SINGAPORE - Singapore is to revive its 'speak good english' campaign in an attempt to inspire the population to speak the language correctly and to reduce reliance on Singlish, a local hybrid, AFP quoted the government as saying Friday.

It's the third English-language drive in three years and the government has warned that without proper English, which is widely used in politics and business, the former British colony risks losing its competitive edge.

Critics argue that Singlish, combining English, Chinese, Malay and Indian words, is a symbol of national identity, but authorities fear the bewildering language mix could diminish the tiny republic's drive to be seen as a global city.

The ability to speak English "is an important competitive advantage," said deputy leader and prime minister-in-waiting, Lee Hsien Loong, the last time the campaign was launched.

"English is the common language of global business, commerce and technology, and the Internet has further strengthened this pre-eminent role."

The government announced that the new campaign, carrying the slogan "Speak Well, Be Understood", will be officially launched next week.

Over the next month, more than 100 activities promoting good English have been organized at community and school level, a statement from the Organizing Committee said.

"Singaporeans can also look out for entertaining tv and radio programs and telephone lessons on good English -- attesting that learning good English can be fun."

Singapore has four official languages: English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.