The Singapore Writer and the English Language

Two specific problems face the Singapore English language writer: his own proficiency level in a probably nonnative language & the need to find a common denominator among the members of his potential audience despite their wide differences in background & competence. Writers must also choose whether to write in Standard or Singapore Eng. Standard English is usually chosen for its respectability, although dialectal "lapses" are often found in dialogues. This means that writers have to look outside their own community for language standards. Singapore English is a living dialect & would deserve a literature of its own, but books written in dialect are not easily accepted by the elite or by the schools. Singaporeans writing in Eng tend to lack register flexibility due to limitations in their linguistic experience. In A Comment Arthur Yap (Regional Language Center, Singapore) criticizes Crewe for setting too blunt dichotomies, eg, native/nonnative competence, standard/dialectal, & for proposing Singaporean writers too narrow a literary model: standard English writing "laced" with dialectal expression for local color. 2 Figures. A. Orianne