TOWARDS A DESCRIPTION OF SINGAPORE ENGLISH : AN APPRAISAL OF PLATT AND WEBER'S ENGLISH IN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA (1980)

Abstract

On the assumption that Singapore English (SE) has developed through English-medium education and is comparable to a post creole continuum, Platt and Weber (1980) describe this variety of English as a sociolectal range made up of the acrolect, the mesolects and the basilect. The acrolect is spoken by those with a high level of English-medium education while the opposite is true for the basilectal speakers. The SE speaker also employs this sociolectal range for variations in style. This Academic Exercise challenges Platt and Weber's description. We assume that individuals possess a group identity and modify their verbal behaviour in line with the norms of that perceived group. · These acts of identity give rise to a sense of belonging and intersubjective awareness as to what is their manner of verbal behaviour and who are the members in the group. Thus, I propose that the description of SE should be made from an emic perspective. In addition, membership in a group in a polyglossic community like Singapore often involves the sharing of more than one linguistic code, leading to code-switching and code-mixing communicative strategies that any description of SE must come to terms with. My appraisal of the description of SE found in Platt and Weber (1980) from an emic perspective has led me to question certain claims they make. Moreover, I raise certain questions regarding the adequacy of their theoretical assumptions and methodology, and the reliability of their data.