|
|
Change Your Life! |
Singapore launches "Speak Good English" drive |
|
News
|
April 30, 2000 SINGAPORE, APR 29 (AP) - Singapore's unique brand of English may sound funny, but it could have serious consequences, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong warned on Saturday at the launch of a "Speak Good English Movement."
"If we speak a corrupted form of English that is not understood by others, we will lose a key competitive edge," Goh said in a speech.
"Investors will hesitate to come over if their managers or supervisors can only guess what our workers are saying," he said.
Singapore, a city-state with no natural resources, relies heavily on foreign investment.
Some outsiders may indeed have a hard time grasping everyday "Singlish" expressions such as "Can or not?" ("Is it possible?"), and "Don't pray-pray" ("Don't play around").
Goh said he was impressed by a golf caddy in Zimbabwe who, upon seeing the prime minister putting badly, asked, "Would you permit me to test your putter?"
"In Singlish, we would have said: 'Can try your putter or not?'," Goh said.
Singapore is going all-out to battle the problem. TV station Channel NewAsia is airing a special program, "Mind Your Language," in which local celebrities tell of making embarrassing slip-ups in English.
A new Web site offers a list of difficult words, which Internet surfers can click on to hear pronounced in immaculate English.
The list includes demons such as "arctic," "heinous," "harass" and "pianist."
English is one of four official languages in Singapore, a former British colony. The other three are Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
Singlish blends English with words from other languages, uses syntax from Chinese dialects and often drops articles such as "a," "an," and "the." A popular TV comedy recently dropped Singlish following government complaints.
Government-initiated campaigns are common in the wealthy, tightly controlled island republic of 3.2 million people. Past examples include drives to quit smoking, keep public toilets clean and be more courteous.
|