Musing over English competency across the Causeway.

THE suffix -ese is a formative of nouns and adjectives denoting: (1) locality, nationality and language (e.g. Japanese, Portuguese, Sudanese), and (2) literary style, etc. (Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, 1989). In illustration of literary style, computerese is the specialized vocabulary and jargon used by people who work with computers (Websters, loc. cit.); legalese is the formal and technical language of legal documents (Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 2004); and computerese is a literary style that is characterized by neologism, archness, faulty or unusual syntax, etc. (Websters, loc. cit.) and is thought to be typical of that used in newspapers (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 2010). What does journalese have to do with this article? None whatsoever, hence the above title. The criticisms raised against our English language dailies are not about journalese, but about the sins in grammar. One of my friends was so fed up over the matter that he cancelled his subscription to the offending newspaper. It makes me wonder how our newspapers compare with those of our neighbours across the Causeway. I was recently in Singapore for a few days and had occasion to randomly glance through some issues of the English language dailies there. No, I did not set out to do a full-scale research to compare Malaysian and Singapore newspapers. Anyway, the following are some telling examples of my findings (with the salient points underlined). The importance of the definite article When confronted by the principal, discipline mistress and the teacher in charge of the club, the girl denied it at first, but confessed after romantic text messages were found on her mobile phone. The Straits Times, July 5, 2011, p.A3. The first comma creates ambiguity. Were there two or three people who confronted the girl? Two people would be indicated if the text read: the principal and discipline mistress (one and the same person) and the teacher in charge (the second person). Three people would be indicated if the text read: the principal (one person), the discipline mistress (second person), and the teacher in charge (the third person). The who/whom confusion The Red Cross of China, which has no relationship to its global namesake, has denied any ties to Miss Guo, whom some Web users speculate got her title as she is the mistress or relative of a top Red Cross official. The Straits Times, July 5, 2011, p.A12. The who/whom confusion, commonplace in Malaysian writing, also occurs here. The text underlined above incorporates two clauses, viz. some Web users speculate and who (i.e. Miss Guo) got her title. Miss Guo is not the object of the verb speculate which fact becomes apparent when we reconstruct the two clauses independently of the rest of the passage, thus: Some Web users speculate that Miss Guo got her title. The proper degree of comparison Singapore yesterday took a big step towards becoming self-sufficient in water as work began on its second and largest desalination plant . The Straits Times, July 6, 2011, p.A1.

The adjective largest (in the superlative degree) is inappropriate. In the context there are apparently two desalination plants, and the second plant is the larger (comparative degree) not largest of the two. The incongruent pronoun ... we prefer instead to consider each set of qualifications in their own right. The Straits Times, July 6, 2011, p. A23. The pronoun their (plural) does not accord with its antecedent set (which is singular). Granted, the pronoun their is now commonly used for the third person singular of unspecified gender (e.g. each voter is required to show their identity card) but such usage does not extend to inanimate items, where the pronoun its for the third person singular of the neuter gender suffices. Subject-verb agreement Example 1: There is always a Plan B, C and even D for American magic consultant Don Wayne when he designs stunts for clients such as international illusionist David Copperfield and pop stars Britney Spears and the late pop icon Michael Jackson. The Straits Times, July 6, 2011, p.C7. Three alternative plans were mentioned, viz. B, C and D. The associated verb should therefore be in the plural even in an inverted construction, so that the text could read: There are always a Plan B, a Plan C, and even a Plan D. Example 2: Labour leader Mr Ed Miliband told the BBC he plans to force a vote in Parliament to delay the takeover until investigations into the hacking scandal is completed. Pertaining to the takeover of British Sky Broadcasting by Rupert Murdoch, the News Corp Chairman and media sorcerer with a touch of evil, as reported in Today, July 11, 2011, p.3. The noun investigations is plural, and it should be followed by the verb are completed (plural) rather than is completed (singular). There is, additionally, the matter of sequence of tenses. The reporting verb told is in the past tense, but the verbs that follow are in the present tense which is acceptable where universal facts or truths are concerned (e.g. the teacher taught us that the Earth is not flat but spherical). The sentence as reported would be acceptable at the time of the reporting, but would probably be considered ungrammatical if the report was read 10 years later. Proper placement of the adverb only The policies began with the influx of Chinese during the 1850s Gold Rush and continued with the White Australia policy aimed at curbing non-white immigrants only abolished in 1973. Pertaining to the policies of discrimination against early non-white immigrants, as reported in The Straits Times, July 11, 2011, p.A14. The position of the adverb only is spurious. Was the White Australia policy only abolished in 1973, OR was the White Australia policy abolished only in 1973? Adjective or adverb? It used to be that if you ran out of battery or lost your photo, you could just make a quick call, enter your four-digit PIN code and then listen to all your voicemail. It was simple, quick and convenient. Unfortunately, it was also unbelievable easy to compromise. Today, July 11, 2011, p.30. A typo, the two adjectives unbelievable and easy in unlikely apposition? The adjective unbelievable should be corrected to the adverb unbelievably.

Closing remarks The aberrations noted above do not fall under the term journalese but under style and grammar. To be fair, aside from the typos, the grammatical aberrations are not all of local coinage. Some of these are actually imported. The ascriptions at the end of many reports and features suggest that the texts have been reproduced from copy received from foreign news agencies like AFP, AP, Reuters, etc. Again, it is fair to assume that these aberrations are due largely to the daily and inexorable demands on reporters and editors to meet deadlines. What about the situation in Malaysia and Singapore? Malaysian newspapers may seem to be riddled with grammatical aberrations but the very same offences are to be found perhaps to a much smaller extent in Singapore newspapers. Do we despair? No, rather the offending texts can be treated as useful lessons in the language and grammar of English. Perhaps I can now persuade my friend to renew his newspaper subscription.