So How?

This is classic Singlish that you get to hear almost once a day here in Singapore.

"So How?" is a truely versatile rhetoric which is as much in avoidance of English grammatical laws as Singlish is.

What it means depends on the context in which it is asked.

In it's most basic form, it sounds like "What's up?", a friendly greeting between friends or collegues. It can also take the form of "So what is your plan?" or "What are you going to do about it?" when in the confines of a conference room with your boss firing that at you. And towards the end of the day, it can mean "So where do we meet for a beer?"

So much variety in two words.

"So How?" epitomises the economy that characterises Singlish. Seldom are sentences spoken which are gramatically correct. The point, I guess, is to convey the maximum amount of information with the least number words.

For someone who is used to appreciating British humour and language, it sometimes can sound a bit harsh on the ears. It takes me a few milliseconds to absorb the question and understand the meaning of it before I can fire back an answer.

After spending more than nine months here in Singapore, I think I am getting better at it.