Does visual world paradigm work?

Visual world paradigm is used to test the way we comprehend language, and is done by tracking the eye movement of a person. I believe that this method does not work, simply because what we think is influenced greatly by a society, and not so much by language alone.

For example, if we say "the man bit the..." naturally we would think of food. If the phrase "hot dog" was added after that, if we use proper english hot would refer to the dog, and the man would be biting a dog that is hot. However, society influences us and we know that a hot dog is in fact a kind of food. As such, we cannot use visual world paradigms to test the way we comprehend language, as there are other factors affecting it.

Should Singlish be discouraged in Singapore?

I feel that we should not discourage Singlish. The main reason why the government does not want singlish is because it is not a proper language. However, if we say that singlish itself can be a language, then why not keep it? After all, Singaporeans already are good at this language. Also, another reason it is discouraged is because no one else uses it and if we do, it may seem like our english is not good. But after prolonged usage, people will adhere to the idea that singlish itself is a language, and does not stem from bad english.

Moreover, singlish gives Singapore a national unity; a national identity. If we are abroad, and we hear someone else speaking singlish, we would know that he is also from Singapore. This way, we easily identify each other, and people can also identify us, just as how British are identified by their clear accent.

With no real reason to discourage singlish, and a good reason to keep it, why should the government not want it around?

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