When we hear broken English, we usually assume it to be Singlish, when it is often, in fact, Chinglish (English as spoken by the Chinese).

A growing number of Chinese dialect words and phrases, such as "bojio", "chiobu" and "chut pattern", are used by young Singaporeans daily.

Compare this to the number of Malay or Tamil words that has become a part of the local vernacular in recent times. To quote a Singlish phrase: "No fight".

This worrying trend is boosted by the printing of Chinglish words and phrases on everything from T-shirts to tote bags and cups.

Coupled with the frequent use of such terms on social media, the fight for better English becomes that much harder.

It is time for us to acknowledge that Chinglish is the more serious element in the make-up that is Singlish before we address how Singaporeans can connect and communicate better with the world ("English to help us connect to the world"; June 22).

In fact, it should start with how Singaporeans communicate among themselves first.

Anand A. Vathiyar