http://www.visitsingapore.com/sections/articles/3c/1,1177,472,00.html

'uniquely' is an adverb,how can it modify none 'Singapore'?
TKS

What it's modifying is not the noun referring to the political entity known as Singapore. What it's modifying is the state of being that the political entity acts, in a metaphorical sense, to exemplify.

Hello, shalyu, and welcome. More correct grammar would be "unique to Singapore", but I'm guessing the advertising people thought "uniquely Singapore" was more likely to catch peoples' attention (and thus more likely to make them want to visit Singapore and spend money).
I HATE greed!

welcome shalyu.

to me, it's an understood "Singaporean", so it makes it ok to use the adverb.

Unique means one of a kind, that there is no other exactly like the thing being described as unique. In this sense, "uniquely Singapore" is truly meaningless advert-speak. Every place is unique unto itself, as there is no other place which is that place. Both Iceland and Hawaii may be islands, both the Mojave Desert and the Sahara Desert may be dry, both Tibet and Colorado may be mountainous, but each of them is unique in that each of them is the only them.

http://www.visitsingapore.com/sections/articles/3c/1,1177,472,00.html

Or it could be that 'Singapore is' is understood, and the sentence means that Singapore is Singapore and nothing else but Singapore. While I am glad to have my lingering doubts on the matter dispelled, it is disconcerting that this should be done with a sentence whose meaning, such as it isn't, is so completely 'ambiguous.'

What do you call an expression like this; 'adspeak' is such a big umbrella. Either this sentence is completely ambiguous, because what is 'understood' is not understood; or it is a form of pun. But while an ordinary pun has two or more referants, the adspeak pun has none whatever (something Mr. Fish would probably be interestede in). It is a non-pun: it tricks you into thinking it has meaning when, in fact, it has none.

There is probably room enough for a study of nonesense grammar. You see this kind of grammar in lots of ads (can't think of another example off hand, off hand). The phrase dissembles, but what it is we are being asked to beleave, that cheap silk is dear?

It's a kind of dishonesty I prefer to see used more honestly -- as in farce.

And what is unique about an upward view of skyscrapers from the middle of an intersection?

ho, hum, this is obviously my week for being the dwarf who is out of step!

What makes a place unique, that gives it its distinct identity?
Its people.
Its landscape.
Its place in the world.
Its passage through time.
From its beginnings as a humble trading post to the bustling metropolis it is today, Singapore has always been different. A bridge between the East and the West for centuries, Singapore is today a vibrant melting pot of ideas, cultures and peoples. Local in its perspective but global in its outlook, Singapore is a city that has evolved uniquely, where age-old traditions and cutting-edge innovations are celebrated, a place brimming with unbridled energy and bursting with exciting events.

Singapore – truly a city like no other. With its friendly and welcoming people, state-of-the-art infrastructure and something new happening every day, Singapore is so easy to appreciate. Come and discover countless unique experiences, and take away memories that are uniquely Singapore.

Sure, it's an advert. So what? It's trying, in only a small space, to conjure up a mood to get people interested in the complexities of a whole city. I happen to think it broadly works, and it doesn't pertickly offend my eye or ear. Like eta said, I'd scan it logically as an ellipse - I suppose to unpackage its full values you'd have to take "[these diverse features are] uniquely Singapore[an in their exciting cross-cultural characteristics]"

<shrugs, exiting USL in search of hot&sour noodles>

EuroVacations.com advertises "There is only one Paris." This seems inarguable, altho Tolstoy did point it out in War and Peace. There is another; I think it is in Texas. There might be another still; perhaps in Illinois. But "there is only one Paris" which is, it seems, just the sort of clause, empty of any meaning (or available to be filled with any meaning the reader wishes to attribute to it), about which inselpeter writes.

Both "there's only one Paris" and "uniquely Singapore" make the reader think about what makes these places unique, often from fictional sources - movies etc. This way the ad can sell each reader a tailor made fantasy without actually promising anything.
Effective rather than empty phrases.

Besides, grammatically incorrect or not I still prefer "Uniquely Singapore" to ads like "Kazooie for a Kwik Klean."

>>Only one Paris

Yip Harburg had never visited the city when he wrote 'April in Paris.' He took his inspiration from a poster at a New York travel agency, which may support the following:

>>Besides, grammatically incorrect or not I still prefer "Uniquely Singapore"...

I agree, actually, the phrase is fine -- and the fact that it refers to nothing in particular may make it more evocative. It is only its appearance in an advert that makes it aesthetically 'suspect.'

Besides, grammatically incorrect or not I still prefer "Uniquely Singapore" to ads like ...

In reply to:

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EuroVacations.com advertises "There is only one Paris." This seems inarguable, altho Tolstoy did point it out in War and Peace. There is another; I think it is in Texas. There might be another still; perhaps in Illinois.

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Don't forget Ms. Hilton.

Bingley

Bingley sez: Don't forget Ms. Hilton.

Given the marketing of Ms. Hilton, as relentless and amplified as that for any mouthwash, running shoe or automobile, it seems quite impossible to forget Ms. Hilton.

Paris, Kentucky, is in the heart of horse country.

Whereas Paris, Hilton is the heart of whores country :)

Mav:

Oh, no--oh, no: I never saw that one coming! [bow]

> never saw that one coming

yeah, but lots of others have...

</running away...>

eta, I am SHOCKED!!! (It was pretty funny, though!)

[mutter] I have got to find something to say that can't be turned into something dirty...[/mutter]

something to say that can't be turned into something dirty

You gonna take a vow of silence?

[snort]!

Paris, Kentucky, is in the heart of horse country.

Ah oui, gay Paris! Ze wide boulevards, ze cafes....
http://images.google.com/images?q=paris+kentucky&hl=en (not for the faint of heart)

Unique means one of a kind, that there is no other exactly like the thing being described as unique. In this sense, "uniquely Singapore" is truly meaningless advert-speak. ... both the Mojave Desert and the Sahara Desert may be dry ... but each of them is unique in that each of them is the only them.

Strictly speaking, this is true, Father Steve, but not in a practical sense.

If you were suddenly teleported to the middle of either Desert without knowing your destination, chances are you wouldn't be able to distinguish a Mojave sand dune from a Sahara sand dune. One sand dune looks pretty much like another.

But, Singapore, that's another thing altogether.

Chances are a world traveller would deduce they had been teleported to Singapore during the course of an hour's stroll even if they never encountered anything which identified Singapore explicitly.

From this description, it would seem that Singapore is truly singular and, therefore, genuinely deserving of the title chosen by the travel writer - "Uniquely Singapore":

A single day's trails will take you from the past to the future, from a colourful ethnic enclave to an efficient business centre, from serene gardens to sleek skyscrapers.

Start your day with a unique breakfast in a long house set amidst lush vegetation and forest trees with Singapore's very own orang utans to keep you company. Then...

Take a step back in time as you enter a traditional Chinese temple, Muslim mosque, Hindu temple and Christian church-all in one neighbourhood...

Return to the present by strolling along the streets of Orchard Road, where local teens parade the latest fashion trends and pick up entertaining local catch phrases."