Well, not my father exactly. I can think of a few choice expletives that he would have said, or still says, especially when my mother isn’t around.

Although this is a very Americanised viewpoint, I still find it interesting and rather relevant. The author writes ‘It is through his language that I remember and lay claim to my father, and because he left us nothing else.’ I wonder how much of Singapore’s language will be kept, how much will pass into what is ‘accepted’ as everyday language and how much will remain on the fringes, passed on or forgotten by Singaporeans.