Singaporean Mandarin Database

This database contains a collection of Mandarin terms which have cultural, historical or sentimental value unique to Singapore. These terms may be used by Singaporeans in the past or at present. Some of the terms are read in print while others are used in our everyday conversations.

shā

yán

pasar language

Speech

生活用语

Speech

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pasar language

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Speech

生活用语

Speech

释义

名词

在坊间广泛使用的、通俗并不纯正的语言。

DEFINITION

Noun

An everyday, colloquial language that is widely used and made up of a mix of languages.

由来
  • “巴刹”是马来语 pasar 的音译,而 pasar 则源自波斯语,指做买卖的市场、市集或菜市场。
  • 新加坡是一个多元种族、多语言、多文化的社会。殖民者的英语、最早在新加坡落脚的马来人的马来语、华族移民的各种方言、印度人的淡米尔语和旁遮普语(Punjabi)等,在新加坡相互接触、渗透及影响。
  • 巴刹马来语是最早在新加坡出现的巴刹语言,指的是受其他语言尤其是华族方言词汇与语法影响的、不纯正的马来语。巴刹马来语表现了新加坡早年的语言特色。当年,巴刹马来语是为了满足各种族间的沟通需要而产生的,但在1960年代英文教育普及后,巴刹马来语渐渐被英语取代。
  • 在华族间使用的通俗的、不纯正的、不能在正式场合使用的共通语被称为“巴刹华语”。巴刹华语的语音有方言腔调,而词汇则夹杂方言、马来语或英语词语,语法也具有方言色彩。

ETYMOLOGY
  • The term pasar originated from the Malay word for “market”. It is derived from Persian, and refers to a trading venue or marketplace.
  • Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural society, where English (a language inherited from its former colonial rulers), Malay (spoken by the indigenous people), various Chinese dialects
    (brought in by Chinese immigrants), as well as Tamil and Punjabi (introduced by immigrants from India) converge. These languages came into contact with and influenced one another.
  • Pasar Malay was the first pasar language to appear in Singapore, and refers to Malay that has been influenced by the vocabulary and grammar of other languages, especially Chinese dialects. Pasar Malay expresses the language characteristics that were present in the early days of Singapore’s history. At the time, Pasar Malay came into existence to facilitate communication among various ethnic groups. With the widespread introduction of English in the 1960s, Pasar Malay was gradually replaced by English.
  • Pasar Chinese refers to the common, informal, colloquial language used among the Chinese. Pasar Chinese is spoken with a dialect accent, while its vocabulary is a mix of words from Chinese dialects, Malay and English. Its grammar also reflects the characteristics of Chinese dialects.

例句
毋容置疑,作为第一语言的母语必须词汇丰富,不是一般简单的巴刹语言或单一的商务语言。(《联合早报》, 12/8/2022)
SAMPLE SENTENCE
There is no doubt that the mother tongue – in its role as a first language – must be rich in vocabulary, distinct from basic pasar language and one-dimensional business language. (Lianhe Zaobao, 12/8/2022)
相关资料

  • 一个巴刹马来语的例子为“Gua punya Ah Kong peki tengok wayang tong tong ceng”, 意思是“我的公公去看大戏(地方戏曲)”。如果用标准的马来语来表达这句话,应为“Datuk saya pergi tengok wayang Cina”。
  • 巴刹华语的例子包括“我走先”(标准用法为“我先走”),及“马打”(指警察)、“暗牌”(指暗探)等词语。

RELATED INFORMATION

  • An example of Pasar Malay is Gua punya Ah Kong peki tengok wayang tong tong ceng, which translates to “My grandfather has gone to watch Chinese opera”. In standard Malay, the same sentence would be Datuk saya pergi tengok wayang Cina.
  • Examples of Pasar Chinese include “我走先” (as opposed to the standard usage “我先走”), as well as terms like “马打” (meaning “police”) and “暗牌” (meaning “plainclothes police officer”).

参考资料
REFERENCES