Comments on Baby Boyd Blog: the english police!

yes! noel did mention, we do have friends who don&...

2010-03-08T23:59:37.396+08:00

yes! noel did mention, we do have friends who don't speak English that well, and in his words "we can't really blame them"...and i did feel bad after that! =) i'm sure they'd feel a little hurt if they read my rant! so i totally understand where you're coming from. =)

that said, i also feel overly-conscious now, like i have to watch my tenses and my grammar, lest i have my foot in my mouth! lol!

babe, i'm the 1st anonymous. i thought u will...

2010-03-08T23:51:42.600+08:00

babe, i'm the 1st anonymous.

i thought u will get all defensive after my comment. but u didn't, and i like how u handled it. thanks for that.

some parents are really not capable of speaking good english, having received only a minimal amount of english education, thus they hence converse to their children likewise. my sister is one of them. and hence i feel rather "unjust" for her when i saw this post.

that being said, u do write very well, and i like how thought-provoking most of them are. however, like how u have the freedom to write what u want on ur blog, i have my preferences over them. this post is one of them that i disagree to.

cheers.

=) i must say, I AM guilty of Singlish and...

2010-03-08T14:07:05.361+08:00

=)

i must say, I AM guilty of Singlish and really bad English sometimes - the occasional lahs, leis, mehs, and just badly constructed sentences when i am not thinking straight! - but i have Noel who will highlight them, therefore making me aware of my 'mistakes' and remind me to make the conscious effort not to use such words next time.

and it helps. =)
it helps to have someone point these things out (in an encouraging positive manner, not in any way belittling or making-fun-of) and it goes a long way towards fostering the habit of speaking well.

Yes, it's definitely possible to speak good En...

2010-03-08T13:30:33.076+08:00

Yes, it's definitely possible to speak good English - and it does start at home. My parents don't speak Singlish at all, and it was banned in our home. Our options were either Tamil or proper English. I thought it was archaic at the time, but thank them now! I love my singlish as much as the next girl, but I'm glad I can break out the Queen's English for meetings and the like.

Anonymous 2: you make a good point! =) whic...

2010-03-08T13:07:21.048+08:00

Anonymous 2:
you make a good point! =)
which was why i said in the response to the first comment left above: "...I think if we at least instill good English in them and encourage the use, it can somehow counter the poor English they are exposed to elsewhere (be it frm grandparents, friends, or other public settings) and prevent them from being influenced by the exposure."

i do think it is possible. =) i have heard a good number of kids who speak good English, despite the exposure to and influence of Singlish around them. =)

i think you are getting a little worked up and def...

2010-03-08T13:03:25.043+08:00

i think you are getting a little worked up and defensive here. :)
if you had read my post calmly, you would have seen i was merely stating a personal opinion. my post is generously peppered with the phrase "i think", therefore it is what i had meant it to be: a personal opinion.

i was NOT passing judgments, because i was not out-rightly proclaiming: "Parents speak badly to their kids".

THAT would be judging. :)

I said, i think parents should learn and remember to speak good English with their children, therefore it was an opinion, still not an outright and complete statement. meaning, there are some parents who do speak good English., but sometimes forget to (like me), and meaning, there are parents who don't, but make the effort to, therefore should keep at it (like many out there, perhaps).

AAAAAAND, i think you may have missed reading previous comments left (again, i used i think because it's an opinion, and there is the possibility i could be mistaken), if you had, you may have read the bit where i had explained myself and apologise if i was harsh or came across as arrogant.

at the end of the day, i hope people know i do not get upset or angry over comments left by people who do not see things my way. i welcome healthy arguments, because hey, not everyone thinks alike. =) i just hope i am able to state my personal opinions / gripe about my personal pet peeves on my blog, and be excused sometimes if i get too "passionate" about the matter and forget to be diplomatic. =)

what about people from malay/chinese & tamil s...

2010-03-08T12:20:22.917+08:00

what about people from malay/chinese & tamil speaking homes?maybe the parents who dont speak PROPER english to the kids DONT KNOW how to speak proper english? they shld all be given credit for speaking in english anyway.who ru to judge..

at the end of the day,u can speak all the good eng...

2010-03-08T11:07:15.774+08:00

at the end of the day,u can speak all the good english u want but ur child is still living here,will still be mixing with fellow Singaporeans & thus will still be speaking singlish.lol!

i, too, have the habit of writing blog entries and...

2010-03-08T09:35:25.754+08:00

i, too, have the habit of writing blog entries and comments in full lower case because it encourages free flow of thought.

and i'm all with you on this one. i think speaking proper english to your kids is highly important. otherwise by the time their kid ends up in primary school, the teachers will have to clean up their "mess". best part, the parents will most likely complain about the poor english grades and the necessity for a tutor.

I knew someone would pinpoint my not using capital...

2010-03-08T01:45:30.228+08:00

I knew someone would pinpoint my not using capitals when I ended this post! :) I don't know, I guess I like how equal the letters look without the odd capitals here and there, lol.

I don't think I was being too harsh, but I totally agree with you abt the grandparents bit. My parents don't speak perfect English too! :) And it'd be rude to correct them, cos it may be belittling.
Which is why I said parents, because I think if we at least instil good English in them and encourage the use, it can somehow counter the poor English they are exposed to elsewhere (be it frm grandparents, friends, or other public settings) and prevent them from being influenced by the exposure.

At the end of the day, it really was a personal opinion, my personal pet peeves, and also hope for a better speaking young generation. :) It was not meant to offend or put anyone down. :) So my apologies to you.

But I still think parents should try to speak good English with their kids, (that said, I don't deny I'm not guilty of it sometimes), because we're all capable of it if we tried. Perhaps it came across a little arrogant, and I truly overlooked that, until you brought it up, so thank you for that. :) I shld try to be less opinionated in future! Lol!
(and also work on my caps! Heh.)

hi babe, i love reading ur blog but i think this p...

2010-03-08T00:40:27.502+08:00

hi babe, i love reading ur blog but i think this post is abit too harsh. alot of grandparents don't speak perfect english and that is how they talk to their grandchildren, and they do make the effort to speak to the little ones in english! my parents speak to my boy in broken english and i don't think i will go about correcting them, cos that'll be quite rude i think.

and if u really do advocate use of perfect english, then maybe u should start writing with capitals at the beginning of every sentence.