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Views from the Top, June 6, 2016

In this edition of Views from the Top published in The Business Times on 6 June 2016, Achieve Group CEO Joshua Yim shared his views on the inclusion of Singlish terms in the Oxford English Dictionary.

The inclusion of 19 words from Singapore presents a paradox: the OED continues its tradition of cataloguing all the uses of all the words in the English language. Yet these particular words will have little resonance outside of Singapore or South East Asia.

The primary function of a language is always to allow efficient, clear and unambiguous communication between speakers. Our economy, our society need to be fully integrated to the broader community of English speakers, however homely “chilli crab” may seem.

In other words, we may not want to risk leaving our foreign friends and business counterparts feeling blur.

Joshua Yim,  CEO of Achieve Group