UNIQUELY SINGAPORE. This we know, is portrayed of us to those unfamiliar to Singapore. What constitute the uniqueness?  It stems from the cultural diversity of the island, with early immigrants from different races, religions. I shall review this on various aspects.

Unique Living & Style

It is a city of rat race, with emphasis on meritocracy. We have a structured education system for 12 years which branches out to various prospects. We have a structured government–the PAP, which has been in duty for years and having a good reputation of being honest. We boost an integrated and cohesive infrastructure of transport and economy. Despite our size, we yearn to shine. In the pursuit of excellence, we are notable for our Changi Airport, our Clean Environment, our Law and the Lawfuls. We accept and appreciates the different celebration of events and festivals for different races and religon. We lead a harmonious living with different races, whilst retaining the rich essence/culture of each race in various corner of Singapore. We enjoy a fusion of food from various culture.  We, Singaporeans are one of a kind–a hybrid of many aspects. We adopt and we adapt. This make us unique!

Unique Linguistic Expression

Given the socio cultural fabric of Singapore is a rich blend of Chinese, Mandarin, Malay,Tamil, the four official languages of Singapore are Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English. English is the most common language used and is the language which unites the different ethnic groups. Most of us are usually bilingual, speaking a common language, English as well as one’s own mother tongue. Recently, it has been noted that Singlish is a favorite language amongst Singaporeans, using words like ” ya la, ok lor” at the end of the sentences. This influence of English is a badge of identity for Singaporeans, as we are racially mixed, and interact with other races in school, at work. Thus often, we mix malay and hokkien, to form words like “chope” and “cheem”. This is uniquely us, as most of us within a mutli-racial culture environment like Singapore, would understand that they mean to “reserve” and “difficult”. Personally, there is nothing wrong to adopt Singlish as it is something close to heart to bind us. It is only preferred at certain occassions, and thus unique.

Moreover, it is also common that Singaporeans have a quiet nature, during discussion. Most are willining to cooperate and do not voice own opinon strongly. This is likely due to the collective culture, as compared to individulistic culture, which advocate freedom, freedom of speech and expression. Hence, it is understandable that we are generally soft spoken, and easy going. It is an unique trait of us.

Unique Gestures

Greetings to one another are usually, “Heys Hi! or ” hello!” rather than the formal greeting of ” Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening” It is a casual and intimate form of expression of recognition of our friends, relatives etc.

Moreover, it is also common to meet people here, reserving their seats with objects like tissue or bags. This gesture is understood and respected. It is not a written law, neither is it against law to do so. It is usually during rush hour, that such an unique gesture surfaces.

Queueing up for purchase is common and it is an unspoken social order. However, queueing up has recently  gain a new social meaning. Whenever there is a queue, there must be good news/stuff to gain. Take for a day out at an unfamiliar hawker centre, some of us would observe where is the longest queue and follow the crowd to queue, believing that the food to be queued for is going to be tasty.

In Singapore, we also have a “keep-it-clean” culture. Noted as one clean country, its people would take the effort to dispose their waste/rubbish into the nearest bin available. It is also common within school canteen, students would bring their dishes to nearby clearing station.

All in all, these make us UNIQUELY Singaporeans! =)