A language takes many years to develop and whether it takes root or not in a society depends on social, political, historical and educational factors and also for reasons of expediency. Latin was studied in our schools in the 1950s but today it has become locally extinct.

Singapore has 76.8 per cent of Chinese (July 2007 figures) and in our schools the kids learn English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. In the marketplace and coffee shops, one has to speak Mandarin or Hokkien as these are the unofficial lingua franca of the masses.

Of course, in the hotels, airport and restaurants patronised by the well-heeled, English becomes the language of communication. One has to learn to accept the reality of the local environment as the language commonly used is the one used by the majority.

I usually go to Johor to get my monthly haircut by a Malay barber. He speaks bazaar Malay and although armed with only a sprinkling of Malay I was able to convey to him the style of haircut that I wanted. I was surprised to note that he could speak to other customers in broken Hokkien.

In Bangkok, I visited an Indian tailor who has a shop near the Chatuchak market and he speaks impeccable Thai. Being illiterate in Thai, I spoke to him in simple English and he was able to converse with me in broken English as he had lived in Bangkok for the last 15 years.

In London, I had to speak to a Filipino receptionist at Heathrow Airport who is well versed in English, French and Tagalog. On boarding a public bus, I was able to speak to a Pakistani driver in English as he had been living in London for the past five years. With time, the immigrants would inevitably pick up the language of the common people.

If you tune in to China Central Television (CCTV), you can listen to the news in Mandarin. In our local channel 97 (CCTV 9), one can watch the news in English and the Chinese newsreaders usually read the news with an American accent.

In Beijing, I noticed that the signboards at the airport and the roads are all in Chinese and all foreigners are expected to read them regardless of the language they are competent in. I don't expect to see a French signboard in the heart of Beijing.

In France, the official language is French and woe betide you if you cannot speak simple French as English is an alien language to most locals. Some of the French immigrants also speak Portuguese, Italian and the Arabic languages.

In Switzerland, the official languages are German, French and Italian and, hence in Zurich, Geneva and Berne you have to speak one of these languages to get by. In every major city in Switzerland, there is always a Jewish community and the local Jews could speak German and French, besides Hebrew.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you can't beat them, then join them. It is always an asset to learn more than one language as this allows me to speak to foreigners whenever and wherever I travel.

When in Phnom Penh, as I am totally ignorant of the Cambodian language, I would resort to signs and gestures to get my question across.

Heng Cho Choon