Singapore - Talk

Malay may be enshrined in the Constitution as the 'national' language, but in practice the most common language is English, spoken by almost every Singaporean under the age of 40. However, the distinctive local patois Singlish may be hard to understand at times, as it incorporates slang words and phrases from other languages, including various Chinese dialects, Malay and Tamil. It also incorporates slang from British and American English, and has a queer way of structuring sentences, due to the original speakers being mostly Chinese. Complex consonant clusters are simplified, plurals disappear, verb tenses are replaced by adverbs, questions are altered to fit the Chinese syntax and semirandom particles (especially the infamous "lah") appear:
Singlish: You wan beer or not? -- No lah, drink five botol oreddi.
English: Do you want a beer? -- No, thanks; I've already drunk five bottles.
Thanks to nationwide indoctrination campaigns, most younger Singaporeans are, however, capable of speaking so-called "Good English" when necessary. The other official languages are Mandarin Chinese and Tamil. Various Chinese dialects (especially Hokkien) and other Indian languages are also spoken.
Generally, it is fairly easy to decipher what people are saying when Singlish is used, though the using of local dialects (e.g. Hokkien) and languages (e.g. Malay) may make it harder for comprehension. In fact, when in Singapore, learning to speak in Singlish is rather useful as it provides a bridge between you and the locals who are not very fluent in English. Speaking in Singlish also eases the tensions in some of the more conservative Singaporeans who are intimidated when a foreigner approaches them for help.