My Grey World

06 Dec, 2006

Good English

Posted by: Sylvia Giacinta In: the world

Is there such thing called “Good English”?

Oh there is, according to Singapore’s government.

What is “Good English”? English with perfect grammar, pronounciation, punctuation, ah whatever it is and all that? Well, wouldn’t it fit better to be called PROPER English?
Take it simply, like this. If I’m speaking in perfect and proper English, with perfect grammar and all stuffs I mentioned before but the person I’m speaking to doesn’t understand what I’m saying, am I speaking a good English?

Good English, I believe, is the English that can be understood by others. Not a one-side English. I speak English and you understand that, then I’m speaking Good English.

I got this concept from my own language, Indonesian. If you’re an Indonesian, you would know something called “Bahasa Indonesia yang Baik dan Benar”. Yes I was having the same thoughts with you. It’s the Indonesian with perfect grammar-spelling-punctuation-and all that which we know we never use. Never ever used except for things like research paper, final paper, thesis, etc.

But I was wrong. And you are wrong to think like that.

“Bahasa Indonesia yang Baik dan Benar” (gosh I hate typing it. Sooo long) is the Indonesian that can be understood well between 2 or more people speaking Indonesian. What’s the point bothering yourself to use complicated, or as they say, sophisticated words if you’re not understood? It’s like you’re saying things like equilibrium, ROI, TCO to a farmer. You might be intending to teach him something good but, man, he won’t get a single clue of what the hell you’re talking about.

And I believe the same concept applies to English.

And I wonder so much why Singapore gives so much damn to Singlish. I mean, face it, Singapore, you don’t have anything to identify yourself as a country except Singlish. If you pick one person randomly from Singapore, assuming he/she’s not a foreigner and he/she doesn’t bring any identity card, how, do you think, can he/she prove to you that he/she is truly Singaporean?

If I am to be picked randomly from Indonesia, despite my Chinese-looking face (the reason why they speak to me in Mandarin here. Please, uncles and aunties, I don’t speak freaking Mandarin), I will tell them that I can speak Indonesian. Fluently. That would identify me as an Indonesian.
Can the Singaporeans do the same?

Why don’t they just make Singlish a language? An official language? All they need is just competent linguists who are willing to write down the rules for grammars, pronounciation, and all that and then you will get your official language! (That’s what happened to Indonesian)

What? Singlish is just a dialect? See my mother tongue, kiddos. Indonesian. It remains similar to Malay while proudly standing as a language.

Oh and the funny thing in Singapore is beside that Speak Good English Movement mentioned earlier, they also have this thing called Speak Mandarin Campaign. Ridiculous, don’t you think so. They say this campaign is to make the ethnically Chinese people in Singapore (I hate using the word “the Chinese”. Oh please, they weren’t born in China) who speak different dialects (Cantonese, Teochew, Hokkien, etc) speak easily with others using Mandarin.

See? Like, duh.

How about that ethnically Indian people who have, er, about 22 languages? (more info) Why didn’t Singapore make Speak Hindi Campaign, Speak Tamil Campaign, or whatever?

*this part is deleted*

I’m signing out.

edited : related reading.

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