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Different connotations of Singlish

The debate on the desirability of Singlish has cropped up in the media frequently in recent decades. It was rightly labelled as a “uniquely Singaporean threat” in the commentary “Singlish — a uniquely Singaporean threat” (June 1).

The debate on the desirability of Singlish has cropped up in the media frequently in recent decades. It was rightly labelled as a “uniquely Singaporean threat” in the commentary “Singlish — a uniquely Singaporean threat” (June 1).

On the other hand, many opinions have been voiced praising Singlish as charming and reflective of a commendable culture. Clearly, Singlish does not have the same connotation to everyone, and we have often been talking at cross-purposes.

First, some people take Singlish to mean the inclusion of local words in English, such as kiasu and boleh. There is nothing wrong with this practice, which practically every language in the world shares.

English uses many Latin and French words. The Indonesian and Malay languages would have difficulty in expressing abstract ideas without resorting to English words.

Even China, so proud of its long history, has not hesitated to adopt English words when its language cannot articulate precise meanings. “Boycott”, “humour”, ”show” and “fans”, for example, have been translated phonetically and incorporated in the mainstream Chinese language.

Second, we should not confuse Singlish with deviant pronunciations and accents. Mispronunciations are caused by poor teaching and learning but are correctible. This common problem confronts all non-native English speakers.

Accent is formed in childhood and is resistant to change; it tends to stay for life. We cannot expect most Singaporeans to speak English without revealing our accent.

Lastly, the problem with Singlish is that it is related to the corruption of English through wrong grammar and syntax. If left unchecked, it would develop into a pidgin English.

For instance, it is common to hear Singaporeans say “This one can run one”, “Don’t like that anyhow say lah” and “Can you do it? Yes, can can”. We should not accept or encourage this aspect of Singlish.

We learn English because it has global application and can help us to interact with other nations. We should not waste time on learning a language without being able to reap the benefits.

If we can master English to the extent that we use reasonably correct grammar, syntax and pronunciations, we should be satisfied as a nation whose mother tongue is not English.

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