Code-switching is more practical

IT MAKES sense to target the movement at young Singaporeans, since they will be the next generation of leaders.

But let's not get fixated on perfect grammar and sentence structures.

Instead, my friends and schoolmates code-switch - the art of alternating between two or more varieties of English (for example, Singlish and standard English) - to suit the social context.

We know when and where to use the appropriate variety of English. This is a form of communication competence, which should be emphasised instead. Language at its fundamental level is a tool for communication. What matters is that my conversation partner understands me and feels comfortable with the language I'm using.

I am most motivated to speak standard English in formal milieus, but speaking broken English or Singlish with my close friends, or in a casual setting, bonds us through the shared understanding of the subtext of terms like 'got' and 'lah'.

Encourage Singaporeans to code-switch and they will undoubtedly become more artful, and articulate, communicators.

Estelle Low, 22, is a final-year journalism student minoring in linguistics at Nanyang Technological University.

Target service staff instead

I WAS walking past a hawker centre recently and overheard a conversation between an Indian customer and a stall vendor who was a Chinese national.

The vendor could not speak English, and the communication gap between them was apparent. Fortunately, their dispute was amicably resolved by another passer-by who played interpreter.

I am sure this is a frustrating scenario that repeats itself across the island in malls and cafes, as more and more foreign nationals man counters and tables.

With that in mind, I feel the Speak Good English Movement should target workers in the service industry instead.

After all, we live in a multi-racial society with English as a common language.

For foreigners, learning English should be a bare minimum.

Lower service standards is problematic enough but if nothing is done to help them speak basic English, we could end up with insular communities that run counter to our vision of a united society. And it will put paid to all our efforts to get Singaporean youths to speak good English.

Alex Liam, 20, has a place to read business at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Good to engage users on their turf

THE proliferation of excessive short forms and bad grammar is common in online user-generated content. Hence, the best way for the Speak Good English Movement to nip poor English in the bud is to tackle the root of the problem - the Internet.

The need for speed to create and send out instant updates has encouraged many to neglect basic sentence structures, punctuation and spelling. One tool to promote usage of good English could be Twitter.

Since it requires users to update in only 140 characters at most, one can be motivated to create succinct updates in good English due to the limited space.

'Youth ambassadors' from online communities could be nominated to lead the way by posting online content (like Facebook wall posts and notes) in good English. They should be chosen based on their familiarity with social media tools and adeptness at good English.

The increased exposure to such content - from youths for youths - could help pull up the standard of English for all.

Christel Quek, 18, is a first-year geography student at NUS.

It's easier said than done

I DON'T think the campaign's new focus is going to do much to improve the status quo.

The broken English among local youth has to do with class and social hierarchies.

I know of youths who regard standard English as alien to their identity as heartlanders. This identity is reinforced by pressure to fit into local in-groups, which regard language as a marker for social categorisation.

When I was in national service, I remember how a few soldiers who insisted on speaking standard English were viewed as snobbish or even foreign by their peers and superiors. Such mindsets have been ingrained for decades into several generations; campaigns are simply ineffective against this onslaught.

Many youths also view the latest campaign as yet another intrusion of the state into their personal space. As long as youths yield to in-group mentality and the impulse to defy officialdom, it will remain unfashionable to speak good English.

I think the solution lies not in top-down campaigns, but down-to-earth daily practicalities. Scrap the movement, and when youths find they cannot get good jobs without good English, they'll learn it in a flash.

Ow Yeong Wai Kit, 20, has a place to read arts and social sciences at NUS.

Don't forget the parents

THE focus on youths for this year's Speak Good English Movement strikes me as a wise move. But perhaps younger children aged 12 and below - and their parents - should be targeted as well.

As a child, I was fortunate to have my parents read to me and insist on using proper grammatical English with me. Today, I seem to have fortuitously acquired an innate sense of knowing what works when it comes to speaking and writing in English.

Language acquisition experts believe that an individual's ability to learn a language decreases with age.

Seen in this light, pre-school and primary school children should be encouraged to speak good English, so that they will not have to struggle with unfamiliar grammar rules or be hampered by a Singlish-laced or limited vocabulary in the future.

Their parents, too, should also be roped in to ensure that this impetus continues outside the classroom. Encouraging our children to develop the fundamentals of the English language will have pay-offs which potentially span a lifetime.

Andre Oei, 23, recently graduated with an MA from Harvard University.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.