yeh (yeh yeh)

I have a couple of close friends who are studying in Perth now. One migrated over when we were 13, and another left for further studies after completing O levels in Singapore.

The both of them definitely have developed the Australian accent, and between the 2, A (the one who migrated) has a stronger accent cos she's been there longer, and since a younger age. She came back to Singapore to visit her relatives and friends soon after, and it was hilarious because all of us thought "yeh" was a really funny expression! Not that we haven't heard of the word before, but because it was a part of her vocabulary. Every time we spoke, she'd agree (or respond) by saying "yeh" or "yeh, I get it, yeh" or "yeh, totally". Her "yeh"s came so often (almost after every other sentence) we'd usually pre-empt them and just respond in the same way as she did. Over the years there have been less "yeh"s though. But they're still there nonetheless (:

The change in the way my other friend, K (the one who left after completing O levels), spoke was more obvious and drastic. The "leh"s, "la"s and "lor"s quickly disappeared within a few months of being in Perth and they were replaced by "yeh"s. Not to mention "yeh yeh yeh". Quiet moments when one was speaking were substituted with interjectory expressions such as "yeh" and "ah" and "yeh that's right".

If I knew no better about how English was spoken in Australia I probably would have thought that my friends had turned from polite, courteous girls into rude, ill-mannered and impatient listeners who could not wait for you to be done speaking so that they could start. After all, they seemed to have so much to say when you were speaking! But really, that wasn't what they had intended at all.

It's so important to understand the cultures that people you work with are immersed in. A lack of understanding and a willingness to understand just makes room for conflict and bad relations.