The Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) is a campaign by the Government of Singapore, launched by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 29 April 2000, to standardise Singapore English. It is seen as a measure to counter the usage of Singlish, the vernacular dialect of the country.

Background English was introduced in 1819 with the establishment of the modern port in Singapore. The port attracted migrants from neighbouring countries, such as China and India, resulting in a diverse linguistic landscape. Proximity to these languages has over generations influenced Singaporean English. Known colloquially as Singlish, the vernacular dialect is characterised by the mixture of local expressions with Standard English (e.g. the use of discourse particles such as ). Singlish is commonly used by Singaporeans in informal contexts and can be incomprehensible to non-Singaporeans.A War of words over 'Singlish' – TIME, 22 July 2002. Retrieved 18 November 2010

When the Speak Good English Movement was launched in 1999, then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong described Singlish as "English corrupted by Singaporeans", and "broken, ungrammatical English". According to the government, mastery of Standard English is imperative to raise living standards in Singapore,Locals told to speak English, not Singlish – NZ Herald, 10 September 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2010 and Singlish causes problems when Singaporeans need to communicate in the "global language of commerce, business and technology". The movement thus campaigns for an improved standard of English used in Singapore. In hopes of extending its reach, the movement adopts a different theme and target group each year,Speak Good English Movement – What We Do Retrieved 18 November 2010 and also collaborates with various partner organisations to provide programmes in line with the movement's goals.

Aims The campaign aims to discourage the use of Singlish and encourage the use of a more standardised form of English, (i.e. generally modelled on the British standard). According to the movement's chairman, then Colonel (NS) David Wong,David Wong quoted in M.Nirmala, No Singlish please, We're Singaporeans – The Straits Times, 31 March 2000, p. 33 the Speak Good English Movement aims to build a sense of pride that Singaporeans can speak good English, as opposed to Singlish, as well as to check the trend where Singaporeans use Singlish as a way of identifying themselves. Instead, it envisions a brand of grammatically correct English, different from Singlish, to be linked with the unique Singaporean identity.

Past themes Since 2003, the Speak Good English Movement has been launched annually with year-long programmes and activities held island-wide to increase the awareness among Singaporeans that speaking good English matters in their daily lives. Each year a different theme focusing on the target audience is created. The themes that were used in the campaign up until 2015 are:

2000–2004: Speak Well. Be Understood. 2005–06: Speak Up. Speak Out. Speak Well. 2006–07: Be Understood. Not only in Singapore, Malaysia and Batam. 2007–08: Rock Your World! Express Yourself. 2008–09: I Can 2009–10: Impress. Inspire. Intoxicate. 2010–11: Get It Right 2011–12: How You Speak Makes a Difference 2012–13: Make Good English Stick 2013–14: 10 Tips to Improve Your English 2014-16: Grammar Rules Matter. Use Good English. 2017–18: Learn Grammar Rules to Rule the English Language 2019: Let's Connect. Let's Speak Good English.

2000–2004 : Speak Well. Be Understood. In 1999, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong highlighted the problem of speaking Singlish in his National Day Rally. A year later in April 2000, he officially launched the Speak Good English Movement with the tagline 'Speak Well, Be Understood'. He stressed the importance of speaking standard English and reducing the use of Singlish, as Singapore is a hub city and an open economy with a need to interact with English-speaking foreigners. Singaporeans often use Chinese syntax and literal translations of Chinese phrases while speaking English, which make utterances seem truncated and incomprehensible to foreigners. In his rally, the prime minister stressed that "if we speak a corrupted form of English that is not understood by others, we will lose a key competitive advantage.""Speak Good English Movement" launched in Singapore – Xinhua News Agency, 29 April 2000 The movement was spearheaded by a committee of people in the private sector led by then Colonel (NS) David Wong, a senior adviser with the consulting company Ernst and Young. Its target audience was Singaporeans under 40, which included young working adults, parents and students in schools, tertiary institutes, polytechnics and technical institutes. The launch kick-started a week-long festival packed with events such as plays and a speech marathon.

Later in the year, the public sector also organised year-long programmes as part of the movement.Buck up, poor English reflects badly on us – PM.- The Straits Times, 30 April 2000, p. 4 One such event was the seminar held by the Singapore Teachers' Union (STU) at the Shangri-La Hotel, attended by about 500 participants who were mostly teachers. The seminar emphasised the power of pronunciation and the teaching of grammar, and encouraged teachers to teach English in more creative ways in schools using dramas and role-playing.Teach good English? Seminar will give tips. – The Straits Times, 26 May 2000 Other highlights in 2000 included the launch of Grammar Matters, a series of five books using comics to illustrate the correct use of grammar by the Regional English Language Centre in support of the movement.

From 2001 to 2002, it was reported that increasingly, Singaporeans were becoming more aware and acknowledging the importance of speaking good English. The British Council continued to operate its toll-free line giving English lessons. Reportedly, year 2001 saw almost 250,000 callers while there were about 170,000 callers in 2002. Also, an inter-school Scrabble competition, in which 54 primary schools participated, was held to kick off the year's events in April 2002.Singaporeans starting to value importance of speaking good English. – Channel News Asia, 12 April 2002

According to the Government, more Singaporeans recognised the need to speak well, and took steps to improve their spoken English. Programmes organised by SGEM partners such as the People's Association and the British Council were well received.Official Speech for SGEM 2003/04 – Col (NS) David Wong, 2 July 2003

In 2003, the movement, already in its fourth year, aimed to not only encourage Singaporeans to speak well but also speak simple English. Chairman Wong said, "They may be afraid to use English; it's not natural to them. This year what we would like to do is encourage people to try. Have a go even if they can't speak well, even if they cannot use long words, even if they can't use long sentences; it's not important. The idea is to use simple words, simple sentences and convey their message clearly."Speak Good English Movement aims to get people to speak simple English.- Channel News Asia, 2 July 2003 The movement continued throughout the year until March 2004 so as to create greater impact and awareness.

In its fifth year, acting Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen launched the campaign at The Arts House at Old Parliament in April 2004. The target of the campaign can be summed up as English@Work&Play.SGEM Official Media Release 2004 21 April 2004 Its target audience was working adults in the service industry, including cabbies, shop assistants, waiters and others, which made up 70 per cent of all workers in Singapore. People in positions of influence, parents and teachers were also encouraged to serve as positive role models in speaking good English to those around them. The movement also partnered organisations and key agencies in training workshop initiatives to improve the English language proficiency of all their teachers. A new programme called Functional Literacy for Our Workers (FLOW) was initiated by the Workforce Development Agency with the aim to equip workers who had little English literacy with some basic tools required for them to do their work.Speak Good English Movement targets service industry workers. – Channel News Asia, 25 April 2004 Other activities to promote good English were also held throughout the year, such as the WISH programme (as in the previous year), and talks at selected public libraries to educate the public on the importance of reading aloud and on using English to communicate with one's family.Serving up good English in S'pore. – The Straits Times, 22 April 2004

Partner programmes

Mattel Southeast Asia held the Inter School Scrabble competition. Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA) held DRAMAzing race, which involved some 150 students from 29 secondary schools in a race that encouraged them to utilise good English. The race was similar in format to The Amazing Race. The National University of Singapore held PROSE (Promotion of Standard English) Forum where prominent figures in Singapore shared their experiences about the importance of speaking good English and being understood. National Library Board held the Raise-A-Reader Workshop: The Primary Years tailored specially to equip parents with the know-hows of choosing suitable reading materials for their children and complementing their reading habits. Other events such as ACTiquette! Dramatization Contest were also organized in conjunction of the SGEM 2003. English Language and Literature Teachers Association of Singapore, ELLTA (S) conducted a seminar on Speaking Good English for Effective Teaching and Communication. Julia Gabriel Speech & Drama Centre held a workshop for parents to develop language skills, encourage reading skills and motivate writing skills using books, stories and poems at home for their children. The British Council held workshops for parents to improve their pronunciation, to identify Singlish errors and replace them with the standard forms and held IELTS tests. Society for Reading & Literacy (SRL) conducted a six-month Women Learning English (WISH) Programme for free at 12 community centres nationwide with a record enrollment of 180 students in six classes. Also, Sheila Wee from the SRL conducted a talk to educate parents on the use of storytelling to develop children's interest in English. Workshops by SGEM partners: These included Reading Aloud: The Whys And Hows organised by Society for Reading & Literacy (SRL), Tell Me A Story and Fun With Tots by National Library Board that educated parents on how to develop reading skills in their children among others. Speak Good English Weekend held at The Arts House at Old Parliament saw the collaboration of SGEM partners like Asian Storytelling Network (ASN), British Council, Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Julia Gabriel Speech & Drama Centre, National Library Board, News Radio 93.8FM and Regional Language Centre (RELC) to organise activities related to English such as Scrabble, poetry, and tongue-twister sessions. Booths were set up to allow enrolment for English classes as well.

2005–06 : Speak Up. Speak Out. Speak Well.