Good English – whose line is it anyway?

To Singlish or to slang? YouthInk writers argue over the need to speak English well.

Singlish encapsulates culture

LET us abandon the belief that Singlish is bad English.

To me, it is a unique vocabulary that encapsulates decades of local culture. One could throw in the occasional ‘lah’ and jargon like ‘bo chap’ (‘can’t be bothered’ in Hokkien) to retain a wonderfully local flavour, and still keep to grammatical English.

Singaporeans using Singlish are no different from Britons using unfamiliar local slang. Not every tourist in London knows not to be offended when asked if he’d like a ‘faggot’ (local slang for meatball).

In any country, understanding the culture includes understanding how the language works. Hence I see no need to codeswitch, or eradicate Singlish just so foreigners can understand us better.

Rather, explain Singlish vocabulary to them as they go along. If they are truly cosmopolitan in attitude, I am certain they would be more than delighted to learn.

Liana Tang, 24, graduated with honours in biology from the National University of Singapore (NUS)

Why criticise codeswitching?

LANGUAGE is all about communication – form should thus be less important than substance. Codeswitching should be welcomed rather than castigated.

Codeswitching is a reflection of how sensitive one is to one’s fellowman by speaking at a level that gets the idea across. Conversely, parroting an accent one has learnt abroad might come off as arrogant.

My ‘imperfect’, ‘non-standard’ Singaporean English served me well over my 10 months in America and Australia, while many Caucasians here seem puzzled by well-intentioned but ultimately garbled attempts at ‘proper’ accented English.

Some Singaporeans appear obsessed with sounding Western at the expense of grammar and communication, and the current Speak Good English movement does not appear to address this imbalance.

Where Singlish serves as an effective medium, why should we condemn it to pursue a ‘standard’ which might turn out untenable and incomprehensible?

Tris Pruetthipunthu, 24, is a final-year law student at NUS

Take pride in ‘neutral accent’

THE Speak Good English campaign is a good initiative to encourage Singaporeans to use grammatically correct English.

But we may not need the campaign so badly as some would have us believe.

When my British housemate’s sister from Manchester came to visit last month, I was appalled by her poor grammar and thick accent. She had to repeat herself many times to be understood.

According to my housemate, this standard of English is the norm in many parts of Britain.

Considering the vastness of Britain and the linguistic influence of Irish and Scottish dialects, it is not surprising that their standard of English varies vastly.

In fact, I know more Singaporeans who have a better command of English, with better grammar and diction, than people from Britain.

So Singaporeans can take pride in what many of my Australian friends refer to as the ‘neutral Singaporean accent’.

Tabitha Mok, 22, is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Western Australia

Speak good English first

THERE has been talk of codeswitching and juggling Singlish with English in different situations.

But how can that be done if one’s English is atrocious to begin with?

Worse still, some of them are English language teachers. Yes, the very people tasked with teaching the younger generation good English.

As an English language teacher-in-training, I am horrified that a considerable number of my course mates are proficient only in Singlish, with its poor grammar and frightful pronunciation.

These are the course mates who eat ‘crips’ and make remarks about ‘kluh-varge’ – exposing outfits.

If one is good in both English and Singlish, there might be a case for codeswitching. But even then, not in the classroom during English lessons please.

Adrienne de Souza, 21, is pursuing a postgraduate diploma in education at the National Institute of Education

A time and place for everything

WHEN I travelled to Britain on an overseas exchange this year, I instinctively switched to a more standard form of English.

It would be absolutely ridiculous to say ‘wah lau eh, I speak Singlish got problem, meh?’ and expect Britons to understand.

After seven months, I came home to find the Singlish accent strange and foreign. However, within three days, I was back to ‘lahs’ and ‘lors’ again.

After all, asking the coffee shop uncle, ‘Excuse me, sir, could I have a cup of tea with milk, please?’ would earn you only a blank stare.

Like all things in life, there is a time and place for English and Singlish. Ideally, Singaporeans should be able to switch efficiently between both.

It is not a question of condescension, only one of necessity and flexibility.

That should be the rightful aim of the Speak Good English campaign.

Christine Chong, 22, is an honours student in literature at NUS

Finding happiness in all places and the right faces

As Singapore’s happiest person hits headlines, YouthInk writers talk about what gives them joy.

Stop to smell the roses

AS TRITE as this may sound, I think this is the secret to being happy: Worry less and enjoy life more.

Singaporeans generally have it pretty good. We have an excellent standard of living and outstanding social infrastructure accessible to all.

One problem, however, plagues us: In our quest for success, we are forgetting about our quality of life.

To get the next promotion, we develop stress-related disorders over work. Depression beckons when our relationships go awry, but we continue to clock even more hours at the office.

I do not mean to champion relaxation at the cost of productivity. But in our daily lives – be it at work, study, or just being around other people – we can, as I do from time to time, take a moment to smell the proverbial roses.

The more we are able to appreciate what we have, the better our lives become.

Now isn’t that something worth striving for?

Tris Pruetthipunthu, 24, is a third-year law student at the National University of Singapore (NUS)

Not just the ‘high’ life

IN A recent Reader’s Digest article on how to be happy, one important tip I remember exhorted its readers to ‘invest’ in memories and not material objects.

The initial excitement of getting a new car or house will gradually fade away, but going on a vacation will leave one with pleasant lasting memories, the article noted.

I agree.

For now, the memories youth seem to be investing in revolve mostly around decadent nights out and frivolous sexual pursuits.

To most youth, happiness is seeking that fleeting ‘high’ in their lives.

Thankfully, that won’t go on forever. As we grow older, the happiness we seek will evolve with our age.

I, for one, look forward to taking comfort in more stability and security in my life.

Be it in our careers or relationships, as American singer Stacey Orrico puts it: ‘There’s gotta be more to life than chasing that temporary high.’

Chew Zhi Wen, 21, has a place to read law and economics at NUS

The joy of work

SINCE industrialisation, the invention of time-saving devices has sought to liberate people from the drudgery of chores.

We now have more time than ever to find happiness in our otherwise mundane lives.

But in a world of competing demands, most of us are putting that time back into our work.

After all, more work means more money and that is the beginning of what some may consider a vicious circle: a competition to see how much wealth-generating work one can complete within a day’s given hours.

The common perception is that if a person works really hard, then he or she can’t possibly be happy.

Since when did working hard preclude a happy life?

I think that the pursuit of success in one’s career is intrinsically a quest to discover happiness, too.

Eef Gerard Van Emmerik, 19, has a place to read law at the Singapore Management University (SMU)

Family, friends matter

WITH the exception of the misanthropic, who among us doesn’t appreciate a warm hug, a friendly smile, and a cheerful pat on the back?

My social network, comprising my family and friends, is the most important thing to me in the world.

They are the people I turn to for comfort and advice, the people I celebrate with in moments of triumph, the people who understand, empathise and accept me for who I am.

My happiest moments in life are not spent alone, but with those I cherish. Similarly, my greatest accomplishments are those I achieve as part of a team.

Everything we do has repercussions for those around us. For me, happiness is derived from those around me and from spreading it to those I love.

Andre Oei, 21, is a final-year government and economics student at the London School of Economics

Happiness is earned

TODAY marks the first Monday in five months that I don’t have to wake up early to go to work at Raffles Place.

My banking internship has ended. I am officially a student again.

Many friends doubted my decision to take a semester off school to pursue an internship.

The sacrifices I made were costly, they cautioned. A delayed graduation, lost job opportunities and a later start to financial independence.

I can’t say that every moment at work has been good. But what is hard to bear is also sweet to remember.

For me, happiness is having the determination to see the hard times through.

It’s a personal benchmark you’ve met that leaves you smug and armed with bragging rights for accomplishing the feat.

What I’ve learnt is this: Each person’s idea of happiness may be unique, but the common thread is that it has to be earned.

Alicia Ng, 23, is a final-year accountancy student at SMU

Push for trilingual students: Language boon or barrier?

Incentives for students to pick up Malay were introduced at the National Day Rally. Will the move go down well?

Published

It simply makes economic sense

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that thus far, only one school has expressed interest in offering Bahasa Indonesia as a third language in its curriculum.

It’s a worrying uptake rate, considering that trade between Singapore and Indonesia is ever increasing.

Statistics from IE Singapore published in the 2007 Yearbook of Statistics Singapore indicate that total trade with Indonesia totalled $62.9 billion last year – fourth, after Malaysia, the United States and China.

Trade with Japan took fifth spot; Germany, 11th; and France, 16th, with $55.2 billion, $21.2 billion and $13.5 billion respectively. So, economically speaking, there is less incentive to learn these languages.

The emphasis on Malay, however, comes as Singapore assumes the chairmanship of Asean. Inclusiveness is high on the agenda, and the Education Ministry is following up by devoting more resources to encourage learners of Bahasa Indonesia.

If we are to embrace our closest neighbours, ‘catch the wind’, and ‘ride the wave’ forward, schools need to seize the day too.

Sanjay Nanwani, 20, will be reading Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University

Three’s a crowd for average Joe

IF SINGAPOREANS are already struggling to be effectively bilingual, how feasible will it be for us to be trilingual?

Young people who dislike their mother tongue may probably be uninterested in their Asian heritage. Forcing them to pick up another Asian tongue will be counter-productive.

Moreover, if the third language is optional, how many of us will actually take up the offer?

Only top students qualify for the special programmes. The average Joe who struggles academically will be unable to join even if he has linguistic potential.

Unless those in the programme are truly interested, they will probably use the language only during lessons. There will not be enough practice.

Owen Yeo, 19, has a place to read social sciences at the Singapore Management University

Don’t forget the Indian tongues

I AM not entirely comfortable with the language programmes discussed during the National Day Rally. While the move to reach out to the region is laudable, it brings with it other disturbing connotations.

The Indian languages have been completely ignored in the current proposal. If Indian Singaporeans are an equal part of charting Singapore’s path, is not then their language of communication equally crucial?

No other motive has been given for learning Chinese besides economic and political ones, while the desire for more Singaporeans to understand Malay is due to a need to interact with our neighbours.

Are our culture and roots alone insufficient to pursue such knowledge for our shared good?

Tris Pruetthipunthu, 23, is a third-year law student at the National University of Singapore (NUS)

Learning Malay to access Islamic culture

ISLAM and Muslim states are becoming increasingly influential, both on the domestic front and internationally. Within the region, especially, there is an increasing need to better understand our neighbours.

Learning Malay will not only give us greater access to studying the wave sweeping through the region, but increase Singaporeans’ regional mobility too.

With economic and political incentives to engage them, the language can give insight into different perspectives, including the understanding of Islam as a religion and culture.

The bonus? Different perspectives on issues such as rapid expansion of trade and bilateral ties with the Middle East, as well as the ongoing war against terrorism, among others.

There may be fears that Islamicisation and a resurgence of faith in public life may strain our racial cohesion, but a shared language is a step in the right direction.

Nurul Aziah Hussin, 21, is a third-year law student at NUS

Lessons go beyond the classroom

I HAVE learnt three lessons from 12 years of Chinese classes.

First, the Chinese phrase for teacher – lao shi – when mispronounced, can result in calling your teacher a rat. Detention then beckons.

Second, I thought I was inept at languages. This lesson, however, proved instead to be an oversight, which would not have been discovered if not for Italy’s World Cup victory last year and my overwhelming love for pasta.

Nothing prepared me for the revelation that I had found something that was more than a hobby. Italian is not the only language I have picked up since; Japanese and French have followed.

While I would not go as far as to discuss foreign policy in Italian, one thing is for sure – I’m enjoying my language lessons far more than I ever did Chinese lessons.

So here is Lesson Three: Do not allow mandatory requirements or incentives to deflect your interest. Who knows how many doors you will be closing on yourself?

Alicia Ng, 23, is a final-year accountancy student at the Singapore Management University

Save the endangered Eurasian languages

CONSIDER the language of another of Singapore’s official races – the Eurasians.

The majority of the Eurasian community in Singapore are descendants of the genti Kristang, or Kristang people, mainly from the Portuguese settlement in Malacca.

Their language, Kristang, has been deemed endangered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), in its Red Book Of Endangered Languages.

As a melting pot of cultures, and a nation that recognises and rejoices in our cultural diversities, perhaps there is forgotten value in preserving this aspect of our culture too.

Adrienne de Souza, 20, is a third-year biology student at Imperial College London

Best Of The Rest

The danger of incentivisation

PM LEE, proclaiming that “Singaporeans love incentives”, has decided to offer two bonus points to students who take up Malay or Mandarin as a third language. Whilst one can appreciate the good intentions behind this policy, it is prudent to question the wisdom in offering such an incentive.

An incentive’s design is critical in shaping the responsive behaviour of the population. Over-emphasis on academic grades may exacerbate the prevalent paper-chase phenomenon in our society, disrupting the government’s vision of an inclusive education system which focuses on the process of learning, and the recognition of non-academic merit.

It is instead desirable to foster solutions to perceived shortfalls without the need for incentives. The government should preferably illustrate the benefits and explain the need for learning a third regional language, as this ensures that only genuinely-interested and capable students take up and accordingly excel in the language.

Sanjiv Nanwani, 20, will be studying Government and Economics at the London School of Economics