Peculiar usage of words in Singaporean vocabulary

[Wd40]

Have you guys noticed, some of the words Singaporeans use? I admire their vocabulary in general for the variety of words they use. But I just feel where you could do with simple words, they seem to use more difficult words.

An example; the word "Lousy". Everyone seems to use this word ever so often compared to "bad". I feel very lousy today. The weather is lousy. The food is lousy. I wonder why they love this word so much.

[Chantikki]

I don't think I had ever used the word "alight" before I moved here

[nakatago]

Used in unusual ways:

Shift
Cupboard
Revert
Pain
Go back
Colic

[beppi]

keep
ever
blur
flu
on

[Hannieroo]

Revert soonest. That gives me rage. Revert to what? It makes no sense. I don't like soonest either.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Or the one everybody thinks of but always skirts around, when describing a double duty appliance or person. For instance a Metermaid cum Prostitute who charges day & night!

[PNGMK]

Or the one everybody thinks of but always skirts around, when describing a double duty appliance or person. For instance a Metermaid cum Prostitute who charges day & night!

+1 - it's just a stupid use of a long deprecated latin phrase.

[ecureilx]

"Follow Me" .. which I meant to follow the person till I figured out it is to get into their car ..

"seldom" pops up when they meant to say never ..

added .. "Eat Snake" = skiving at work

[BedokAmerican]

I also never heard the word "alight" until coming here.

Other words often used by locals, as well as by Australians and Europeans is "holiday" or "holidaying" instead of "vacation" or "vacationing" or "going out of town."

The only times Americans usually use the word "holiday" is when they're referring to an actual holiday (Christmas, New Years, etc.)

The first time I heard this phrase was when I was being patted down several years ago at a European airport. The security guard asked where I was going and I said I was on the flight to Washington DC and I was asked if I was "going for a holiday." I said something like, "It's not a holiday" or "There's no holiday right now." I later found out that much of the world calls vacations holidays.

[Hannieroo]

Alight and holiday are correct English.

[beppi]

For Europeans (at least), vacations are holy!

[Wd40]

"Follow Me" .. which I meant to follow the person till I figured out it is to get into their car ..

How about "Let me bring you there" and no its not kids, adults also use this.

But I have to say that people here mostly use very professional English even when its not really necessary. For example they say "Can you help me sign this?" You might as well can say "Can you sign this?" of "Can you please sign this?"

[sundaymorningstaple]

Or, "can I send you home?" Stick a stamp on their forehead and off they go?

[zzm9980]

But I just feel where you could do with simple words, they seem to use more difficult words.

Strange, I'd say the exact opposite. Local English tends to dumb things down! Maybe they use more difficult words than they need to sometimes, but usually the grammatical context is so primitive that I lose sight of that and can't get over the 'ooga booga' caveman english.

I've spent a good amount of time in almost every other major English speaking country (not NZ though..), so the actual words used don't surprise me. I can't think of any real English words used here that I haven't heard or seen used anywhere else. And honestly, the only head scratchers are the ones I also hear used in India. I actually think they've entered the local lexicon via Indians who've arrived here and used in local Office Speak:

"Kindly Revert"
"Kindly do the needful"
"Updation"
"Revertation" <- I think this means your reply? What they expect you to 'revert' back?

Or the one everybody thinks of but always skirts around, when describing a double duty appliance or person. For instance a Metermaid cum Prostitute who charges day & night!

+1 - it's just a stupid use of a long deprecated latin phrase.

This one is also stupid and makes me crazy. I've seen it in Hong Kong too, on the same 'Waste cum Recyclables' bins. In the US I believe that would be where a sperm donor goes?

[nakatago]

can
not