A companion to how Singaporeans communicate

Singlish is a punchy and witty patois used in Singapore. It mixes English with words, phrases, and syntaxes from the languages of different ethnic groups living in the country. This fascinating feature of Singaporean life favours efficient communication and humour and is well-loved by many. Spiaking Singlish doesn’t just describe Singlish elements; there are already several such references books. Rather, it aims to show how Singlish can be used in a confident and stylish way to communicate. Gwee Li Sui’s collection of highly entertaining articles shares his observation of how Singlish has evolved over the decades. To appeal to the “kiasu” nature of readers, each of the 45 pieces comes with a bonus comic strip. There is also a Singlish quiz at the end of the book for readers to test their grasp of Singlish! Spiaking Singlish is possibly the first book on Singlish written entirely in Singlish, complete with colloquial spelling. It may also be the most stimulating of them all. Fear not if you find this book too bizarre: all Singlish words and phrases are indexed and explained at some point in the book.

Dr Gwee Li Sui is a former academic who now labours in the arts as a poet, writer, editor, literary critic, and graphic artist. He wrote Singapore’s first long-form graphic novel, Myth of the Stone, back in 1993 and has five books of verse to date. Gwee continues to teach at various institutions and universities. He is a popular speaker at schools and festivals and is often sought for his opinions on literature, language, and religion. He has also been on the evaluation panels of many local and international writing awards.