Commonly found variants; note these may range from acceptable alternatives to
non-standard forms or incorrect spellings*.
* 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.
* 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:
chau peng chao peng
zao peng
→
Hokkien:
走
poj:
cháu
+
兵
poj:
peng
Detailed etymology
definitions
noun
- a deserter; a soldier who goes AWOL (absent without official leave)
verb
- to desert the army; to go AWOL
Soldiers who chau peng tend to be privates and low in IQ and educational profile. By contrast, more intelligent and better-educated men and officers tend not to chau peng or go AWOL: but they skive or jiak zua.
— 1978, Leong Choon Cheong. Youth in the Army. p.305