What did you eat yesterday?
SgSL evolved organically within the Deaf community and is “a unique reflection of Singapore’s national heritage and multilingual culture”, says Lye.
SgSL has roots in Shanghainese Sign Language (SSL), which was taught in Singapore’s first school for the deaf, the Singapore Chinese Sign School for the Deaf in the 1950s, alongside written Chinese, which was the other language of instruction of the school. Peng Tsu Ying, one of the school’s founders, taught the techniques and the sign language he had learnt while growing up in Shanghai.
In the 1970s, Lim Chin Heng, a former student of Peng’s who studied in America, brought back American Sign Language (ASL) to the local Deaf community, as well as Signing Exact English, which is not a language in itself, but a manual code that represents English grammar visually.
With the help of four Deaf Singaporeans – Andrew Tay, Shariffah Faaiqah, Amirul Afiq and Lisa Loh – we’ll discover how these varied influences have shaped their language and how some of these signs have changed over time.
Here’s one example of how signs have evolved.
These are the two different signs for “10 dollars” – one is an older variant, the other is a newer one.
According to Andrew, older signers who are Chinese-educated would use this variation. The sign originates from SSL.
It comprises two parts: the sign for the word “red”, and a visual representation of the Chinese character for 10 (十).
Faaiqah, who is younger, uses a different sign most likely influenced by ASL.
She does it by signing “money” first, followed by the sign for “10”.
Some local signs have also changed over the years. Here’s an example.
These are the two signs for “Singapore”.
Lisa says that people of the older generation who are Chinese-educated use this sign, which has its roots in SSL.
The sign involves tapping the tip of the thumb against the tip of the index finger. It is meant to symbolise the stars on the Singapore flag.
Afiq, however, uses this newer variation, which is now widely used in Singapore.
It is based on the sign for “island”, but using the closed-fist hand shape for the letter “S”, for Singapore, instead of the “I” for “island”. These are called initialised signs and are influenced by ASL.
A big part of what makes SgSL unique is its use of local signs and colloquial expressions.
This was how Andrew noticed that Deaf Singaporeans were using their own unique variety of sign language in the 2000s.
He eventually named it “Singapore Sign Language”.
I thought it was essential to coin the name for our sign language, SgSL.
Prior to that, there wasn’t a name for it.
Other countries had a name for their own sign languages,
as with ASL and British Sign Language,
but we had nothing like that.
I felt it was essential to coin a name for our own sign language.
Just as Deaf Singaporeans use the local sign for “Singapore”, many other local signs are widely used across the community.
These include signs for local food and landmarks, as well as Singlish signs, says Phoebe Tay, adding that these reflect the Singaporean Deaf identity.
Rainbow kueh lapis
The sign consists of two parts – first, the sign for “colourful”, and second, the action of peeling the layers that the snack is well known for.
Jewel Changi Airport
This is made up of the sign for the letter “J” for Jewel, and a gesture meant to symbolise the iconic indoor waterfall in the middle of the mall.
Teh tarik
The sign is reminiscent of how this local drink is made – by pouring the drink back and forth between containers.
Alamak
This sign expresses shock or dismay, mirroring the meaning of the Singlish word.
Kaypoh
The sign combines the letters “K” and “P” in the Singlish word “kaypoh”. Both letters have the same hand shape but in a different orientation, and the change from one to another creates the sign.
SgSL is deeply intertwined with the identity of Deaf Singaporeans.
After giving SgSL its name, Andrew felt that there was a shift in how he perceived his identity as a Deaf Singaporean.
Before SgSL was more formally established,
I felt lost, and uncertain of who I was.
With SgSL, I am confident in knowing what makes me who I am.
And there’s that link between my Deaf identity and the Deaf culture I’m a part of.
In a speaking-dominated world, it’s unclear what exactly that culture is.
When SgSL was established, I felt pride in knowing what represents our Deaf identity,
and I felt confident in knowing what makes Deaf culture.
Lye explains that SgSL embodies the identity of the Deaf community here. “It allows Deaf individuals to express themselves fully in a language that resonates with their personal experiences and the societal and even emotional context they live in,” he adds.
Similarly, Lisa, Faaiqah and Afiq view SgSL as unique to Deaf Singaporeans precisely because it reflects their shared identity and the community’s way of communicating within it.
What makes SgSL unique really are the different variants that encompass it.
SgSL is influenced by Pidgin Signed English, ASL and SSL,
becoming a unique language that we understand.
Besides these, what makes SgSL unique is the incorporation of locally developed signs.
With SgSL, communication is easy.
It’s unique to Singapore,
and something that is ours.
SgSL creates more opportunities for the Deaf community
as it allows complete access to information.
SgSL also builds a sense of identity
as a cultural component unique to our own Deaf community.
That is the significance of SgSL.
SgSL represents the language, identity and culture of the Singaporean Deaf community.
How do we ensure the future of SgSL? Proliferation and preservation.
SgSL is gaining interest outside the Deaf community. Andrew, who works as a private-hire driver, occasionally picks up passengers who sign to him in SgSL. The majority of such passengers have taken lessons from SADeaf.
Lye says SADeaf has seen an increase in sign-ups for its SgSL classes over the past three years. He adds that people sign up for a variety of reasons, such as exploring a new language and culture, or to better communicate with a friend or family member who is deaf.
There are ongoing efforts to document and preserve the language for future generations – one of them is the SgSL Sign Bank, created through a partnership between SADeaf and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Lye says the sign bank provides “a comprehensive record of signs used within the Deaf community”. As at September 2024, there are 749 documented signs, and SADeaf will continue to work with the Deaf community to document more.
A free e-book on SgSL is another collaboration between SADeaf and NTU to document signs, and also to encourage readers to learn more about SgSL users and their unique experiences.
And in Andrew’s case, SgSL is more than just a language he uses – it gave him a community that he could finally call his own.
In the past, no one in my family signed.
Everyone would be speaking, having conversations, and I would be left in the dark.
There wasn’t communication, and I couldn’t be kept in the loop of what was happening.
It was that sense of: “Who am I actually?”
My family members used speech to communicate, but I was unlike them.
I was clueless about what was happening within my family
and in my environment, growing up.
With SgSL, we have communication.
A door opens for us, and we are able to find out more about the world, and what’s really out there.