Singapore's leaders, constantly remolding their little country in their own image, see danger e are learning English so we can understand the world and the world can understand us said Lee Kuan Yew, the senior minister of singapore. "It is therefore important to speak and write standard English." Mr. Lee said standard English also serves as a neutral common denominator in the multilingual nation. "Unfortunately, if the less educated half of our people end up learning to speak only Singlish, they will suffer economically and socially." There has never been a time like this when the world was so small, communication so rapid and the need for a common language so fundamental. English is the language of the Internet, of movies and music, of air traffic controllers and captains at sea. It is essential to international business, the means of communication between Japan and Brazil, Germany and Egypt. In this regard, Singapore's attempt at linguistic engineering is admirable, but probably doomed, said Mr. Smith, who is executive director of the International Association for World Englishes and edits the journal World Englishes.