The only reason I can offer for this is a "slave and master" mentality on the part of the persons concerned. There are those among us who perceive the west as far superior to us because of our past colonial history. Therefore, these people necessarily drop their "provincial" Singaporean accent for a more "universal" foreign one. Because a foreign accent is always associated with the upwardly mobile, this adoption of foreign accents also makes itself felt as a form of snobbishness against those who speak with our coarse and provincial accents. In the presence of a westerner, these people immediately switch to the accent of their western "master" and, by doing so, lose their own identity. Some of them become so immersed in the role that they assume it completely, even to the point of speaking like a foreigner to their own countrymen. Thus, the former subjects of the former western colonies have therefore once again subjugated their identity to that of their former colonial masters.

Whatever the motive may be, this posturing with a foreign accent is only a role that these people are playing and not the real thing because there are times when they slip up and lapse into their original local accents. Such incidents have caused those of us who happen to be listening a great deal of amusement, and those who slip up, a great deal of embarrassment. But in the end, these people have only themselves to blame.

What they don't seem to understand is that an accent defines a person and his origins. It gives a person an identity. A Frenchman can easily be identified by the way he speaks. Similarly, we can tell an American from an Englishman by their accents. Whenever I travel abroad, the people I meet can easily tell that I'm a Singaporean because of the way that I speak, and they have told me so countless times.

As a people, we have mastered the English language with such competency that we have developed an accent which is completely our own, however much it may be grounded in the standard received pronounciation of southern England. In fact, our children are more proficient in the English language than the British kids themselves. The truth is that English has become so widely spoken throughout the world that it is no longer the preserve of the English or Americans. As a result, many types of English accents have developed among the English speaking people all around the world. The Singaporean accent is just one of these accents which is very distinctive, and it can easily be identified from a Hong Kong accent, a Thai accent, or a Taiwanese accent, as much as from an American or British accent. Our accent is what makes us distinctively Singaporean. It is a feature which identifies us and sets us apart from others. It is something which identifies us from among the rest of the English speakers of the world.

There are, however, those among us right now who would argue that it is sometimes necessary to speak with an accent in order to be understood by foreigners. This is a fallacious argument totally without any logic. The point to remember about being understood is to speak clearly and enunciate without rushing one's words. Just slow down the pace of one's speech and, if necessary, drop all colloquialisms and one can easily be understood by others. All these can be done without having to change one's accent. In fact, some people's attempts at an accent are so horrible that they are better off speaking in their own voice. I have never heard an American, British, French, or German national attempt to adopt our local Singaporean accent when speaking to us. Despite this, we have no problems understanding them, given that a German or French accent may be a little hard to comprehend at times. Why should these people then have problems understanding a Singaporean accent if we have no problem understanding theirs? We all speak English. There is no need for anyone to change accents at all. All it takes is a little bit of accommodation and understanding on both sides.

To change one's accent after three or four years in a foreign country is almost like forsaking one's identity and home. To change one's accent without even having lived in another country is even worse. If we can accept other people's native accents, why can't they accept ours? If one has to change one's accent in order to be accepted into a particular community or group, then I would seriously question the logic of joining such a group. I would rather be known as a Singaporean who speaks good English rather than just another Asian face who speaks with an American accent. At least I would have an identity.