok
Netizens question authenticity of Singlish lesson
After viewing the clip, many Singaporeans took to the comments to express their confusion over some of the alleged Singlish phrases, especially “corright”.
Source: TikTok
Well, the word is used in a hilarious SkillsFuture ad and is even featured in the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Graduate Studies Blog’s list of Singlish words and phrases, although In Singapura noted that it is rarely used.
Source: SkillsFutureSG on YouTube
Some slammed the TikToker for depicting the way that Singaporeans speak in a poor light.
However, Amandine reiterated that Singlish is part of Singaporean culture and should be embraced.
Source: TikTok
She also acknowledged that Singaporeans can speak proper English too. After all, there’s such a thing as code-switching.
Twitter User Doubts TikTok CEO Is S’porean Due To Accent, Gets Schooled On Code-Switching
Overall, commenters found the Singlish tutorial very entertaining.
Source: TikTok
Singlish a ‘distinctive aspect of Singaporean culture’
Speaking to MS News, Amandine shared why she decided to teach Singlish.
“Back in France, we are taught to be proud of what makes us unique,” she said.
“Singlish is a distinctive aspect of Singaporean culture. I tried to spotlight facets of Singapore that, as a foreigner, triggered culture shock — elements that perhaps some Singaporeans overlook or do not particularly take pride in.”
Source: @new_to_singapore on Instagram
According to Amandine, the hardest part about speaking Singlish is combining words from different dialects and getting the accent spot on.
“I might receive comments about my accent not being here yet, but I can’t help it as I’m French,” she told MS News.
Despite the criticism, Amandine embraces the Singaporean culture and shared what she finds most fun about speaking Singlish.
“The efficiency for sure, how with just one word you can mean different things! Also as a foreigner picking up on some Singlish expressions, it fosters a sense of belonging among Singaporeans,” she said.
People have also approached Amandine for Singlish lessons, but she clarified she is just a “casual teacher”.
Also read: Tourist Struggles To Understand S’porean Accent & Singlish, Locals Say Language Is Efficient
Tourist Struggles To Understand S’porean Accent & Singlish, Locals Say Language Is Efficient
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @new_to_singapore on TikTok.
