Saturday 22 November 2008

Rojak English

I was amused by a reader of a blog who took a swipe at the anglophiles and those who insist that English should be spoken and written as it should be. This is Manglish at its best (or worst?):

Wah, you so terror one, ah? Your English so good meh? Don’t simply see people no up lah. Your father got money, can send you go overseas to study, but don’t be so LCLY lah. We poor people, got no money, some more cannot get scholarship, how to go overseas? Go Singapore also cannot. Can get to study here, lucky already. Some more you want to compare.

People like you, they call ‘kacang lupa kulit’. Aiyah, so sorry, you educated in west. You can read Malay or not? It means, the bean forgot the skin lah. English say forgot the roots lah. Where you learn your English? Not Malaysia ah? Just because you study in west and can write and speak little bit like Mat Salleh (aiyoh, sorry again, this time it mean Kwailoh), you think we local graduate all useless one.

US graduate also same lah. Last time I got two staff, both graduate from University of Oklahoma City. Engineer some more. Their English is so bad, I tell you, if you read, you sure laugh one. I think my English is bad one but their one is worse.

When I ask them, they tell me their SPM English, they only get C4 and then some more, dare not take Cambridge O Level English paper. I said, no wonder lah so bad. I wonder how they can graduate from US university if their English is so bad one. Of course, I didn’t tell them that lah. Give them face mah, also I don’t want to make them angry, otherwise they wallop me, I die.


So, what you get for English SPM? You got take Cambridge O Level English or not? I think if you got take this exam, sure score A1 one.

I only get A1 in English SPM and A2 in Cambridge ‘O’ Level English. And I never study in Mat Salleh school before. So, ‘Phai Say’ lah….

5 comments:

  1. haha... terribly good english this post. Terribly good.

    But seriously, the English standard in most institutions now is rather atrocious. I'm not saying that my English is good as I'm also from Kebangsaan school. Didn't had the chance to go overseas to further my studies but I think the least one can do is to 'respect' the language?

    Many now can't converse or write fluently in English... it's very sad when you call a MNC company and their operators' can't understand simple English.....

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  2. Well, we can't say Malaysians are not an innovative lot using English as a communicative tool at the informal level!

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  3. Well, have you watched Namewee's latest videos? Hew teacher ABC time.

    Part 1: http://tinyurl.com/5sb9rb
    Part 2: http://tinyurl.com/6rsvq5
    Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL9oGmHdF2w

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Adrian. Will have a look at it.

    ReplyDelete