There has been ongoing debate whether the trademark Singaporean slang – “Singlish” is good or bad for Singaporeans. Here are my views on this pertinent issue.
Nearly every Singaporean is guilty of peppering his sentences with local jargon like “lah” and “lor”, which have essentially become part of their vocabulary, whether at the coffee shop or in the classroom. Some students are so accustomed to using Singlish, or broken English, that they subconsciously use them in their English essays, much to the disgust of their English teachers. Well, is Singlish a boon or bane?
Some Singaporeans argue that Singlish, despite being grammatically wrong, is indeed good for the country, for it gives Singapore a sense of identity, something that is “uniquely Singapore”. Local comedies such as the Phua Chu Kang series all have characters that use the slang.
Furthermore, speaking Singlish to many Singaporeans is the most comfortable way of communication. As Mr Gaurav Keerthi, president of the local Debating Association, puts it, Singlish “can express a lot of feelings colloquially which may not have the same impact or meaning as English.” One must admit that this is very true; we are all used to using Singlish, a “language” that every Singaporean can understand and relate to.
Since Singlish seems to benefit us so much, then why is there such a heated debate whether it should be used? Well, the problem with Singlish is that it is highly grammatically incorrect. “Sian lah, got do English blog yet?” is one such example where Singlish inculcates poor grammar in students. Sentence structure borrowed from Mandarin and the additions of “lah” or “leh” is what makes Singlish so unique, but also makes it so controversial among teachers and leaders.
Can Singlish be detrimental to students? Yes, it most certainly can. Using Singlish may get so deeply rooted in their brains that they can easily forget and use them in their oral assessments and exams. This may affect them when they grow up too; what type of impression would they give if they use Singlish in their resumes? Communication with people from other countries will be difficult too. I do not think Singlish will be very intelligible to non-Singaporeans. The use of broken language will only give them a poor impression of our nation.
Therefore, I feel that despite Singlish being part of our unique culture, it is rather impractical and detrimental when it comes to communication and relations with foreigners from other lands. It has the potential of making a negative impact on the schooling population, for it will adversely affect the standard of English, both spoken and written.
After all, it was Singlish that sparked the Speak Good English Movement, aimed to improve the English standards in Singapore, to help Singaporeans speak Standard English with correct grammar and pronunciation (the exact opposite of what Singlish is), to enable Singaporeans to be able to relate better abroad with other English-speaking humans.
However, does that mean we should ban Singlish and forget it altogether? Despite its drawbacks, we should also not forget how it benefits us, as mentioned earlier. I think that expressing our feelings colloquially using Singlish is not a sin; but overdoing it to the extent of using Singlish in reports and essays is.
Think about it: would not Singapore become duller if Singlish were banned? Singlish is essential in injecting local humour and flavour to this sunny little island.
To conclude, I feel that Singlish can be both a boon and a bane—depending on how one uses it. Using it excessively will compromise the standards of English in Singapore – making it more of a bane. However, as long as we Singaporeans use it minimally and under control, we can all enjoy it, at the same time not experiencing its negative side-effects on Standard English.
Here’s the article to refer to (on Newslink – the links don’t work all the time, but you can try: http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_sourcePage=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=08&year=2008&date=20&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_ST_2008_9719854 ):
Don't codeswitch to Singlish, please
Section: Home
Publication: The Straits Times 20/08/2008
Page: B3
No. of words: 367
IT MAY seem like good manners to turn on the Singlish when communicating with a countryman who can speak only the patois, but think again.You are doing him a disservice, not a favour, because his language skills will never improve, said the chairman of the Speak Good English movement (SGEM), Mr Goh Eck Kheng.When speakers of standard English codeswitch to a non-standard form, poor speakers will think there is no need to increase their proficiency.Codeswitching is actually condescending, akin to talking down to someone, Mr Goh added.He hopes to cultivate speaking good English as the norm. "Immersing Singaporeans who cannot speak English well in this environment will give them the incentive to speak good English all the time. It's like sending them to London or New York where generally there's a good English-speaking environment."There are three groups being targeted: Singaporeans who can speak standard English, those who cannot but want to, and those who speak bad English but see no need to improve.The movement wants those in the first group to be role models, and will help the second group by providing more resources. As for the third, it hopes to change their mindsets through its public awareness campaign and with the help of standard speakers.Ex-national debater Jonathan Pflug felt role models would not work – not because the idea is bad, but because Singaporeans will not bother when it comes to simple actions like ordering hawker food. "When you interact with people in daily life, those interactions are just functional. I don't think people think of them as educational opportunities," he said.Another reason could be the homely familiarity of Singlish."It's comfortable, and you can express a lot of things colloquially which may not have the same impact or meaning as English," said Mr Gaurav Keerthi, president of the local chapter of the Debating Association.English schoolteacher Anne Lua felt speaking Singlish to speakers of bad English is not condescending, but a case of "building rapport". She said: "If I speak in proper English to hawkers, they may think I'm showing off or better than them. That may affect service and people's self-esteem."
Nearly every Singaporean is guilty of peppering his sentences with local jargon like “lah” and “lor”, which have essentially become part of their vocabulary, whether at the coffee shop or in the classroom. Some students are so accustomed to using Singlish, or broken English, that they subconsciously use them in their English essays, much to the disgust of their English teachers. Well, is Singlish a boon or bane?
Some Singaporeans argue that Singlish, despite being grammatically wrong, is indeed good for the country, for it gives Singapore a sense of identity, something that is “uniquely Singapore”. Local comedies such as the Phua Chu Kang series all have characters that use the slang.
Furthermore, speaking Singlish to many Singaporeans is the most comfortable way of communication. As Mr Gaurav Keerthi, president of the local Debating Association, puts it, Singlish “can express a lot of feelings colloquially which may not have the same impact or meaning as English.” One must admit that this is very true; we are all used to using Singlish, a “language” that every Singaporean can understand and relate to.
Since Singlish seems to benefit us so much, then why is there such a heated debate whether it should be used? Well, the problem with Singlish is that it is highly grammatically incorrect. “Sian lah, got do English blog yet?” is one such example where Singlish inculcates poor grammar in students. Sentence structure borrowed from Mandarin and the additions of “lah” or “leh” is what makes Singlish so unique, but also makes it so controversial among teachers and leaders.
Can Singlish be detrimental to students? Yes, it most certainly can. Using Singlish may get so deeply rooted in their brains that they can easily forget and use them in their oral assessments and exams. This may affect them when they grow up too; what type of impression would they give if they use Singlish in their resumes? Communication with people from other countries will be difficult too. I do not think Singlish will be very intelligible to non-Singaporeans. The use of broken language will only give them a poor impression of our nation.
Therefore, I feel that despite Singlish being part of our unique culture, it is rather impractical and detrimental when it comes to communication and relations with foreigners from other lands. It has the potential of making a negative impact on the schooling population, for it will adversely affect the standard of English, both spoken and written.
After all, it was Singlish that sparked the Speak Good English Movement, aimed to improve the English standards in Singapore, to help Singaporeans speak Standard English with correct grammar and pronunciation (the exact opposite of what Singlish is), to enable Singaporeans to be able to relate better abroad with other English-speaking humans.
However, does that mean we should ban Singlish and forget it altogether? Despite its drawbacks, we should also not forget how it benefits us, as mentioned earlier. I think that expressing our feelings colloquially using Singlish is not a sin; but overdoing it to the extent of using Singlish in reports and essays is.
Think about it: would not Singapore become duller if Singlish were banned? Singlish is essential in injecting local humour and flavour to this sunny little island.
To conclude, I feel that Singlish can be both a boon and a bane—depending on how one uses it. Using it excessively will compromise the standards of English in Singapore – making it more of a bane. However, as long as we Singaporeans use it minimally and under control, we can all enjoy it, at the same time not experiencing its negative side-effects on Standard English.
Here’s the article to refer to (on Newslink – the links don’t work all the time, but you can try: http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_sourcePage=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=08&year=2008&date=20&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_ST_2008_9719854 ):
Don't codeswitch to Singlish, please
Section: Home
Publication: The Straits Times 20/08/2008
Page: B3
No. of words: 367
IT MAY seem like good manners to turn on the Singlish when communicating with a countryman who can speak only the patois, but think again.You are doing him a disservice, not a favour, because his language skills will never improve, said the chairman of the Speak Good English movement (SGEM), Mr Goh Eck Kheng.When speakers of standard English codeswitch to a non-standard form, poor speakers will think there is no need to increase their proficiency.Codeswitching is actually condescending, akin to talking down to someone, Mr Goh added.He hopes to cultivate speaking good English as the norm. "Immersing Singaporeans who cannot speak English well in this environment will give them the incentive to speak good English all the time. It's like sending them to London or New York where generally there's a good English-speaking environment."There are three groups being targeted: Singaporeans who can speak standard English, those who cannot but want to, and those who speak bad English but see no need to improve.The movement wants those in the first group to be role models, and will help the second group by providing more resources. As for the third, it hopes to change their mindsets through its public awareness campaign and with the help of standard speakers.Ex-national debater Jonathan Pflug felt role models would not work – not because the idea is bad, but because Singaporeans will not bother when it comes to simple actions like ordering hawker food. "When you interact with people in daily life, those interactions are just functional. I don't think people think of them as educational opportunities," he said.Another reason could be the homely familiarity of Singlish."It's comfortable, and you can express a lot of things colloquially which may not have the same impact or meaning as English," said Mr Gaurav Keerthi, president of the local chapter of the Debating Association.English schoolteacher Anne Lua felt speaking Singlish to speakers of bad English is not condescending, but a case of "building rapport". She said: "If I speak in proper English to hawkers, they may think I'm showing off or better than them. That may affect service and people's self-esteem."
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