English is the undisputed lingua franca of the today’s
globalised world. As an undergraduate in Singapore, that point has been
emphasized to us since we began our formal education. English is Singapore’s first language and many of us,
including me, are more comfortable conversing in English relative to our mother
tongue. Despite that fact, many of
us would consider our English proficiency to be average at best. Personally, in all honesty, I consider
myself a poor writer, with no concept of grammar whatsoever. But as a citizen
in a globalised city I feel that effective communication trumps the need of
having to learn immaculate English.
The fact that English permeates my daily activities seems
to reflect its importance. From simple tasks, such as buying daily meals to
writing graded essays, English has to be used. Even upon my graduation, as I
embark on my work-life journey, my grasp of the language will affect my career
prospects. Being to read and write fluently and effectively will propel me forward in my career.
However in a globalised city like Singapore, the people
that I would encounter would come from diverse backgrounds. Conversing with
them would many a times require more than the use of English. While, English
might be a common language that bridges the communication barrier between us,
the use of other “dialects and languages” would help forge a deeper social bond.
That, I believe is effective communication. While it- that might be widely criticized
as a dilution of the language, it is a culture that is unique to a globalised
cosmopolitan city like Singapore. The wide usage of the colloquial language “Singlish”,
which is a melting pot of various languages and dialects into the English
language, aptly describes this point.
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