In this paper, we examine one wh-construction in Singapore English, which signals a demand for justification, and show that there is a systematic correlation between its structural and pragmatic properties. We suggest that this wh-construction is based on the imperative, and inherits the structural properties associated with the relatively more polite version of the imperative. In Singapore English, this is the version that makes explicit mention of the second person subject, whereas in Standard English the use of you in the imperative decreases politeness. After a careful comparison of the pragmatics of the imperative in Standard English, Singapore English and Chinese, we conclude that the asymmetry between the why-construction in Standard English and in Singapore English can be accounted for by substrate influence from Chinese, from which the Singaporean construction has inherited its politeness constraints.
2014. Transforming Southeast Asian language habitats. World Englishes 33:4 ► pp. 512 ff.
Mohamad Deli, Radina
2013. The question of questions in Malaysian English. Issues in Language Studies 2:2
Hiramoto, Mie
2012. Pragmatics of the sentence-final uses of can in Colloquial Singapore English. Journal of Pragmatics 44:6-7 ► pp. 890 ff.
HIRAMOTO, MIE & YOSUKE SATO
2012. Got‐interrogatives and answers in Colloquial Singapore English. World Englishes 31:2 ► pp. 198 ff.
Crystal, David
2003. English as a Global Language,
Wee, Lionel
2002. Lor in colloquial Singapore English. Journal of Pragmatics 34:6 ► pp. 711 ff.
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