A vocabulary is the collection of all the words in a language. It is defined by speakers of the language and reflective of a society’s social norms and culture.

Basic words are of great importance to a vocabulary as they are stable, used by all or almost all speakers of the language, and productive (used as basis to form new words). Besides basic words, there is also a vast number of common words which come from many sources, such as classical Chinese words, dialects, loanwords, lettered-words from English terms1 and local sayings. When new phrases or terms are coined and become widely used, they enrich the vocabulary of a language.

The vocabulary of Singapore Mandarin is largely similar to the standard Mandarin used in China (known as putonghua), except for the unique terms specific to local community. In the 2016 edition of the Quanqiu huayu dacidian (21st Century Contemporary Chinese Dictionary), which contains 88,800 entries, there are 1,648 terms unique to Singapore Mandarin.

Front cover of Times Dictionary of Singapore Chinese (1999), edited by Wong Wai Tik.
Front cover of New Century Global Chinese Dictionary (2010), edited by Li Yuming.

Unique terms

Terms which are unique to Singapore Mandarin mostly reflect local features, items, and phenomena, such as zuwu (Housing & Development Board flats), leling (senior citizens), yongchezheng (Certificate of Entitlement), xinshengshui (NEWater), yitongka (EZ-Link card), jixuanqu (Group Representation Constituency), dusuijin (Chinese New Year red packets for the elderly), jianguo yi dai (Pioneer Generation), liguo yi dai (Merdeka Generation), xinjiapo siling (Singapore Sling), jiuye zhunzheng (Employment Pass). They are usually newly-created words specific to the local community, and Mandarin speakers from elsewhere may require further explanation to understand them. For instance, there are many terms in Singapore Mandarin that are formed from the base character da (big), including dacai (Singapore Sweep), dapai (HDB block number), dapo (the South Bridge area of Singapore), daerlong (loanshark), dabogong (the Earth Deity), darizi (special occasion), and dazibao (a debt collection notice).

The unconventional and innovative ways in which some terms were coined also demonstrate how society regards certain sections of the population with respect or affection. For instance, the term leling, which refers to senior citizens, avoids the word lao (old). Instead, the word le (happy) replaces it, associating the term with the peace and happiness of one’s golden years. Other terms derived from leling include: lelingcun (retirement villages for seniors), lelingzhou (Senior Citizens’ Week), leling zhongxin (Active Ageing Centre), leling gongyu (studio apartments for seniors), and more. Another example of how Singapore Mandarin terminology reflects attitudes to different social groups is the term for migrant workers: the term kegong (literally meaning “guest worker”) is used much more frequently than wailao (foreign labour).

Singapore Mandarin also differs from putonghua in that some of the same terms are used to refer to different phenomena and have different connotations. For instance, the term laogai in Singapore refers specifically to the Corrective Work Order, which penalises litterbugs by making them pick up trash in a high-visibility jacket under supervision. In China, however, it refers to reform through labour, an entirely different punishment. Another example is how dazibao refers to the debt notices that a loan shark or his runners might put up at a debtor’s home or workplace in Singapore, while in China, it refers to big-character posters which are handwritten on walls and used as a means of political protest and propaganda. And while dayi in Singapore refers to a man’s suit jacket, in China, it refers to a knee-length winter overcoat. Such differences in terminology have led to differences in understanding between speakers in both regions.

Furthermore, there are some terms which are still used in Singapore that have become less common in China. These include: youchai (postman), jitong (spirit-medium), yongren (domestic worker), dezhi (to have one’s legal appeal allowed), chefu (driver), and qingdaofu (street cleaner).

Dialect terms

Unique terms in Singapore Mandarin are also closely related to southern Chinese dialects like Hokkien and Cantonese. For instance, the term yinsheng (a toast) originates from the Cantonese term yam seng. Terms like jipo (busybody), chishe (skiving), pashu (kiasu), and the idiom mei yu xia ye hao (literally “having shrimp is better than having no fish”, meaning “anything is better than nothing”) come from Hokkien and Teochew sayings. Certain terms are also used more frequently in southern Chinese dialects compared to putonghua. Consider the two terms for face: mian or lian. The former is more commonly used in southern dialects and the latter in putonghua. As such, a Chinese Singaporean will use mianpen to refer to a washbasin, compared to lianpen in putonghua. Similarly, there are two terms which can refer to “broad”: kuo or kuan. Southern dialects mostly use kuo, while putonghua uses kuan. Furthermore, a putonghua speaker would use the disyllabic words weizi or zuowei to refer to a seat, while in Singapore Mandarin, the monosyllable wei is usually used, omitting the other character. These are just some of countless other examples.

Loanwords

Given Singapore’s multicultural and multilingual environment, there should be no surprise that the interaction between English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil has resulted in cross-pollination between the languages. In fact, many terms in Singapore Mandarin come from English and Malay. Some examples of English loanwords include: beige (boycott), guda (quota), and luoli (lorry). Many more come from Malay, like baba (baba), niangre (nonya), ganbang (kampung), relan (jalan), badi (batik), shalong (sarong), lesha (laksa), wuda (otak-otak), luoza (rojak), shadie (satay), kuilong (kelong), basha (pasar), and jialong guni (karang guni) .

There are also some terms that take their meaning from English but have their form, including their morphemes and structure, adapted for Mandarin. Take, for instance, the term qianluo,2 which is a direct translation of the English term “money mule”. The term is both evocative and accurate, and regularly used in local newspapers and reports. While seen occasionally in other Chinese- or putonghua-speaking areas, it is used significantly more frequently in Singapore.

Lettered-words make up another class of unique words in the local Mandarin database. Commonly-used words in both spoken and written language include: wu C (5C), U-zhuan (U-turn), COE (Certificate of Entitlement), CPF (Central Provident Fund), DJ (disc jockey), EM1 (English and Mother Tongue 1),3 ERP (Electronic Road Pricing), GST (Goods and Services Tax), HDB (Housing & Development Board), ITE (Institute of Technical Education), MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), NETS (Network for Electronic Transfers), NTUC (National Trades Union Congress), and PIE (Pan Island Expressway). The fact that these words are regularly used in the local Chinese language demonstrates how different languages influence and interact with each other in a multilingual environment.

In conclusion, the vocabulary of Singapore Mandarin has maintained most of standard Mandarin vocabulary to facilitate communication between the local Chinese and people from China and other Mandarin-speaking regions while at the same time adapting to local needs, reflecting the dynamism of local Mandarin.