The study examines word associations in Singapore English, looking at how Singaporeans use Singlish and Standard English to understand the world around them and express themselves, and is building a mental map of Singlish. For example, a Singaporean might think of the words “embarrassed” or “sorry” when “paiseh” comes to mind; and while “paiseh” is tied to feeling “sorry”, the participants in one of Dr Siew’s experiments demonstrated that it has an even stronger connection to feeling “embarrassed”. The project team has already found that Singlish is as important as English in how Singaporeans communicate. They are uncovering the ties between language and memory, and how they work together to shape Singaporeans' mental dictionary of Singapore English.

Dr Siew emphasizes that the Singlish vocabulary is integral to how Singaporeans conceptualize what they experience. Investigating how Singlish and other languages Singaporeans can express themselves in synchronize is key to enhancing our understanding of the Singapore identity. She sees Singlish as a valuable part of the nation’s history as well as its people’s social and emotional character, and is keen to advance our knowledge of how it is linked to our life experiences. Dr Siew also remarks that Singaporeans need to use Singlish when communicating with each other. She encourages us to appreciate how it has enriched our way of understanding and sharing what we perceive from our surroundings.

Singaporeans ages 18 to 80 who are native speakers of Singapore English are invited to participate in the project by playing a 15 minute word association game that prompts players to identify the first three words that come to mind when presented with a list of Singapore English words. Learn more about and even take part in this worthwhile contribution to our understanding of language and its connection to our daily lives at the project homepage for 'A Small World of Singlish Words'!