Whither our proficiency in English?

 

Chinese may be the native tongue for the single largest proportion of the human race but English is, without a doubt, the most widely spoken.

English is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, the others being French, Arabic, Russian, Spanish and, of course, Chinese.

It is also the language of the skies. All communication between pilots and ground control, anywhere in the world, is in English.

In fact, the International Civil Aviation Organisation requires all commercial airline pilots to be able to speak, read, write and understand English fluently.

English is the official language of up to 24 countries. Apart from the obvious ones such as Britain, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, it is also the preferred language in Cameroon, Burundi, the Solomon Islands, Botswana and Belize, among others.

Of course for purists such as Professor Henry Higgins in the musical “My Fair Lady” as well as many linguists, the Americans have stopped speaking English.

The Yankees have their own words for everyday things such as “automobile” for cars, “sidewalk” for pavement and “restroom” for toilet, an irony as someone once pointed out, given that the loo would probably be the last place one would seek out to have a rest.

But we are digressing.

English is the world’s lingua franca, thanks largely to the extent of the British Empire that covered much of the world over several centuries.

In Southeast Asia, Singapore, Myanmar, the Philippines and Malaysia are the countries with a long association with the English language.

Singapore, Myanmar and Malaysia were colonised by the British while the Americans took the Philippines from the Spaniards in the early years of the 20th century.

While English continues to be used extensively in Singapore, Malaysians have somehow lost the edge we once had over many countries.

This is thanks largely to a shift in focus to the Malay language in schools and the government administration.

However, English is still largely the preferred language for business in the country.

Even so, the standards have declined.

Like it or not, it is essential especially for frontline workers such as sales and marketing or customer service personnel to be able to impart information and respond to queries in English effectively.

Sad to say, many are unable to articulate their thoughts properly in the language these days.

National sentiments aside, the decline in our proficiency in the language is a major loss.

It is a borderless world today. It is essential that we are able to communicate effectively in the one language that is understood across the globe.

As we mark English Language Day today, we should reflect on how far we now trail our peers in proficiency in the language.

Having a good command of English does not make one less Malay or less Chinese.

It will only be our loss if we fail to realise this. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.