Singapore's special language - Singlish - is being recognised in the Oxford English Dictionary. 19 Singaporean words, to be exact!
These words include "wah", an exclamation of delight or surprise, "blur", meaning clueless or confused, as well as "sabo", which is simply short for English word "sabotage". Words for food and beverage are also included: "teh tarik", literally Malay for "pulled tea", referring to the method of preparing this tea with condensed milk. "Chilli crab" was also included, which is a famous dish in Singapore, consisting of crab cooked in a sweet and spicy gravy. Even the word "sotong" was included, which is Malay for "squid", but it can refer to a person being clumsy or ignorant.
So, why did they decide to pick only certain words to be added into the Oxford English Dictionary? Well, according to their website, Oxford says that they have different methods to determine which words are the most significant and are "likely to stand the test of time".
What do you think about Singlish being part of the Oxford English Dictionary? Share your views!