What brand of English do you speak?

There is only one language people speak around the world: bad English. - Bennie Mostert

What brand of English do you speak? In my post "The rule doesn't work", I mentioned that my friend speaks perfect English. He corrected me saying, "I prefer to say that I speak perfect Filipino-English." This triggered another thought: I thought Filipinos said they speak Taglish (Tagalog + English), not Filipino-English.

I've heard of many brands of English:
Taglish (Tagalog-English) in The Philippines
Singlish (Singapore-English) in Singapore
Chinglish (Chinese-English) in predominantly Chinese-speaking countries like Taiwan and China
Then there's Hong Kong-English in Hong Kong (with a heavy Cantonese accent)
Malaysian English in Malaysia
British English in the UK
American English in the USA
Canadian English in Canada (ending your sentences with "ae?")
I'm sure there are many, many more brands of English out there!

Regardless of the accent you have, the real question I have is whether any of these speakers of the English language can "code switch" depending on whom he/she is talking to. I can. My classmate who has lived in America for many years can too. In fact, on a recent holiday to Singapore, her children kept glaring at her, wondering why Mom was talking funny! Mom's reply, "I'm at home! I speak the way I would at home!" When in Rome, speak as the Romans do.

One of the beauties of the English language is how it has adapted itself in every different country where it has gone, thus adding colour and variety to this so-called universal language around the world. At the end of the day, my friend Bennie Mostert is right. "Bad English" is what we speak, unless you're the Queen of England!

Don't be discouraged in your language learning process. Time and hard work are needed to really learn a language well. At the end of the day, a combination of basic language and body actions will help you communicate in any country of the world. But, keep going on the learning journey. You will earn loads more respect that way.

Here's to learning a language well!

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The rule doesn't work!

My post entitled Jiggle or Giggle drew quite a few giggles, I must say. My classmates who were present during the conversation are probably still "ghiggling" over the mispronunciation. My Filipino friend who speaks perfect English and is now learning Spanish stumped me.

He left this comment on my post:
There are many examples of that for English. For example, some people pronounce "hamburger" with the hard "guh" sound; others with the "juh" sound.

What's the rule in English in pronouncing words ending in -ger?
- anger vs. avenger
- meager vs. merger
- finger vs. charger
etc.

Tagalog and Spanish have more predictable pronunciation patterns.

So, I went on a hunt for English pronunciation rules. I found this:

3. Pronunciation of the “G”

- When an “E”, “I”, or “Y” follows the “G”, it is pronounced as ‘ʤ’. Examples are: gym, giant, gem, gorgeous, and George.

- When a “U” or “A” follows the “G”, it is pronounced as ‘’ or ‘æ’. For example: gun, gum, gas, garden, and gap.

While the rule stated above works for most words beginning with "G", the pronunciation for "giggle" does not follow that rule! Neither do the words that my friend listed above!

As I have said many a time, the English language is not easy to learn. Exceptions abound, making pronunciation completely baffling for the learner, whatever age you may be. My little piece of advice is to simply accept the way it is pronounced and not try to figure it out too much. No wonder Psy said translation gives him a headache.

Have fun learning a language!

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Jiggle or giggle?

We had a classmates gathering two days ago. As with all our gatherings, we sat round the table filled with food and talked endlessly about anything under the sun. One of us told this story:

"I was talking to my neighbour the other day. I was trying my best not to laugh out loud. He said, 'I couldn't stop jiggling ...' I was trying to imagine how he was jiggling around ..."



We were in peals of laughter! What the neighbour meant to say was "I couldn't stop giggling" not "jiggling". I suppose he didn't realise that "g" followed by "i" gives a hard "guh" sound, rather than a "juh" sound. One kind soul tried to defend his mispronunciation by saying, "Well, technically he's not wrong. "Gi" can be pronounced as "Ji"." More peals of laughter.



Inspired by all the giggling and jiggling, another poetic classmate wrote a poem about our get-together over food, plus "ghiggling" as she spelled it. Most everyone who was there had something to say about "ghiggling" on Facebook. What an impact one funny pronunciation can make.

If you're learning English, the neighbour in my story could well be you. The English language is not easy to learn. Pronunciation can be a mystery even to a native speaker. Being embarrassed in front of others because of poor pronunciation is so "uncool", for lack of a better word. But it takes very thick skin and determination to learn a language well. Just keep at it. You will get it someday soon, as long as you don't give up.

We're in the Lunar New Year already. Let's keep up our resolution to learn a new language this year!

Happy learning!

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When words fail, use your body

Body language must be the most effective means of communication when language fails. Kim Ji Woon speaks no English. The Hollywood actors and actresses he chose for his movie speak no Korean. Hire an interpreter would be the obvious choice. But "lost in translation" was the result. How did they manage to make the movie?

When the other side can't understand what you're saying, show them.

It was so effective that the above comment was expressed!

"Don't tell me you love me, show me!" Common expression that women say to their husbands or boyfriends. This could not be more true in this case. But what was being shown was not love. It was a work directive. Effective? Yes! Was everyone happy? Yes! What more can you ask for?

I'm not advocating that we all stop talking and start gesticulating instead. Language is necessary most of the time. But when you just can't get your message across, try using your body or drawing a picture. After all, a picture paints a thousand words.

Happy communicating!

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Talk with your hands, not with your mouth

Language is all about communication. Language may not always take the form of oral communication, but we do find that we talk faster than we can read. So, can your hands move faster than you can talk?

Deaf and hearing-impaired people are a special breed. They talk with their hands, often accompanied by facial expressions. They can't hear, but they are very expressive when they communicate. It is quite fun to watch them "talking" to each other, but I stop myself quickly because I'm eavesdropping, even though I don't understand a word!

There are many kinds of Sign Language: American, British, etc. I was told by a deaf person that the deaf don't have a problem understand another form of Sign Language. It's the hearing who get confused! Somehow the deaf can understand each other across the "language divide" quite well.

Why not learn Sign Language today? It will open up a whole new world and culture. You can also help the hearing-impaired with their studies in school. Learn something and bless someone with your new-found skills!

Happy Signing from Fun Language Tools!

Get rid of negative behaviour, be a friend instead

We live in a modern world. It is so global that someone commented that women dress the same all over the world. There is no unique fashion statement anymore. So, why is this "old-fashioned" behaviour still taking place in one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the world, Sydney, Australia?

The sad thing is that this man is a prominent TV personality. He had to do everything he could to rein in his emotions for the sake of his 2-year-old daughter. It takes a real man to keep such deplorable behaviour quiet. I salute him!

I am glad he finally chose to tweet about it. The world must know that such narrow-minded thinking still exists and must be gotten rid off forever. I am glad that it created such an uproar in Australia. It's very nice to know that the average Australian does not condone such nasty behaviour. My friend experienced racism the first day she arrived in Perth. In contrast, my Sydney friend Liz felt most welcome in Singapore.

Wherever you live in the world, I am sure you have at least one "foreigner" living in your midst, unless you come from a remote village, I suppose. Regardless, I encourage you to make the bold step and reach out to a different culture today. The world is too big for us to hold negative views of others. Be a friend. You'll get a friend in return! Liz did. So will you!

Have fun making friends and learning their language!

Love is in every culture

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, is Valentine's Day a western tradition? The name Valentine certainly is. It started as a Christian celebration in Europe, named after Saint Valentine. In Chinese tradition, the story of the Cowherd 牛郎 and the Princess 织女 talks of romantic love. Chinese Valentine's Day is on the 7th Day of the 7th Lunar Month 七夕. In China, they celebrate on both 14 February and the 7th Day of the 7th Lunar Month. More love to go around!

Singapore blogger Mr Brown posted a funny Valentine's Day picture taken of Weibo, China's version of Google, Facebook, Twitter, all rolled into one. Here's the story:
Man: Actually, there's nothing special or unique about Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day is similar to 清明节 (Tomb Sweeping Day, Chinese version of All Saints Day). You either give food or flowers.

The last shot in that picture is that of a horrified woman. And rightly so! Chinese offer food and flowers to their dead ancestors as a mark of respect, much like laying flowers at someone's tomb. Now which woman would appreciate a man with this kind of attitude?!

In India, hard-line Hindus protested against celebrating Valentine's Day in India. On the news, there were school girls holding posters saying, "Marriage is an institution". Well, rightly so. But, aren't married couples supposed to be in love with each other? Why stop them from expressing their love for each other? The problem lies with the unmarried, not the married, couples.

My Pakistani friend made a realistic comment about Valentine's Day: "Most happy hearts at Valentine are the shop keepers." Well said indeed!

Whether you celebrate or not, everyone around the world always appreciates some expression of love. So, spread a little love today! It's goes across cultures.

Happy Valentine's Day from Fun Language Tools!

New Year - time for family togetherness

It's the second day of Chinese New Year! Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Why is this festival called Chinese New Year, when it's not limited to the Chinese community around the world? Vietnamese celebrate this festival too! They call it Tet. It is based on the Lunar calendar, so technically, it should be called Lunar New Year, not Chinese New Year.

Then the Chinese in China call it Spring Festival or 春节 because this is the time they welcome Spring, even though most times it is still winter and sometimes snowing in some parts of the country.

Regardless of what you call it, it's a time for the family to get together. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the whole family gathers together from wherever they are living in the world. Special food is served, each dish symbolising a good wish for the new year. It is probably the one time of the year when the whole family gets to see each other and catch up with what has happened over the past year. For some, it is the first time meeting a new member of the family, whether by marriage or birth. In short, it is a heart-warming time for everyone.

In every culture, there seems to be at least one festival that brings the whole family together. In western countries, it is Christmas. For the Chinese and Vietnamese, it is the Lunar New Year. For those from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, it is the Buddhist New Year. We may all be culturally different, but one thing remains the same for the entire human race: family togetherness.

Whether you are celebrating the Lunar New Year or just starting another week, here's wishing you and your family a time of love and togetherness!

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Is English spoken in Australia?

Sydney and Melbourne are multi-cultural cities. A short visit to these two cities have made me realise how much the cities have changed in demographics. Eight years ago when I visited, I heard a lot of English spoken except in Chinatown. Today, I hear so many languages spoken than English. Practically everyone is bilingual. Every kind of food is available anywhere and everywhere. You have so many choices: Chinese, Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, Middle-Eastern, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Hungarian, Australian, Indian, ... the list goes on and on. So spoiled for choice.

There seem to be more languages spoken than English. As I'm on the bus or walking on the street, I hear Indian languages, European languages, Asian languages, ... very little English. So why does the non-English world want to learn English? Is it really a universal language spoken everywhere? Maybe.

While the non-English-speaking world is learning English, then the English-speaking world should be learning other languages. Since mastering a language takes time and a lot of effort, both worlds should learn other languages. That way we can all meet half-way when it comes to communication. After all, "the only language that everyone speaks around the world is bad English." (Bennie Mostert) What is key is communication. Remember, body language counts a lot too!

Have fun communicating! Learn a new language today!

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