Singapore

SINGAPORE

FINAL PROJECT - COUNTRY EXPERT

Introduction

Singapore is a fascinating mix of different cultures. Chinese is the
most prominent, but there are also many people with a Malay or
Indian background. Today, Singaporeans have a strong national
identity which also manages to broadly respect an individual’s
ancestral culture. In terms of doing business, there are a lot of
cultural norms of Singaporean that we think are important for
business travelers heading to Singapore to recognize cultural
differences and plan around them.

Singapore

English Features Used in
Singapore

What is Singlish?

Singlish is the English language that everyone uses in
Singapore. Singapore’s cultural diversity has resulted in
an informal, localized form of English. Singaporeans of
all races infuse Standard English with the vocabulary of
the languages they speak. They sprinkle it with Chinese,
Hokkien, and Malay phrases. The sentence structure of
Singlish bears their influence as well.

Singapore

FUNCTIONAL PARTICLES English Features

Singaporeans are heavy users of pragmatic particles. These are words
borrowed from mostly Southern Chinese dialects, notably Hokkien.
They serve different, practical purposes. The most common ones are “ah”
(to indicate uncertainty), “lah” (to make an assertion or statement), “hah”
or “mah” (to ask questions), Singlish speakers may end their sentences
with “what” to contradict their conversation partners.

Examples of these sentences are:
1. Her dress is too short lah ( being assertive)
2. Take this away, hah? (asking a question)
3. The first door to the left ah? (indicating uncertainty)
4. Mary was the one who brought the food to you, mah?
(asking a question for clarity or confirmation).

VERB GROUP WITH NO SUBJECT

Singaporeans do not express the subjects of sentences when others
can infer them. This habit stems, in large part, from the use of
shortened Mandarin sentences. The Inferred or retrievable sentence
subjects are in parenthesis.

Examples of this are:
1. “(You) Go to airport,” from the Chinese sentence, “qu ji chang”
2. “(I) Still got headache”, from the Chinese phrase “hai tou tong”
3. “Don’t want lah”, from the Chinese phrase “bu yao“

Singapore

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES WITHOUT English Features
A SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION

Singlish speaker often eliminates conjunctions such as “if” or
“when” in sentences. These would be necessary when speaking
Standard English. The missing words are in parenthesis.

Some instances of these are:
1. (if) You sit there, then where I sit?
2. (if) Shout again, I go
3. (if) I stand here, can hear also

MISSING VERB

Singlish users remove the verb “to be” from sentences. This
language habit is another derived from contracted Chinese phrases.

Example:
1. “She scared. (is)”, translated from the Chinese phrase, “ta pa”
2. “Today, I going shopping (am)”, translated from the Chinese
sentence “Jin tian wo qu guang jie.”
3. “Your book there (is)”, translated from the Chinese sentence
“Ni de shu zai na“

Singapore

VOCABULARY FROM OTHER
LANGUAGES

Singlish borrows words from other languages, particularly Malay
and Chinese. These words have specific functions.

Some instances of borrowed vocabulary include:
1. Alamak, a Malay word to indicate dismay or surprise
e.g. “Alamak! I already late!”
2. Sian, a Chinese word that shows a speaker’s boredom
e.g. “This lecture is so sian.”
3. Susah, A Malay word for “useless.”
e.g. “Fixing that spoilt car, susah lah”

SINGAPORE VS THAI

ENGLISH FEATURES SINGAPORE THAILAND English Features

Functional Particles
Verb Group with No Subject
Conditional Clauses Without
a Subordinating Conjunction
Missing Verb
Vocabulary from Other Languages

Singapore

CULTURAL ASPECTS Cultural Dimensions
BASED ON HOFSTEDE’S
CULTURAL DIMENSIONS

Geert Hofstede
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory is a framework used to
understand the differences in culture across countries and to discern
the ways that business is done across different cultures. The aim of
the study was to determine the dimensions in which cultures vary.
According to Hofstede, the values of employees within a workplace
are ultimately influenced by their respective country's culture
(Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010). So, in order to better understand those
values, one must analyze and focus on these primary dimensions of
a nation's culture. The method that we use in this booklet is website
analysis.

Singapore

Web Analysis - Hofstede’s Cultural
Dimensions

HIGH POWER DISTANCE Cultural Dimensions

Singapore In Singapore, Singaporean’s attitude is that all individuals in societies
are not equal. Also, power Distance is defined as the extent to which
the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a
country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. In
company, power is centralized and managers rely on their bosses and
on rules.
In a high-power distance culture, you should not ask questions or
point out obvious errors that your superior has made. Moreover,
sometimes your superior may make a decision without telling you, the
only thing you can do is shrug it off. Furthermore, it will be better for
you to give the contact some time to obtain the requisite permissions
within the company in order to move forward.

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COLLECTIVISM Cultural Dimensions

Singapore Singapore is a collectivistic society due to the degree of inter-
dependence among society. This means the group is important, people
belong to in-groups who look after each other in exchange for loyalty.
Social relations should be conducted in such a way that everybody’s
face is saved. Also, the harmony of the group has to be maintained,
open conflicts are avoided. A “yes” does not mean “yes”; politeness
takes precedence over honest feedback.
You should give priority to the group or team rather than yourself.
You should avoid open conflict by not giving honest feedback so that
the harmony still remains. Politeness is more important than honest
feedback. Also, being polite and saving face for others is a goal and
managers should always be calm and respectful.

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LOW UNCERTAINTY Cultural Dimensions
AVOIDANCE
Singapore
The members of Singapore feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown
situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid
these which reflected in the high uncertainty avoidance. In Singapore,
people abide by many rules not because they have a need for structure
but because of high PD. Singaporeans call their society a “Fine country.
You’ll get a fine for everything”.
Singaporeans maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice
counts more than principles. So, you should not be too strict on the
rules. You can use informality in interactions with others in order to
make the relationship less stressful which contributes to smooth and
effective business talk. However, you need to be aware when you need
to talk with the high position people due to the high power distance
culture.

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Do’s and Don’ts in
Singapore

Do’s in Singapore Do’s and Don’ts in Singapore

Singapore MAKE FRIENDS

Business in Singapore relies on a
group mentality. Relationships
develop through past ones,
making networking crucial to
finding a supplier. If you can find
a local connection, you’re sure to
win over your potential partners

BE PUNCTUAL

Singapore’s view of time is less
flexible than in other Asian
countries, and punctuality is
highly valued. Be sure to schedule
meetings at least two weeks in
advance when possible, and show
up a little early if you can.

PLAY ALONG

Hierarchy and authority are
important to Singaporean business
structure. When an authority figure
or senior member of a business says
something, don’t question it or
disagree outright. Play along, and
maybe nod towards disagreement.

Do’s in Singapore Do’s and Don’ts in Singapore

SMALL TALK

Part of making relationships is
small talk. Singapore business
people want to get to know you as a
person, as it helps them determine
whether or not your business
partnership will be long lasting and
fruitful. Talk a bit before and
after a meeting to do so.

DRESS UP

Though this seems fairly obvious,
it can be hard to decide what to
wear to a meeting. Especially
because of how hot it can get in
Singapore, business people are
tempted to dress down for
comfort. Keep it formal. Suit
and tie, sweat and all.

Singapore

Don’ts in Singapore Do’s and Don’ts in Singapore

DON’T BE INDIVIDUALISTIC

Group interests, harmony and mutual
security are more important than the
individual. Otherwise Singaporean may not
feel comfortable working with you.

DON’T SAY “NO”

Rather than rejecting someone by saying
“no”, say “I will try” or “I will see” thus
allowing you and the other party to save
face.

DON’T JUST TRY TO SHAKE
HAND TO EVERYONE

Chinese Singaporeans shake hands but
the handshake is lighter and a bit more
prolonged; Malay Singaporeans might
refrain from shaking hands with the
opposite sex.

Singapore

Don’ts in Singapore Do’s and Don’ts in Singapore

YOUR POSITION MATTERS

Your hierarchical position within the
company is considered to be your
achievement; it should be clearly
indicated on your business card.
One side of the card should be in
English, the other in Chinese

STAY CALM AND TONE IT DOWN

Singaporeans are quite sensitive to
body language and prefer a calm
demeanor. Try to tone down facial
expressions and body language
and refrain from speaking loudly

Singapore

SUGGESTIONS Suggestions & Disclaimer

When doing business in Singapore, there are many points that you should
know. Singaporean use of English may be almost the same as yours.
However, there are some key differences that you have to pay attention to.
Many gestures that might seem polite in other countries may be
considered impolite or offensive with the cultures in Singapore.
Therefore, learning cultural diversity is very important when doing
business abroad. The key is to impress them but not against their
culture. Singapore is the country where there are multinational people
which means the practice of religion is also varied, so you should be
cautious of actions which can be contrary to the culture, religion or
beliefs of that country.

DISCLAIMER

While we tell you about language, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and
the Do's and Don'ts in Singapore, you should not take this information
as concrete evidence of Singapore culture, as they are generalized
characteristics and not indicative of everyone in the culture. Therefore,
you should only use them as a guideline to consider potential conflicts
and what business you can do. Also, we suggest that you observe the
behavior of those working with you to understand the culture of your
working environment even further.

Singapore

REFERENCES

Gupta, A. F. (n.d.). Features of Singapore Colloquial English. Retrieved April 08, 2021, from
http://www.postcolonialweb.org/singapore/people/language/features.html

KELLY, D. (2019). How to do business in Singapore. Retrieved April 08, 2021, from
https://www.veem.com/library/how-to-do-business-in-singapore/

Martyn. (2013). Thai and ENGLISH Tinglish conversation - time difference. Retrieved April 08,
2021, from https://www.thaisabai.org/2012/11/thai-and-english-tinglish-conversation-
time-difference

Mike. (2016). Making sense of “Tinglish”, the Thai version of English. Retrieved April 08, 2021,
from https://www.into-asia.com/thai_language/thaienglish.php

Rao, K. (2018). 5 unique features of the Singlish language. Retrieved April 08, 2021, from
https://etoninstitute.com/blog/5-unique-features-singlish

References

Singapore

Let us never negotiate out
of fear. But let us never
fear to negotiate.

JOHN F. KENNEDY

Tachatouch Yukolthonwong 6111150022
Phuvadech Yodsiri 6111150081
Wathusiri Iamchai 6111150537
Vivian Thienhiran 6111150545

Suchanan Manapitakpong 6111150570
Jirachaya Rodbooth 6111151282

Nattavadee Hanakaset 6111151321
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