Im sure you guys must have heard about this taiwanese variety show which openly teased the English accent of Singaporeans. Of course, i have to say that i feel extremely insulted. I believe that no one or no citizens is capable of speaking impeccable and flawless English because each are influenced by the culture of their own, even the native speakers of the English language do have differences in pronounciations at times. So, who plays the judge and decide? Yes, while i do agree that foreigners may find it hard to comprehend what we're trying to say because ours is a concoction of languages (hokkien, malay, mandarin and what have you) but that is the identity of Singaporeans. It is the environment which we're brought up. I am utterly disgusted by the fact the the producers used entertainment as an excuse to justify their open discussion on national tv. I understand that everyone is guilty of making fun of accents carried by other citizens in one way or another but i think its very irresponsible of the media to openly discuss on national tv. I feel that it is giving the signal that it is alright to discuss such sensitive issues like so openly when its effects can actually be devasting. Unwanted misunderstandings can be aroused between citizens of both countries.
Anyway, i still believe that the majority of singaporeans are capable of speaking standard and comprehensible english. kudos to our english teachers. But for the sake of our image, i think we ought to put in more effort to speak to foreigners with more clarity.
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