Tweet Good English Movement, anyone?

The Speak Good English Movement 2009 was officially launched today, marking its tenth year in encouraging Singaporeans to speak Standard English.

Mr Goh Eck Kheng, Chairman for the Movement, said, “Young people know from their engagements on the web that people all over the world communicate in one common language – English. We hope that youth will use and practice their English language to impress, inspire and intoxicate on the Internet and in the real world. By doing so they are will give themselves an advantage in our globalised world.”

Good English on the Internet? On websites and blogs, probably a good idea. On Facebook? Uncommon but still can be done if you insist. But on Twitter, where Wiki defined Microblogging as a form of multimedia blogging that allows users to send brief text updates or micromedia such as photos or audio clips and publish them? There is a good reason for Twitter to set the maximum number of characters for each tweet as 140.

Just imagine what could happen when we start to tweet in Good English...

• In Good English: As usual, I am dozing off in the train, all this while knocking my head against the window. It was painful.
  
  Actual Tweet: the usual dozing off in the train & knocking my head agst the window... argh!


• In Good English: You are attending lessons on Monday and Wednesday, and I understand that you would prefer to spend time with your friends on weekends. How a...
  (“bout Thursday?” will not be delivered because of the 140chars limit)
  
  Actual Tweet: mon n wed u got lesson. I noe weekends u wana spend time wif frds. Thursday how?


• In Good English: I am so annoyed. Where are the buses? Eight buses have past, with some on the same number route, yet there is no sight of number 171 and 174...
  (“for the past fifteen minutes!” will not be delivered because of the 140chars limit)
  
  Actual Tweet: Is so annoyed. Hello! Buses! There've been like 8 of the same few buses rolling past and not 1 171 or 174 in 15 mins!


• In Good English: I should be receiving my Snow tomorrow. I had better backup all the files now as I could mess up tomorrow’s installation. To all who have in...
  (“stalled Snow, how long did it take you?” will not be delivered because of the 140chars limit)
  
  Actual Tweet: Sld be receiving my Snow tmr... better backup all the files now before I mess up tmr's installation. Those who installed, how long it took?


• In Good English: I have one good reason to log into Facebook regularly, which is to remove unglamorous photographs that are tagged to me, before too many peo...
  (“ple have seen them.” will not be delivered because of the 140chars limit)
  
  Actual Tweet: 1 gd enuf reason 2 log in 2 FB regularly, is 2 remove unglam photo tags b4 2 many ppl see them

And I'm not even mentioning "Roll On Floor Laughing".

Speak Good English Movement