Singapore to speak “Good English”

The Speak Good English Movement is calling for all Singaporeans to be good role models of English, especially to children they interact with.

This is the message of the movement for 2011, which was launched on Saturday morning by Minister of State for Education and Defence Lawrence Wong.

Mr. Wong said everyone, especially parents, should take the responsibility to learn how to speak and communicate well so that they can be good role models of the language.

He urged teachers and parents to work hand in hand to create an environment where children can listen to good English all the time, anywhere.

The movement has a new tagline for the year - "How You Speak Makes a Difference" - to remind Singaporeans that the way they speak affects those who listen to them, especially young children who are curious learners and tend to mimic what they hear.

The effort to raise the standard of English includes a "Speak Good English Carnival" on all five levels of Jurong Regional Library over the weekend. There will be games and activities for children, parents and young people to show that they can have fun while still learning and using standard English.

The library will also be turned into a "Good English Zone", where the movement's partners, library staff and visitors will be encouraged to speak only in good English.

Singaporeans who want a quick and fun way of testing and improving their knowledge of the language can take the "How good is your English?" quiz. Participants stand a chance to win a pair of air tickets to London, an iPad or a MacBook Air by submitting their quiz scores and personal particulars to the movement by midnight on October 24.