Should Singlish be recognized as an official language in Singapore?
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
In this topic, we must recognize that to be an official language it means having to be accepted by the government as a language. This means, that instead of it just being spoke casually, it is a form of official communication in the civil service. Singlish is essentially English modified due to the different cultures in Singapore, therefore, singlish likely includes Malay, Indian, and dialect languages. Besides, singlish is without rules and regulations, thus there are zero rules of communication. Singlish is then unable to be comprehended by foreigners. As such, it is impossible that the government recognize it as an official language, since this would not enable us from communicating with other countries in this world effectively. For example, “Eh, walk faster or else late liao. Later kena scolded by Ms Tan” Essentially, this sentence is calling meant to tell the other person to walk faster in order not to be late, which would result in a scolding by Ms Tan. However, the use of liao and kena make it hard to comprehend. Other than that, the lacks of linking words make it confusing too. Can you imagine the embarrassment we would bring to our country by speaking singlish in formal occasions, especially with foreigners? Obviously distinguishable as the English language, the modification of such a language would not be permitted by the English and Americans. As both the United Kingdom and the United States of America yield more influence, our country would be viewed as a laughing stalk.Therefore, I believe that singlish should not be recognized as an official language.
However, i can understand why others would want to recognize Singlish as a official langauge. Many people consider languages as a huge part of national identity, only with a common language, can the country truly be united, without room for misunderstandings. Even though Singapore is said to have a common English language, it is still not practiced within races. Singlish could prove to break the barrier of communication. Singlish combines the culture and language of all races together, easing different races to a common language. Also, it could prove to be Singapore’s sense of national identity, easily distinguished. Can you imagine going overseas to hear someone speaking Singlish, knowing that you have countrymen around you? How relieving will that be?