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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
Following on the success of his 2017 hit, Spiaking Singlish: A Companion to How Singaporeans Communicate, Gwee Li Sui is back with a series of three "Leeter" books covering the quintessential features of Singlish, Singapore's unofficial language - written in Singlish! In this second volume, we learn that Singlish is not just about lah and leh: "Singlish oso got idiom and proverbs wor. Such kinds of expression make natural sense within a language and often cannot be translated without lugi-ing some depth. Consider how much shiokness 'blur like sotong' and 'bak chew tak stamp' bring to a situation with people being tekanded. Use 'pattern more than badminton', 'mee siam mai hum', or 'last time policeman wear shorts', and you'll have pecah lobang your true fewling on a matter without saying more."
From the poet’s Preface: When love ends, what do you keep? Some autumns ago, I met a remarkable woman and we fell in love. She is a Korean novelist, I a Singaporean poet. Across oceans of differences and the habits of age, we forged a way to love and to keep faith. Then, as mysteriously as it all started, it ended about a thousand and one nights later. Modern storytellers beguile us. They bring such freshness to the endings of tales that we willingly hold our breaths in a promise of them. But the best bits are in the middle where often it feels like the adventure can never die. Every day is vast with possibilities as the heart marvels at the new way it beats. These are what I keep.
Stunning two-volumebox-set collection of original works by Singapore's greatest writers
Following on the success of his 2017 hit, Spiaking Singlish: A Companion to How Singaporeans Communicate, Gwee Li Sui is back with a series of three “Leeter” books covering the quintessential features of Singlish, Singapore’s unofficial language – written in Singlish! In this second volume, we learn that Singlish is not just about lah and leh: “Singlish oso got idiom and proverbs wor. Such kinds of expression make natural sense within a language and often cannot be translated without lugi-ing some depth. Consider how much shiokness ‘blur like sotong’ and ‘bak chew tak stamp’ bring to a situation with people being tekanded. Use ‘pattern more than badminton’, ‘mee siam mai hum’, or ‘last time policeman wear shorts’, and you’ll have pecah lobang your true fewling on a matter without saying more.”
The Merlion is the official tourism mascot of Singapore, but The Other Merlion of this anthology introduces the Singapore and Singaporeans that only those who truly know them know. Witty, caustic, naughty, irreverent and full of fun, the poet laughs out loud with his people. It seems odd — or it seems odd to me — that a volume of verse like Gwee Li Sui’s selection of poems and original illustrations, The Other Merlion And Friends, should answer so serious and fundamental a question as “Why do I love poetry?” But it does, and there it is, the truth: fizzy and slightly dizzying, like a secret sip of chilled champagne when you were seven. — Eric Norris. founding editor of the online poetry journal Kin (wearekin.org) and co-host of the Carmine Street Metrics reading series in New York City
2719 presents a history of the future. It is a creative prognosis that charts how Singapore will develop for the next seven hundred years. Moments in the island’s real history will reverberate through the course of its current challenges, its cycles of self-making, and the future of our world order.
From the master of Singlish himself! Following on the success of his 2017 hit, Spiaking Singlish: A Companion to How Singaporeans Communicate, Gwee Li Sui is back with a series of three “Leeter” books covering the quintessential features of Singlish, Singapore’s unofficial language – written in Singlish! In this first volume, we delve into what is known as the end-particle: “a modifier that primarily comes at the end of a sentence or a clause. Its appearance changes the meaning of the whole construction – yes, it is that powderful one! We will look at a whole bunch of them: lah, leh, ler, lor, loh, liao, ha, ah, hor, wor, mah, meh, siol, sial, sia, eh, nia, neh, and bah. Some are long-long oredi got use although their uses may have evolved. Others are sibeh new even to my ears!"
Following on the success of his 2017 hit, Spiaking Singlish: A Companion to How Singaporeans Communicate, Gwee Li Sui is back with a series of three "Leeter" books covering the quintessential features of Singlish, Singapore's unofficial language - written in Singlish! In this first volume, we delve into what is known as the end-particle: "a modifier that primarily comes at the end of a sentence or a clause. Its appearance changes the meaning of the whole construction - yes, it is that powderful one! We will look at a whole bunch of them: lah, leh, ler, lor, loh, liao, ha, ah, hor, wor, mah, meh, siol, sial, sia, eh, nia, neh, and bah. Some are long-long oredi got use although their uses may have evolved. Others are sibeh new even to my ears!
“Perhaps I will write about my own life as a blind person,” Choon Guan said. “I’ll entitle it My Love is Blind. The word blind will embrace your name, Lin.” His big eyes widened and lit up, sparkling and full of tenderness. His lips moved in a soundless whisper: “My Love is Lin.” Tan Guan Heng lost his sight at the age of 28. In his first novel, he paints a nostalgic picture of Singapore on the brink of independence. With biting honesty and ironic humour, this novel brings to life the world of the blind and their sighted helpers. More than twenty years after its first publication in 1995, My Love is Blind has retained its enduring appeal as one of Singapore’s most extraordina...