Singaporean Hokkien is the largest non-Mandarin Chinese dialect spoken in Singapore. As such, it exerts the greatest influence on Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin, resulting in a Hokkien-style Singaporean Mandarin widely spoken in the country.

Influences on phonology

Some Hokkien Singaporeans are unable to accurately pronounce the sounds of Standard Mandarin due to influences from their Hokkien mother tongue. These include consonants such as f, z, zh, s, r. They also pronounce some vowels and rhymes such as i, e, en, eng differently. In terms of tone, they often bring the checked tone (Chinese: 入聲) of Hokkien into Mandarin.

Hokkien-derived vocabulary

The use of Hokkien vocabulary in Singaporean Mandarin can be categorized as such:

  1. Use of Hokkien words in lieu of standard Mandarin words (loanwords)
  2. Use of Hokkien monosyllabic words in lieu of standard disyllabic Mandarin words (calques)
  3. Replacing of Mandarin morphemes with Hokkien morphemes
  4. Use of Hokkien word order (in vocabulary) in lieu of standard Mandarin word order
  5. Modifying the meaning of Mandarin word using Hokkien words (loaned meaning)

Hokkien borrowings

Some Hokkien words with the same meaning are used to replace standard Mandarin words.

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien loan words) Standard Mandarin Definition
面盆 miàn pén 臉盆 liǎn pén Washbasin
龍溝 lóng gōu 水溝 shuǐ gōu Ditch
燒水 shāo shuǐ 熱水 rè shuǐ Hot water
風胎 fēng tāi 車胎 chē tāi Tire
煮飯 zhǔ fàn 燒飯 shāo fàn or 做飯 zuò fàn Cooking
一路來 yī lù lái 向來 xiàng lái or 一直 yī zhí All along

Monosyllabic borrowings

Some Hokkien mono-syllabic words are used instead of two-syllable words in Mandarin.

Omission of Mandarin words' suffixes

The suffix of certain Mandarin words might be omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin due to the use of Hokkien mono-syllabic words. For instance, the suffix "子 zi" is commonly omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin.

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien mono-syllabic word) Standard Mandarin Definition Example of Usage (Singaporean Mandarin)
鴨 yā 鴨子 yā zi Duck 我買了一只鴨 (I bought a duck)
位 wèi 位子 wèi zi Seat 沒有位了 (No more seats)
裙 qún 裙子 qún zi Skirt 你的裙太長了 (Your skirt is too long.)
領 lǐng 領子 lǐng zi Collar 你的領很髒 (Your collar is very dirty.)
石 shí 石頭 shí tou Stone 這塊石很大 (This stone is very big.)

Replacing Mandarin morpheme with Hokkien morpheme

A morpheme in Mandarin is removed from a two-syllable word, leaving a one-syllable word, which is used in Hokkien.

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien morpheme) Standard Mandarin Definition Example of Usage (Singaporean Mandarin)
色 sè 顔色 yán sè Colour 這塊布什麽色？ (What colour is this cloth?)
力 lì 力氣 lì qi or 力量 lì liang Strength 我沒有力了 (I have no more strength)
工 gōng 工作 gōng zuò Work 去找工做 (go and find a work)
明 míng 明白 míng bai Understand 你一說我就明了 (Once you say it, I've understood it)
銷 xiāo 推銷 tuī xiāo Sell 他替我銷了很多本書 (He helps me to sell many books)

Same meaning, different word order

Some multi-syllable words in Standard Mandarin might be used with a different word order (reversed or changed) in Hokkien, and the latter's word order is adopted into Singaporean Mandarin.

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien word order) Standard Mandarin Definition
麵綫 miàn xiàn 綫麵 xiàn miàn Rice noodle
人客 rén kè 客人 kè rén Guest
飯盒 fàn hé 盒飯 hé fàn Small box of meal

Modifying the meaning of Mandarin using Hokkien words

Certain words in Standard Mandarin have a different meaning in Hokkien, and this difference is adopted by Singaporean Mandarin.

Some examples of these are listed below.

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien loan word) Standard Mandarin Definition Usage Notes
肥 féi 胖 pàng Fat 你最近肥好多了 (You've been fatter recently) The Mandarin word "肥" is not originally used for a person. Instead, Standard Mandarin uses the word "胖" esp. when referring to a fat person.
爽 shuǎng 痛快 tòng kuai Happy/Joyful 玩得很爽 (play joyfully) The Mandarin word "爽" originally means "cool". Here it has been modified to mean "happy".
會 huì 能 néng Able to 車會過嗎? (Is the car able to cross?) The word "會" in Standard Mandarin does not mean an action that can probably be realized. "能", which indicates a possibility, is usually used instead.
本事 běn shì 有本事 yǒu běn shì Capable 他很本事 (He is capable) The word "本事" in Standard Mandarin is a 'noun'.

Influences on grammar

Singaporean Hokkien has influenced Singaporean Mandarin Grammar in 5 main areas.

Word order

The word order refers to the order or sequence of how words are arranged in combination. Because of influence from Singaporean Hokkien, the word order in certain phrases are replaced by that of Singaporean Hokkien, or are simultaneously used with that of Singaporean Mandarin.

"Verb/object + complement" structure

In Standard Mandarin, certain object in predicate structure are put after a complement. However, the "verb/object + complement" structure is used in Singaporean Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin Standard Mandarin Translation Grammar Notes
你上課完再去吧！ nǐ shàng kè wán zài qù ba 你上完課再去吧！ nǐ shàng wán kè zài qù ba You go only after you've finished lessons! The object "課" is put before the complement "完", instead of after.
考試完你再來！ kǎo shì wán nǐ zài lái 考完試你再來！ kǎo wán shì nǐ zài lái Come only after you've finished the exam! The object "試" is put before the complement "完", instead of after.
你吃飯了再寫好嗎？ nǐ chī fàn le zài xiě hǎo ma 你吃了飯再寫好嗎？ nǐ chī liǎo fàn zài xiě hǎo ma Can you write after you've finished your meal? The object "飯" is put before the complement "了", instead of after.

Changes in overlapping word order

Overlapping word order in Singaporean Mandarin sometimes differ from that of Standard Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (overlapping words) Standard Mandarin (overlapping words) Translation
想東想西 xiǎng dōng xiǎng xī 東想西想 dōng xiǎng xī xiǎng Anyhow think
搞七搞八 gǎo qī gǎo bā 七搞八搞 qī gǎo bā gǎo Anyhow mess around

Overlapping of words

Certain mono-syllabic adjectives and verbs or two-syllable adjectives and verbs in Singaporean Hokkien have entered into Singaporean Mandarin. These are used together with their counterparts in Standard Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin Standard Mandarin Translation
花紅紅很好看。 huā hóng hóng hěn hǎo kàn 花紅紅的很好看。 huā hóng hóng de hěn hǎo kàn The flower is reddish and looks great.
你試看看。 nǐ shì kàn kan 你試試看。 nǐ shì shì kàn Just try it.
吃看看啦。 chī kàn kàn la 吃吃看啦。 chī chī kàn la Just try eating it.
把功課做完。 bǎ gōng kè zuò wán 把功課都做完。 bǎ gōng kè dōu zuò wán Finish all of the homework.
這些你吃吃掉好嗎？ zhè xie nǐ chī chī diào hǎo ma 這些你都吃掉好嗎？ zhè xie nǐ dōu chī diào hǎo ma Can you finish eating all these?
大家都坐好好。 dà jiā dōu zuò hǎo hǎo 大家都坐得好好的。 dà jiā dōu zuò hǎo hǎo de Everyone is sitting properly.
他跑快快來拿東西。 tā pǎo kuài kuài lái ná dōng xi 他很快地跑來拿東西。 tā hěn kuài de pǎo lái ná dōng xi He runs here quickly to take the thing.
他硬硬要去。 tā yìng yìng yào qù 他硬(是)要去。 tā yìng (shì) yào qù He insists on going.
不要亂亂寫。 bù yào luàn luàn xiě 不要亂寫。 bù yào luàn xiě Don't anyhow write.
你久久才來一次。 nǐ jiǔ jiǔ cái lái yī cì 你很久才來一次。。 nǐ hěn jiǔ cái lái yī cì He came only once after a long time.
吃飽飯出去散步散步。 chī bǎo fàn chū qù sàn bù sàn bù 吃飽飯出去散散步。 chī bǎo fàn chū qù sàn sàn bù Go for a stroll after you've finished your meal.
大家見面見面一下也好。 dà jiā jiàn miàn jiàn miàn yī xià yě hǎo 大家見見面也好。 dà jiā jiàn jiàn miàn yě hǎo or 大家見一下面也好。dà jiā jiàn yī xià miàn yě hǎo It's good everyone of us meet for a while

Omission

Certain components of a sentence that are used in Standard Mandarin are omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin, due to Hokkien influence on the latter.

Omission of directional verbs

Certain directional verbs are omitted or dropped in Singaporean Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien-style omission) Standard Mandarin Translation Notes
車子太大，不能進。 chē zǐ tài dà, bù néng jìn 車子太大，不能進去。 chē zǐ tài dà, bù néng jìn qù The car is too big, it cannot get in. The directional verb "去" has been omitted.
考試成績還沒出。 kǎo shì chéng jī hái méi chū 考試成績還沒出來。 kǎo shì chéng jī hái méi chū lai The exam results haven't come out. The directional verb "來" has been omitted.

Omission of the word "得"

The word "得" used in the sentence structure between a verb and a complement has been omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (omission of the word "得") Standard Mandarin Translation
你吃很慢。 nǐ chī hěn màn 你吃得很慢。 nǐ chī de hěn màn You eat very slowly.
這種事我見太多了。 zhè zhǒng shì wǒ jiàn tài duō le 這種事我見得太多了。 zhè zhǒng shì wǒ jiàn dé tài duō le I've seen this thing too many times.

Omission of certain numbers

Certain numbers, which are expressed in Standard Mandarin, are omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (omission of certain numbers) Standard Mandarin Translation Notes
塊半。 kuài bàn 一塊五毛。 yī kuài wǔ máo One dollar and fifty cents (money) The number "一" (one) has been omitted
尺二。 chǐ èr 一尺二。 yī chǐ èr 1.2 feet (length) The number "一" (one) has been omitted
百三。 bǎi sān 一百三十。 yī bǎi sān shí One hundred and thirty The number "一" (one) has been omitted
兩萬五元。 liǎng wàn wǔ yuán 兩萬五千元。 liǎng wàn wǔ qiān yuán Twenty five thousand dollars The number "千" (thousand) has been omitted

Word groupings and arrangements

Certain word groupings and arrangements in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin sentences are greatly influenced by Hokkien.

Use of the words "有" and "無"

In Mandarin, the words "有" and "無" generally do not act as complementary verbs. But due to influence from Hokkien, colloquial Singaporean Mandarin uses them as complementary verbs.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced) Standard Mandarin Translation
你聽有嗎？我聽有。 nǐ tīng yǒu ma? wǒ tīng yǒu. 你聽(得)懂嗎？我聽(得)懂。 nǐ tīng dé dǒng ma? wǒ tīng dé dǒng Do you understand me?
他看有，我看沒有。 tā kàn yǒu wǒ kàn méi yǒu 他看得見，我看不見。 tā kàn dé jiàn, wǒ kàn bú jiàn He could see, I cannot see.
這本書我找有了。 zhè běn shū wǒ zhǎo yǒu le 這本書我找到了。 zhè běn shū wǒ zhǎo dào le I found this book

Use of the word "到" in lieu of "得"

In a "verb+complement" sentence structure, standard Mandarin uses the word 得 to link the verb and complement. Singapore Mandarin, due to influence from Hokkien, uses the word 到 instead.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced) Standard Mandarin Translation
我氣到半死。 wǒ qì dào bàn sǐ 我氣得半。 wǒ qì dé bàn sǐ I am so angry half-dead.
害到我白忙一場。 hài dào wǒ bái máng yī cháng 害得我白忙一場。 hài dé wǒ bái máng yī cháng It wastes all my effort.
我被他弄到很不好意思。 wǒ bèi tā nòng dào hěn bù hǎo yì si 我被他弄得很不好意思。 wǒ bèi tā nòng dé hěn bù hǎo yì si He makes me feel embarrassed.

Use of the word "去"

Certain Singapore Mandarin sentence structures use the word 去 as the resultative complement, where another character (such as 掉) might be used in Standard Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced) Standard Mandarin Translation
杯子破去了。 bēi zi pò qù le 杯子破掉了。 bēi zi pò diào le The cup has broken.
錢用去了。 qián yòng qù le 錢用掉了。 qián yòng diào le or 錢用完了。 qián yòng wán le The money is used up.
椅子已經壞去。 yǐ zi yǐ jīng huài qù 椅子已經壞掉。 yǐ zi yǐ jīng huài diào The chair has been broken

Use of Hokkien classifiers

A classifier (measure words) which is used with a certain noun in Hokkien might also be used similarly in Singapore Mandarin with the same noun, whereas another classifier might be used for that same word in Standard Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien measure word) Standard Mandarin Translation Notes
一粒球。 yī lì qiú 一介球。 yī gè qiú A ball The word "粒" (lì) is a Hokkien measure word
一只飛機。 yī zhī fēi jī 一架飛機。 yī jià fēi jī An aeroplane The word "只" (zhī) is a Hokkien measure word
一支刀。 yī zhī dāo 一把刀。 yī bǎ dāo A knife The word "支" (zhī) is a Hokkien measure word

Sentences

Certain sentence structures used in Singapore Mandarin are influenced by Hokkien, and differ from their Standard Mandarin counterparts.

Some cases are listed in the following sub-sections.

Use of the word "有"

The word "有" (yǒu) is usually added in front of a verb or verb predicate to indicate an existing action or completed status.

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced) Standard Mandarin Translation
我有看見他。 wǒ yǒu kàn jiàn tā 我看見他了。 wǒ kàn jiàn tā le I saw him
有在家嗎？ yǒu zài jiā ma 在家嗎？ zài jiā ma At home?
我明明有給你。 wǒ míng míng yǒu gěi nǐ 我明明給了你。 wǒ míng míng gěi le nǐ I obviously gave you

Use of the word "會"

The use of word "會" (huì) [literally "can"] is used in colloquial Singaporean Hokkien, and such a use has entered Singapore Mandarin. The sense of 會 as "can" in Standard Mandarin is generally limited to knowledge or skilled ability, such as ability to speak a language, but in Singaporean Mandarin it is broader and closer to the meaning of "can" in English, which indicates possibility or ability generally.

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced) Standard Mandarin Translation
車子會過嗎？ chē zǐ huì guò ma 車子能過嗎？ chē zǐ néng guò ma Can the car cross?
到宏茂橋會遠嗎？ dào hóng mào qiáo huì yuǎn ma 到宏茂橋(很)遠嗎？ dào hóng mào qiáo hěn yuǎn ma Is it far to travel to Ang Mo Kio?
東西很多，吃會飽。 dōng xi hěn duō, chī huì bǎo 東西很多，能吃飽(吃得飽)。 dōng xi hěn duō, néng chī bǎo (chī dé bǎo) There are many things, you can fill your stomach

Pronunciation of the word "了"

The word "了" is often pronounced as "liǎo" instead of "le".

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced) Standard Mandarin Translation
機器壞了 jī qì huài liǎo 機器壞(掉)了 jī qì huài diào le Machine broke down
人走了 rén zǒu liǎo 人走(掉)了 rén zǒu diào le The person is gone

Use of the Hokkien sentence-final particles "嘛", "啦" or "咧"

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin often involves the addition of Hokkien sentence-final particles such as "嘛" (ma), "啦" (la) or "咧" (lēh).

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced) Standard Mandarin Definition
下午到我家玩嘛。 xià wǔ dào wǒ jiā wán ma 下午到我家玩。 xià wǔ dào wǒ jiā wán Come to my place for fun this afternoon
你快點去啦。 nǐ kuài diǎn qù la 你快點去。 nǐ kuài diǎn qù Quickly go.
不是這樣咧。 bú shì zhè yàng lēh 不是這樣。 bú shì zhè yàng It's not like this.

See also

References

Further reading

  • 周清海编著， 《新加坡华语词汇与语法》，新加坡玲子传媒私人有限公司出版， 2002年9月, ISBN 981-4127-23-X， ISBN 978-981-4127-23-3 (Zhou, Qinghai (2002), Vocabulary and Grammar of Singaporean Mandarin, Lingzi Media)
  • 周清海(著)，《变动中的语言》，新加坡玲子传媒私人有限公司出版, 2009年, ISBN 981-4243-92-2、ISBN 978-981-4243-92-6 (Zhou, Qinghai (2009), The changing languages, Lingzi Media)
  • 周長揖、周清海(著)，《新加坡閩南話詞典》 ，中國社會科學出版社， 2002年，ISBN 978-7-5004-3530-3 (Zhou Changyi, Zhou Qinghai (2002), "Singaporean Hokkien Dictionary", China Social Science Pub.)
  • 周長揖(著)，《新加坡閩南話概説》 ，廈門大學出版社， 2000年 (Zhou Changyi (2000), "An Overview over Singaporean Hokkien", Xiamen University Pub.)
  • 周長揖(著)，《新加坡閩南話俗語歌謠選》 ，廈門大學出版社， 2003年，ISBN 7-5615-2158-8(Zhou Changyi (2003), "Collection of Singaporean Hokkien Folk Adage and Ballad", Xiamen University Pub.)
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