Singapore English

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

Singapore English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Singapore. Those that least resemble Standard English are colloquially known by the portmanteau term Singlish, though in academic discussion these are most often referred to as Singapore Colloquial English (SCE). Standard Singapore English (SSE) is the term for varieties of Singapore English that are very similar to standard forms of English elsewhere.

SCE may be difficult to understand for speakers of other varieties such as British or American English, because much of the vocabulary, syntax and phonology is different. Various explanations exist for these differences, including the idea that SCE is a creole - an assumption which, if based on the definition of a creole as originating from a pidgin, is unsupported by the study of Singapore English's history and linguistic structure.