Editing Singapore English (section)

=== Lexical incidence ===

While words generally follow the lexical incidence patterns of Southern British English accents, so ''new'' for example, is pronounced ''nyoo'', never ''noo'' [[Phonological history of English consonant clusters#Yod-dropping|like in some North American dialects]], there are several exceptions.<ref name="deterdingbook" /><ref name="heggarty2013" />

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* The words ''want'' and ''what'' are pronounced with the open central {{sc2|STRUT}} vowel instead of the rounded {{sc2|LOT}} vowel, like most varieties of North American English. In the English spoken in Southern England and Australia, these words are usually pronounced with the {{sc2|LOT}} vowel.<ref name="emergent-patterns" />
* Many speakers use the {{sc2|LOT}} vowel for ''won'' (''win'' in the past tense), so that it rhymes with ''con'' and no longer sounds like ''one''.<ref name="emergent-patterns" />
* ''Their'' is often realised as {{IPA|en|djɑː}} in informal or conversational speech, making it distinct from ''there'' {{IPA|en|dɛː}}, which rhymes with ''mare''.
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* ''Flour'' is pronounced {{respell|FLAR}}, and is clearly distinct from ''flower''.<ref name=triphthongs />
* ''Seems'' and ''seen'' are sometimes realised with the lax ''i'' vowel found in words like {{sc2|KIT}}.<ref name="deterdingbook">{{cite book|last=Deterding|first=David|title=Singapore English|year=2007b|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=9780748630967}}</ref>
* The vowel in ''love'' is the mid central {{sc2|NURSE}} vowel, rather than the open {{sc2|STRUT}} vowel.<ref name="deterdingbook" />
* ''December'' is sometimes ''De''{{IPA|[z]}}''ember'', with a {{IPAc-en|z}}, at least for some speakers.<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=0-521-28541-0 |first=J. C. |last=Wells |title=Accents of English: Beyond the British Isles |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1982 |page=646 |volume=3}}</ref>
* ''Twelve'' is sometimes realised with an initial ''ch'' {{IPAc-en|tʃ}} sound.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Chia Boh Peng|author2=Adam Brown|title=Singaporeans' reactions to Estuary English|journal=English Today|volume=18|issue=2|year=2002|pp=33–38|doi=10.1017/S0266078402002055}}</ref>
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