Commentary: From pop concerts in Singapore to cocktails in New York, Singlish is becoming a global commodity

From Taylor Swift dancer Kameron Saunders to K-pop idol Cha Eun-woo, foreign gigs performing in Singapore in recent months are learning and using Singlish . SINGAPORE: Every other foreign gig who’s performed in Singapore in recent months seems to be learning and using Singlish .at the National Stadium in March, Swift's dancer, Kameron Saunders, delighted fans by using a different Singlish expression on each night of the concert.

Many of these linguistic features change and can take on different meanings from the source languages they come from. There are many instances of Singlish being commodified. The most obvious is in the form of merchandise bearing Singlish words or phrases. One can see numerous shops selling T-shirts, bags, badges and mugs with Singlish words printed on them, making them quaint tourist souvenirs.

Even the government makes use of Singlish as a branding exercise when they want Singaporeans to buy into a sense of national pride, and we can see this in Singlish floats paraded in the SG50 National Day celebrations in 2015 as well as Singlish posters and social media posts publicising the Singapore Day events for Singaporeans abroad.

Therefore, when foreign artistes come to Singapore and start using Singlish, it is not because they really want to learn the language. And it is definitely not because Singlish has gained international acclaim. Rather, it is all part of a very clever marketing strategy.

Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)

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