Well, I know a few people who are versatile enough to be able to
switch back and forth from speaking Singapore accented English to a
more American like inflection. My sister constantly amazes me when
I observe her on the phone changing her speaking style depending on
who she is talking to. Some might called it two-faced, I call it
practical.
But going back to an issue that has been raised, I know its easy to
say that everyone should be proud of Singlish, but lets have a look
at reality. Even the government is against the mutilation of
British English. I know they concentrate more on the fact that
Singlish mangles grammar, but pronounication is also important in
that everlasting "first impression."
Take a look at the forum threads. Not all, but a significant
percentage of posts reveal a very abbreviated form of English.
Singlish, mixed with slang, internet abbreviations, and
Singapore-centric terms such as NPNT. A foreigner coming upon
sgForums would probably not understand, and worse, have a low
opinion of our English skills.
This is absolutely not a problem and infact a plus for the
the site as SGForums is built for Singaporeans and frequented by
Singaporeans. However, compare the language to that of an
American forum site like Craigslist's Rants and Raves, and you'll
see the difference. In the case of Singaporeans living overseas and
working overseas, we have to adapt to their culture. After
all, we are guests in their country, so if we want climb their
social ladder and advance ourselves in their system, we have to
play by their rules. As a result, it is frustrating not to
be able to adjust speaking style when others do it so
effortlessly.
Again, I would like to stress, there is nothing wrong with
Singlish, but that only applies if you restrict yourself to a small
corner of the world.
