Quora Answer: Was Lee Kuan Yew Right in Opposing Singlish?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Was Lee Kuan Yew right in opposing Singlish up until his death?” 

Yes.  Singlish is a bastardised, diminished form of English, a pidgin for the semi-educated and those who have not mastered the basics of English.  There is nothing inherently wrong when a language borrows words, terms, and even idioms from other languages.  This happens all the time.  The problem with Singlish is that it is local excuse for poor grammar. 

Singlish is the language of the lower socioeconomic classes.  It is not the language of international business, of academia, of the serious business of governance and policy making.  It is an affection of the masses to justify some section of the population’s inability to gain some competency over English.  If we had allowed it to flourish unchecked, it would have seriously impacted Singaporean’s ability to communicate with the wider world.  It would have impacted our standing as an international finance centre, a trade hub, as well as our attractiveness for foreign direct investment in our earlier days. 

As a Singaporean, I have an extreme distaste for Singlish.  It is a national shame.  I never deign to use it.