Long Time No See

                           

Has  anyone finished reading our required materials, " Bilingualism in the mass media and on the internet "? A Hollywood movie named " Spanglish" is mentioned there, which deals with the cultural clashes between minority ethnic  groups and the main stream Anglo-Americans. Well, I do not know much about cultural conflicts in the USA, but I have got something  to share about  a  similar phenomenon in our motherland. The unique cultural hybrid of the East and the West,  Wonderful  CHINGLISH .

According to dear Wiki,

Chinglish (sometimes spelled as Chingrish^[1]) refers to spoken or written English language that is influenced by the Chinese language.^[2] The term "Chinglish" is commonly applied to ungrammatical or nonsensical English in Chinese contexts, and may have pejorative or deprecatingconnotations.^[3] Other terms used to describe the phenomenon include "Chinese English", "China English", and "Sinicized English".^[4] The degree to which a Chinese variety of English exists or can be considered legitimate is disputed.^[5]

  Here is a list from People Daily Online about some iconic examples of CHINGLISH

1. Good good study, day day up (好好学习，天天向上) 
Note: Study hard and make progress everyday

2. How are you? How old are you？(怎么是你？怎么老是你？)
Note: Why are you here? Why do I always meet you?

3. You have seed. I will give you some color to see see. (你有种，我要给你点颜色瞧瞧。)
Note: You dare to bully me! I’ll get you back! 

4. You ask me, me ask who? (你问我，我问谁？)
Note: You ask me the reason, I don’t know either.

5. We two who and who? (咱俩谁跟谁？)
Note: We are intimate friends.

6. No three no four (不三不四)
Note: indecent 

7. Horse horse tiger tiger (马马虎虎)
Note: Just so so.

8. One car come, one car go, two car pengpeng, one car died! (关于一场车祸的描述)
Note: (It’s a description of a traffic accident) Two cars collide, one of them was ruined.

9. People mountain people sea (人山人海)
Note: So many people

10. If you want money, I have no; if you want life, I have one! (要钱没有，要命一条)
Note: I have no money, what I own is only one life.

  Many people have been using CHINGLISH as evidence of  the lack of civalization of mainland China, and it has been  a source of comedy for some time. However, I have a different idea. CHINGLISH is the witness of the encounter of Eastern and Western culture, it has a long-standing history and it should be more looked in to  as an important cultural phenomenon rather than cheesy comic material. English was first introduced into mainland China in late Qing Dynasty.   Throughout the many years of  development in China, English has slowly  evolved and adapted to Chinese culture. Chinglish, very much like Singapore English  and different local dialects of English in other regions, is a product of the internationalization of English.  Language as a carrier of  culture and values, is always fluid and dynamic and subject to change. The formation of Chinglish is but how English and Chinese have come to understand and communicate with each other. It is an interesting and enchanting bilingual study.

Of couse, after  all ,  we should learn to speak and write proper English. But, hey, is it not fun to look at how two languages can become one? And how languages can be reinvented and  redeveloped and be constantly  enriched. Is it not the nature of languages?

By Chung Wai Yee, Minnie  Student ID:4117277