English has become the common international language for communication between countries that don't share similar languages. And with its assimilation into different cultures, it also adapted and evolved into various forms that incorporated features from the cultures in which it thrived. One pair of countries in which English has taken on its own character is Singapore and Malaysia.
Two unique varieties of English have emerged in neighboring nations, Malaysia and Singapore, known as Manglish and Singlish, respectively.
Now, outsiders may feel a little out of the loop in their first exposure to Singlish and Manglish, so we’ve put together this list of some of the most common words you may hear during everyday conversation, and their subtle differences between Singapore and Malaysia. Learn some of these and you’ll be on your way, lah.
Coconuts Singapore has compiled these five words that you'll often hear when you travel to Singapore or Malaysia, and it would definitely be best to familiarize yourself with them if you ever feel like going to either of those countries.
(Image credit: Lionel Lim/Flickr, CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons)