Singlish....

SINGLISH PET PEEVES Does bad English irritate you?

What is it about bad English in Singapore that irks you most? Local words like 'lah' and 'lor'? 20 (10%) Bad grammar 102 (52%) Accent 26 (13%) Singlish is OK 49 (25%)

Total votes: 197

Perhaps this poll is too soon to criticise but to have a quarter of the people polled to say that Singlish is OK is disturbing. I had a hard time trying to decide which bad English of Singapore irked me the most. It's everything.... but what irks me most is the bad grammar and the accent. Personally, I have not been an advocate of Singlish ever since I was a kid.... perhaps it was the family upbringing where my dad always said we need to speak the 'Queen's English' and 'open your mouth when you speak'. Having been away for a number of years now, when I'm back in Singapore or when I hear another Singaporean speak in a foreign country I literally cringe. It makes it funnier when you try to hear a Singaporean speak Singlish to a non Singaporean and they have no idea what is going on. The foreigners think that we're not speaking English as we speak too fast. Singaporeans need to remember that when they are in a foreign country, they need to speak slowly as non Singaporeans are not used to our accent, slangs and lingo.

Having said all that, I admit I do speak with a bit of lah sometimes but that's only to fellow Singaporeans... I'm the first to admit that I speak differently towards Singaporeans and non Singaporeans..... but that's just because I dont see the point of being 'aksi' and I dont want to be labelled by fellow Singaporeans (especially relatives) that just coz I live overseas I now behave like an orang puteh.