marlz. daughter. sister. friend. cousin. girl. 1988. born to die.
lauantaina, maaliskuuta 12, 2005
problem
problem : sleepless nights
cause : thinking instead of sleeping (more often than not, thoughts about school. i think i'll never stop thinking about it. not until i enter the workforce)
solution : scribbling long long entries onto pieces of paper that disappear mysteriously the next morning when i look for them
last night was a particularly interesting one. i couldn't get to sleep because i was thinking of english. these thoughts that occur to me in the wee hours of the morning (read 'wee hours of the morning' as 'marlz's bedtime') are not there by choice. neither is that niggling feeling that i have to scribble down (in terribly untidy handwriting) exactly what i'm thinking of, in an organized manner. first, write down the topic. give the exact definition of the term. expand and develop on it. go through every possible aspect of the problem or topic in question. then come to a conclusion. if you're thinking that it sounds familiar, then you are right. its the same as planning for an essay, which i did countless times in secondary school. only after i have done all of the following can i get some sleep. i have also discovered that if i'm too lazy to get u and turn on the light, i will not only take ages to get to sleep, but my sleep will be fitful throughout the night. is it me, or am i going bonkers?
so well, last night was about english, or rather, what i call the 'singapore slang'. Singlish. a fusion of english and a number of other common languages used by locals. something that you'd probably hear everyday. i mean, admit it, EVERYONE in singapore uses at least a little Singlish in one point of their stay here or another. it makes you fit in with everyone else. and since most people want to fit in, they end up using this 'language' native to singapore when they come here. not only is it an efficient communication tool between singaporeans, it gives singaporeans a common identity and lets them mingle among the races.
however, one problem has arisen due to the use of singlish. people have forgotten that it isn't the proper form of english and that foreigners might not understand it at all. i recall during my stay in finland when my classmates asked me to demonstrate how i speak with my peers in singapore. some said they couldn't understand at all what i was trying to say, others said they could make out a few words. others just stared at me in amazement and asked 'you call that english?' in other words, it sounded very much like a foreign language to them.
so obviously, the government steps in and tries to think of some solutions. the solution? trying to break singaporeans out of the habit of speaking singlish.i was thinking, is it really that necessary for the singapore government to try get rid of Singlish?
i know it isn't really right that we speak it in place of proper english. in my opinion, there are some benefits that singlish has to offer. take, for example, schools these days. sure, most schools have a good mixture of all races. reason? promotion of racial harmony. students of different races and religions study together and play together. or so most teachers claim. as soon as the recess bell rings, all you have to do is to stand in the canteen and you'll observe it is clearly not the case. most students of the same race clump together during recess. and the reason why students like to stick to cliques of their own race? simple, they rather converse in their own tongue and not english. (which obviously leaves the 'half-breeds', like yours truly, out) they want to stick with people that have something in common with them, particularly language. it isn't very often that two people of different races are best friends. and lets face it, though inter-racial marriages are accepted more these days than in the past, most parents wish that their children wed someone of the same race and do need some convincing before they approve the marriage.
so what is my point, you may ask? well, my point is that singlish gives most poeple in singapore a simplified version of english to communicate with, that also mixes in some of their own language. its become a common tongue, thus encouraging mingling of races.
i'm not saying that singlish doesn't have any cons. obviously it does. (as i've found out personally) the use of proper english is important. its the common tongue of the world. thus learning the use of correct english is crucial for relations outside singapore. however, if singlish gives us all something common, then is it that bad after all?
think of it this way, everyone has what i call a 'home language'. something that they speak only at home, or to those whom they feel comfortable with. its usually simple and the main point is to make sure you are understood. however, you wouldn't use the same language with, for example, a visitor or a stranger. then you would use proper english. singlish, is somewhat like our 'home language'. for use in singapore only.
perhaps we should stop with the 'don't speak singlish, speak proper english' and change it to 'speak singlish at home only, speak proper english everywhere else'. not really a very good slogan, i know, but at least, it gives us a chance to not only be comfortable, but also remember that we do have to practise speaking proper english from time to time.
even my blog has informal language from time to time. its because i think of this area as my personal space. a space where i can be comfortable and be myself. but i also try my best to keep my entries grammatically correct. that way, i don't have to be prissy and perfect, but i also remind myself that being articulate is important at the same time.
they say 'the ways of england are the ways of the world'. i say 'the ways of singapore are the ways of singapore. period.'
terribly unplanned, my entry here. but well, i'm just typing it on a whim. ppl, remember to do your planning before writing your essay! (this advice is going out ESPECIALLY to my sister, whose lack of planning has made her essays disorganised)
going to catch forty winks.
marlz
3/12/2005 05:05:00 ap.