Clippings, in which a shortened form of a word occurs. Common clippings in Singapore are: air-con (from "air-conditioner"),[1]condo (from "condominium"),[2]sabo (from "sabotage"),[3] and cert (from "certificate").[4]
Acronyms, in which the initial letters are formed into a single word, such as scuba, which is derived from "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus". Creation of acronyms such as this is rare in Singaporean English, though TIBS (/ˈtɪbz/, "Trans-Island Bus Service") and CISCO (/ˈsɪskoʊ/, "Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation") are found.[5]
Initialisms, in which the individual letters are spelled out. This is by far the most common category in Singapore, including PAP ("People's Action Party") and PIE ("Pan-Island Expressway"), which are pronounced /ˌpiːˌeɪˈpiː/ and /ˌpiːˌaɪˈiː/ respectively and never */ˈpæp/ and */ˈpaɪ/. Some analysts regard initialisms such as these as one kind of acronym,[6] but others prefer to distinguish between the two categories.[7]
Initialisms are extremely common in Singapore, and many have become better known and more widely used than the full form of the words they represent. One example is the Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital, which is more commonly referred to as KKH.!!!
The most important category of Singapore initialisms are those for government departments and public institutions. Among the earliest examples are PUB ("Public Utilities Board") and HDB ("Housing Development Board"). Abbreviations such as these were especially important in the past when most Singaporeans were not educated in English, and their use facilitated communication in the public services where the main administrative language is English. Government departments have therefore promoted the use of these initialisms, so they occur even in non-English publications. Although the younger generation of Singaporeans are now all educated in English, abbreviations remain a major characteristic of Singapore English!!!
There are efforts to maintain some consistency among the initialisms.[citation needed] Three letters are used for government institutions (PUB, HDB, CPF, MOH, CWO) and for expressways (AYE, PIE, KJE), while two letters are used for polytechnics (SP, RP). To maintain this consistency, some abbreviations are not direct initials; for example CTE is used for "Central Expressway" instead of *CE, and NP is used for "Ngee Ann Polytechnic" instead of *NAP. When the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was established in 1991, the name was chosen instead of the alternative "Nanyang University of Technology" because the latter would have resulted in the unsuitable NUT. While Anderson Secondary School has shortened its name to ANDSS instead of ASS!!!
Recently, there have emerged a number of unconventional abbreviations, such as A*STAR for Agency for Science, Technology and Research.) When SAFTI (Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute) was reorganised in 1995, it acquired the name SAFTI Military Institute, further abbreviated as SAFTI MI, which when fully expanded would form a rather awkward title Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute Military Institute!!!
MENDAKI - Yayasan MENDAKI (formerly the Council for the Education of Muslim Children, now the Council for the Development of Singapore Muslim Community)
PES - Physical Employment Status. Pre-enlistment medical categorisation used by the Singapore Armed Forces to determine fitness for combat or non-combat duties
This is a list of abbreviations commonly used in the Singapore Armed Forces, including slang terms. They are often used in place of the expanded form of the words. Some abbreviations are similar to those used in other military. Other abbreviations may be identical to those used outside of military but with differing context.
MOP - Medic Operational Pouch (previously Medical Orderly Pouch)
RAI - Returnable Ammunition Item, usually referring to expanded cartridges for live or blank round that are required to be returned after training exercises.
RSAF - rarely seen after five. Also the acronym for the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
SOC - siam one corner, that is, to hide somewhere in order to avoid meeting one's superiors, doing work, etc. (from the abbreviation of "Standard Obstacle Course")
11B - SAF 11B, the military identity card, referring to the eleven pieces of basic information written.
1206 - SAF 1206, a form signed to acknowledge deductions made to a soldier's payroll for damaging or losing equipment, etc. (pronounced "twelve-O-six")
1211 - SAF 1211, an issue and receipt voucher for proof of receiving and issuing of goods.
302 - SAF 302, a form signed to declare own homosexual orientation (pronounced "three-O-two")
15A - SAF 15A, a temporary document used alongside a photo ID card and police report, in place of a lost or stolen 11B
ACCT - Advanced Close Combat Training
AI - Armoured Infantry troopers
AOC - Advanced Obstacle Course
ATP - Advanced Trainfire Package
Attend B - medical status that allows soldier to perform only light duties
Attend C - medical status that exempts soldier from all duties
AWOL - Absent Without Official Leave
BAC - Battle Assault Course
BCCT - Basic Close Combat Training
BER - beyond economic repair
BIBO - book-in/book-out (book)
BIC - Battle Inoculation Course
BMT - Basic Military Training
BRO - Battalion Routine Order
BTP - Basic Trainfire Package
BUA - Built-up area (see also "FIBUA")
C3 - command, control and communication (pronounced "C-three" or "C-cube")
As in most other major cities, abbreviations are commonly used in transport-related matters. The most prominent are the three-letter abbreviations of the expressways in Singapore; all, except one, end with the letter "E":
With the introduction of the Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System (EMAS) in 1998, LED signboards were installed along the expressways to display warning and other informational messages to road users. This led to the increased use of abbreviations, some of which are less common and not easily understood. The following are examples of abbreviations used in the EMAS:[8]
^Low, Ee Ling; Adam Brown (2005). English in Singapore: An Introduction. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education (Asia). p. 69. ISBN0-07-123975-8.
^Brown, Adam (2000). Singapore English in a Nutshell: An Alphabetical Description of its Features. Singapore: Federal Publications. pp. 57–58. ISBN981-01-2435-X.
^Brown, Singapore English in a Nutshell, above, p. 187.
