It’s 8/8/2011. Almost forty-six years ago (off by one day), we were thrown into the world to fend for ourselves and we have since come a long, long way. I’m not here to talk about our history – on the contrary, I feel like I have something to say about our future, on a rather apt occasion – national day.
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I really admire the Scots. They have had a tumultuous history of asserting their own independence through the last few centuries. Yet, even after the union with England in 1707, they have continued to keep their own identity which is widely recognised in the world (though not entirely exclusive to the Scots): bagpipes, tartan kilts and Scotch whiskeys. While they are seeking independence after managing to wrestle a devolved parliament from the UK (which I don’t think is a good idea, economically at least, but I’m not really qualified to comment), we have to ask ourselves, especially now when Singapore is celebrating its independence day, what is the Singapore Identity?
I would define such an identity as something that all Singaporeans can identify with. It has to be something that is common and utilised by everyone who calls himself/herself a Singaporean. It has to be something that is part of our everyday lives. When you approach this entity, you must immediately feel at home with it. If you meet a stranger in a strange land who wields this entity, you must be ale to feel familiar with this stranger. It cannot be the cuisines because there is a plethora of cuisines available and not everyone eats everything. Not trying to sound like I came up with this idea, I think the answer to this is Singlish.
While the government frowns upon the use of Singlish (though they seem to have relented somewhat in recent years), it is not all doom and gloom when it comes to the use of Singlish. People generally know that they have to switch to using Standard English when appropriate (e.g. communicating with foreigners). It is not to the detriment of the country to use Singlish once in a while, for fun, humour and among close friends while not taking things too seriously.
Let me present myself as the sole exhibit to illustrate the point. I come from a typical working class family, not rich and not too shabby either – we could make ends meet. My parents are not well-educated in English. I think I could barely understand English TV Programmes until I was in my tweens. I speak Mandarin at home, and practically babble Singlish with friends. With my background out of the way, let me recount a tale of how I survived in London during my nine months in my first year of study.
I was under no pretence that I am going to change the way I speak to sound “British”. I was not going to adopt a Cockney accent or speak “Queen’s English” (though I’d admit I love these accents – they sound like music to my ears). I was going to speak to our own brand of Singapore English with its generally flat enunciation and non-rhotic delivery. I figured that the things I say are going to matter more than the way I say it. And it worked well.
When speaking to European friends, I tend to speak slower (Singaporeans tend to speak too fast!) and remove all the usual quirks of Singlish like la and lor. When I speak to my Singaporean friends, the speed picks up and all the pleasantries are thrown out of the Window as all the hokkien and malay and mandarin return to take their places in my words. I generally get understood pretty well, though I still need to work on slowing it down a little!
On the contrary, my inexperienced ears face problems trying to understand what the others are saying at times. It is said that the more North you go in the UK, the harder it is to understand the accent. I find it hard to understand what some of the Irish and Scots say at times and I am usually embarrassed to ask them to repeat their words a third time and so I just nod my way out of a potentially awkward social situation. It is, of course, no fault of theirs. I need more practice!
My point is that with proper code-switching, speaking Singlish is of no problem at all! Instead of campaigning to eradicate Singlish, the government should promote the use of Standard English in the right contexts and situations instead! And I am not alone in thinking like this.
In Neil Humphreys’ (rather old) book “Notes from an Even Smaller Island”, he wrote at length about how he felt Singlish was a quintessentially Singaporean quality. Looking back at a chapter written almost ten years ago, I find it increasingly important to assert our own sense of national identity in this day and age of globalisation where cultural seepage from other countries through the internet can severely dampen our sense of belonging with our home. How can you feel like at home if there is nothing unique about this place that tethers you back?
Singlish is “Uniquely Singapore”, to quote the Singapore Tourism Board, even though that phrase is technically grammatically incorrect (for all the Grammar Nazis out there!). But hey, this is Singlish we are talking about, and we can be more lenient on the technicalities of English grammatical syntax, could we? 
Do not attempt to eradicate Singlish. Promote the use of standard English at the right juncture in the right place at the right time. It is one identity that permeates our society, independent of ethnic groups and social strata. It is Uniquely Singapore.
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For the first time in my life, I am going to attend a National Day Parade with my family, courtesy of my brother who managed to ballot for four tickets. After being away from Singapore for a good nine months, I suppose it will be a nice day to feel patriotic and express our gratitude and love for a country that has given us a lot (despite its shortcomings, but who is to say that any country is perfect?). Though it might seem “trendy” on the internet nowadays to diss the country, it is one day where I will truly feel “Singaporean” among other Singaporeans.
