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What We Do - Quantum Information Technology Group
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What is lah?
What exactly is lah? lah is a suffix commonly used when speaking Singlish or Singaporean English, a form of English spoken in Singapore with a huge dose of local slang.The Oxford Online Dictionary describes lah as "a particle used with various kinds of pitch to convey the mood and attitude of the speaker." A guide to various common phrases used in Singlish can be found here.The A to Z guide to Singlish is a humorous article on the use of colloquial English in Singapore. As a guide for expatriates working in Singapore, there is also an interesting article on the Singapore lingua franca. There is also a guide to Singapore colloquial English written by Andrea Fraser Gupta. Tim Richardson defends the use of Singlish here. The use of Singlish has become so widespread that even the Oxford English dictionary has included some Singlish words among its entries
Why do Singaporeans use lah, lor and other such words when speaking?
from Oliver Seet, NIE/NTU These are words that one associates with Singlish. While these words are quite appropriate in casual or intimate conversation among certain social cliques, you should not use them at [interviews], when making a speech or when speaking to [persons in authority]. They tend to debase one’s speech, provide wrong signals of familiarity with the person/s you are speaking to and reduce your standing in the eyes of your listeners or interlocutors. I remember an English Honours graduate I interviewed years ago who could not speak Standard English for more than a minute before lapsing into Singlish. The [interviewing] committee told her that she had three months to stop using lah and lor if she wanted to be a teacher! Lah and lor, I believe, are an inheritance from Hokien and Cantonese; these languages use lah and lor liberally and speakers of these “dialects” tend to lace their spoken English with these words as well. It is, however, more satisfying and emotionally emphatic to say “No, laaah” with the right tone of voice than to just say “No” which sounds bloodless and anemic. Try saying it with feeling and you will see what I mean. It’s also a word to signal a relaxed style of speaking. But the strongest reason for using it is that it is a solidarity builder. Years ago, I spent a sabbatical year in Indiana University. After a month at the university, I hankered for some Singaporean company. I attended a student gathering but the moment they saw me and my wife, I could sense a distancing taking place. So I mustered all the Singlish I knew and used it when speaking to them. It worked like a charm and in no time at all, we were accepted. Lah became the password that gave us access into the young world of the students there. It’s not such a bad word after all, lah.
What a quantum-leap of courage and imagination to coin this new word! It is so new-fangled that some of your readers must have thought that it was a slip of the finger. The marriage of two words of such disparate origin and function is like the marriage of a distinguished professor and a primary school dropout – not wrong but unusual and unexpected. The social elite might frown on such a union. “Quantum theory” is such a formidable and complex academic subject that most laymen would not even try to understand what it is all about. To use –lah as a suffix to form an unlikely word like quantumlah comes as surprise. The new word suggests that you are attempting: a.to adopt an informal and chatty tone in your website b.to give your website a local flavour – as Singaporean as the word lah. c.To build some solidarity with your readers. I am not sure if any or all of the above was at the back of your mind when you coined this word but the success of your website might establish the word as a new entry for the venerable and highly prestigious Oxford Dictionary. May I wish your website all the best!
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