SPEAK EASY....

Good Morning, Good Day or Hello!

 

Everyone, everywhere in the world will use English according to the country they are from.  And India is no exception.  However, it becomes an issue if you are not universally understood, or you miss out words, such as articles or pronouns etc, which often happens in India.  It's great to see Indian words added to the English language e.g Jungle, , but "Hinglish" becomes a problem outside of India.  Parents should be aware that taking an initiative early, thereby ensuring correct usage of English, pronunciation and application of good grammar can save children, our future global citizens, a lot of issues later.

 

The Government of Singapore took initiative and began a campaign to improve their country's English. 

 

This article comes from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia:

 

The Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) is a Singapore Government campaign to "encourage Singaporeans to speak grammatically correct English that is universally understood". It was launched by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 29 April 2000. The purpose was to ensure that Singaporeans can recognise the importance of speaking Standard English and also to encourage them to use it.

Background

English was introduced in 1819 with the establishment of the modern port in Singapore. The port attracted migrants from neighbouring countries, such as China and India, resulting in a diverse linguistic landscape. Proximity to these various languages has, over the generations, influenced the local variety of English. The colloquial form of Singaporean English is called Singlish, and is largely characterised by the mixture of local expressions with English (e.g. the use of discourse particles such as lah). Singlish is commonly used by Singaporeans in informal contexts, however it can be incomprehensible to non-Singaporeans.

When the Speak Good English Movement was launched in 1999, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong described Singlish as "English corrupted by Singaporeans" and "broken, ungrammatical English". According to the local government, mastery of Standard English is imperative to raise living standards in Singapore, and Singlish causes problems when Singaporeans need to communicate in English, the "global language of commerce, business and technology". The movement thus campaigns for an improved standard of English used in Singapore. In hopes of extending its reach, the movement adopts a different theme and target group each year. Also, the movement collaborates with various partner organizations to provide programmes in line with the movement's goals.