Singlish is commonly used among Singaporeans in our daily conversations. In fact, most Singaporeans are so comfortable speaking Singlish that some might even call it our national language. To find out Singaporeans’ views on Singlish and our national language, RySense conducted a poll among 1,048 respondents from our online panel, HappyDot.sg, from July to August 2023. Here are our key findings.
Younger generation more aware of Singapore’s national language
When we asked our respondents what Singapore’s national language was, we found that those in their 40s had the highest proportion of incorrect answers (68%). Younger respondents are comparatively more aware of the national language. (Figure 1)
Pride in Singlish decreases with age
Surprisingly, while those above 40 grew up with Singlish, pride in Singlish generally decreases with age. Among all age groups, teens (aged 15-19) have the greatest pride in Singlish.
Singlish is mostly used in conversations with locals in casual settings
Singaporeans use Singlish mostly in informal conversations with locals (69%). Only 33% will speak Singlish with locals in formal settings. Singaporeans are generally quite confident in code switching from Singlish, with the mean confidence level in code switching at 77%.
High proportion feel that Singlish helps them better express themselves
While 1 in 3 (36%, Figure 3) find Singlish a hindrance to learning standard English, 3 in 4 (74%, Figure 4) agree that Singlish helps them to express themselves better.
Consistent with our finding that the younger generation are prouder of Singlish, they are also more receptive to using Singlish to express themselves than the older generation. (Figure 4)
71% feel that Singlish is one of Singapore’s charms and 74% think that Singlish helps to bond Singaporeans together. Singlish is uniquely Singaporean. While our survey did not poll respondents specifically on this, generally, Singlish is easily understood by most Singaporeans, regardless of linguistic proficiency. It adds a touch of playfulness and common understanding to our conversations, allowing camaraderie to be built among those conversing. Finally, because it incorporates elements from Singapore’s official languages, Singlish allows Singaporeans to express their cultural identity with pride. It is clear from our poll that Singlish occupies a special place in the hearts of many Singaporeans.
For more insights from our study or on the future of work, drop us an email at insights@rysense.sg.
