Odds against upholding standard of English in S’pore
Our better command of the English language relative to the region is a crucial factor that has helped us achieve what we are today.
In the debate about Singlish, we should consider whether our standard of English is strong enough to deter the undesirable impact of Singlish. I doubt so. If we look beyond the horizon, the odds may also be against us.
Owing to baby shortages, we need at least 15,000 to 20,000 immigrants yearly. Their accents, practices and standard of English vary.
Unless we are exemplars of proper English, many of them would fall back on a laid-back version of the language or even Singlish. We have over a million foreign workers here, and the number will increase as our population greys.
This is how one local supervisor told his foreign workers to do the work right to avoid wasting money: “Do good good; no money go.”
In future, more senior citizens will switch to Singlish after leaving the workforce, when they gather in coffee shops, food courts or markets, replacing those who now speak dialects.
What if future regulators relax the rules for using Singlish in the entertainment and advertising industries? Would anyone “double confirm” that will never happen?
The more Singlish is used, the more Singlish words will be coined. Older speakers may, in time, not even understand the Singlish spoken by younger ones.
We should not rely solely on our educational system to uphold our standard of English. The Government and business organisations can play an influential part.
Unlike other multilingual countries like Fiji or Mauritius, we have a strong governmental commitment to standard English as the key official language, with policy measures to prevent a regression owing to the influence of Singlish. This is a unique endeavour.
Faced with unfavourable odds, we may pay a heavy price should we let Singlish steer its own course.
