The Interpretation of the Discourse Particle Meh in Singapore Colloquial English

Abstract

It is well known that languages differ considerably with respect to the role that discourse particles play in their communication system. Singapore Colloquial English (SCE) is characterised by the use of discourse particles (e.g., meh, lah), loans from Southern varieties of Chinese, as an economical way of communication. This paper presents an account of how the discourse particle meh in SCE is interpreted in discourse within the framework of Relevance Theory (Sperber & Wilson 1986, 1995). Meh is an interesting entity because it is a form of code-marker which identifies rapport and familiarity between participants (culture). It is an identity marker which distinguishes members of a particular community from others. The meh particle is attached to declarative sentences with question intonation, for example, You not asleep meh? and It sounds like that meh? It is used to convey doubt or surprise. This study looks at meh as an optimal way in which Singaporeans manage their discourse. Meh is non-truthconditional and should be considered as a procedural particle to constrain the inferential phase of utterance interpretation. Its function is to guide the interpretation process by specifying certain contextual effects and building optimal relevance between the proposition and interpretation. Speakers seek greatest cognitive effects with minimum processing cost.