SPEAK proper English? Forty-one per cent of Singaporeans polled in a recent Speak Good English Movement survey do not see any need.

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The better educated S'poreans are able to code switch when the occasion calls for it. Unfortunately, many of our countrymen (the 4 in 10) are incapable of even recognising that the Singlish which they speak is undecipherable to foreigners. These S'poreans are unable to code switch, so they speak in creole all of the time, which does not equip them to hold their own, when speaking during formal occasions & with foreigners. When Singlish becomes the only version of English which they know, then all they are capable of speaking is nothing more than sub-standard English.

I have seen several MPs speaking live on TV. I cannot say they spoke Singlish but their accent is clearly Asian at best....

daloksingh

Thanks for your comments.

I believe that S'poreans need not speak with a fake or adopted British, American or Australian accent to be understood. They merely have to pronounce their words clearly & correctly. Listen to our local newscasters (not just the western-born or educated ones) who speak in crisp, clear tones. That's how S'poreans should aspire to speak to be better understood.

However, I think that it's high time that schools offer Higher English language or improve the standard of our English language teachers from the primary schools upwards.

Since we are a Commonwealth country, there is nothing wrong learning to speak in Queen's English to begin with. Singlish is not a recognised language, & even many S'poreans find it jarring to the ears. Singlish can, in fact, be considered no better or different (in terms of linguistic purity) than Pidgin.

The current standard of English taught in our schools (especially at primary level) is sadly inadequate. After speaking with 3 of my children's English language teachers, & spotting their blatant grammatical errors in both spoken & written form, I am convinced, more than ever, than those S'poreans truly proficient in the language, are mostly in other vocations i.e. law, banking, medicine etc.

If S'poreans write & speak to be understood by the majority of our countrymen, then we will have to speak & write in Singlish! That would not only cause the English standard to decline, but over time, lead to even those proficient in the language, being dragged down a notch or two!

I distinctly recall an incident, several years ago, when 2 of my Canadian friends, who were with me at a food court, did not realise that a group at an adjacent table, were speaking English.

They were talking in Hokkien-accented English, with a sprinkling of Mandarin & Hokkien thrown in. However, at least 80% of their conversation was conducted in sub-standard English. Even though they were speaking loudly for most of their conversation, my 2 Caucasian friends were surprised when I informed them that the occupants of that table were, in fact, speaking (trying to speak) in English!

My first language is English. But living in an environment where we are constantly exposed to sub standard english makes it hard for someone with immaculate grammar to remain that way. (I'm not talking about me, I'm just saying.) Sadly, I think taht even my foundation of english can be improved. It's utterly disgraceful if I cannot even use perfect grammar for my first language.

I think that "Singapore english" can be multi lingual. English borrows words from other languages, I don't see why "singlish" cannot. But this "borrowing" should not be happening in terms of grammatical structures.

I believe that Singaporeans should try to speak good English, after all, 'Singlish' is somewhat defiling the English language. True, ‘Singlish’ is one thing that is unique to Singapore, but it does sound rather crude. Furthermore, people from other countries find it hard to communicate with Singaporeans, because of the mix of various languages used in ‘Singlish’. Schools should work towards improving their students foundation in English, as that is where the trouble begins. One can make a small difference by putting in the effort to speak good English, you may just start influencing those around you.

Love it how Singaporeans try and be white with their pathetic singlish. You guys sound like indians when you speak English.

Singaporeans are chinese and should just focus on speaking mandarin properly.

Stop embarassing yourselves. Look in the mirror.

To these 4 in 10 Singaporeans who refuse to speak proper English, I say `Shame on you!'. So many young Singaporeans can neither speak proper English or Mandarin. Look at our non-English speaking neighbours - they are so keen and hungry to learn proper English as they see it as a passport to the global job market and higher paying jobs.

All this while, we have had a distinct advantage over our neighbours because of our English-medium education. The PRC Chinese are slowly picking up good English. Within one generation, the new generation of Chinese will speak proper English and we Singaporeans will eventually be at the losing end in terms of competition for global jobs. It is no laughing matter to be cavalier about speaking Singlish as a form of national identity. It will only slowly erode the competitive advantage that we have over our non-English speaking neighbours.

Reading all you language "purists'" miserable attempt to (exhort "shameless" Singlish speakers to) speak "Queen's English" simply makes me laugh my a$$ off! Try harder! :D And good luck!

Though Singlish wasn't, strictly speaking, my first language, and still isn't, I'm so glad I speak it, boy, and I'm trying to improve my repertoire, hard as it without a native-speaker environment. Singlish is so rich and beautiful - I can't believe I'm saying this now, bec I was a completely different animal just a few years back! - and it'd be such a tragic and unbearable loss if this darn language which I'm using now wipes off the rest of the languages on the face of this earth! Darn 'cos I don't have much of a choice - it's the only language that is capable of expressing me fluently.

You really don't know what you're talking about when you speak of "code-switching" or "shameless" people who "refuse to speak proper English!" Pray tell, why "shameless"? What's so shameless? Shameless relates to an immoral person or act, what is so shameless about refusing to speak "proper" English - and just what the heck is "proper" English? Shameless is the person who knows not and yet speaketh like some sage, precisely bec s/he knoweth not!

Hey, before you bleat out the same old tune, please learn some applied linguistics, and not embarrass yourself any further. It'll blow your mind, I assure you! :)

Last night, fetch three pax, one china lady and two local male. One of the local try speaking like a Beijing slang Mandarin.
Make me want to puke.

I like Michael Jackson _ grass jelly mix with soy bean..whoever coin it, I want to give credit.