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kiasu-ness
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
also can:
kiasu-ness
* The diacritic ◌̃ represents a nasalized vowel.
[ SSS:
kiãsuness ]
kiasuness
definitions
noun
- the stereotypically Singaporean quality of overcompetitiveness, fear of losing out to others, selfishness, and wanting to get ahead of others at any cost
Hesitations about Singapore's "kiasuness" also were prevalent in the accounts of several women who did not want to educate their children in Singapore.
— 2012, Caroline Plüss and Chan Kwok-bun. Living Intersections: Transnational Migrant Identifications in Asia. Springer. ISBN: 9789400729650. p.141
Kiasuness, the fear of losing face, and the consequent lack of risk-taking, has held Singapore back.
— 2008. Asia, Inc: The Region's Business Magazine. Manager International Company. vol.10, iss.5-8, p.22
usage notes
* The nasal vowel is almost always unmarked by speakers, though it is very important to the pronunciation of the term. In a dipthong or tripthong, the recommended convention is to mark the final vowel, unless it is spelled using a repeated letter, in which case the first-occurring repeated letter is marked.