Thoughts On Recent Reading...
So I've been reading this book lately, by Paul J.J. Payack, called "A Million Words And Counting: How Global English Is Rewriting The World" (I know, I know, you all think I'm a geek, and are sitting here reading this and going "Sam, get a life and read a REAL book!"). Anyway, there are a couple of things from this book that I found humourous, intriguing, and ironic... I wanted to share them here, for what they're worth.
--The term "politically correct" is now officially politically incorrect.
--The Chinese word for "escalator" translates into "hand ladder". I definitely think we need to start calling them hand ladders.
--"Hinglish" is a kind of sorta sub-dialect of English blended in with Hindi, found in most parts of India. Apparently they have a word for "I need a drink" (which is actually officially English): "Glassy". So, when you're next hanging out with someone, and you get thirsty, be sure to tell them you're glassy. Classy, no?
--Nambian English speakers say "...and what what", rather than "etc.". I think I'm gonna pick that one up permanently.
And this one is one I DEFINITELY want to begin seeing in our day-to-day vocabulary:
-- "Act Blur". Singaporian (which may or may not be a word) English speakers use the phrase "Act Blur" to mean "feign confusion". So when something goes wrong and you don't want to look stupid, you just act blur. Easily the sweetest new phrase I've seen in a long time.
And here are some British English phrases that really made me laugh...
"bumbag"= fanny pack
"articulated lorry"= semi-truck
"naughts and crosses" = tic-tac-toe
"transport cafe"= truck stop
So, regardless of how ridiculously stupid you may think I am, hopefully some of this stuff caused some form of amusement for you... I got a kick out of it... I also found it fascinating to see throughout the book how as English has been brought into the forefront across the globe, it has grown and evolved and absorbed bits of other cultures at such a rapid pace that alot of the language now is actually borrowed or has sprung out of other nationalities adopting it. KInda a fun survey of where English has been and where they see it heading as a language in the future (and for a geek/writer like me, that's intriguing stuff).
Blessings,
Hobbes
--The term "politically correct" is now officially politically incorrect.
--The Chinese word for "escalator" translates into "hand ladder". I definitely think we need to start calling them hand ladders.
--"Hinglish" is a kind of sorta sub-dialect of English blended in with Hindi, found in most parts of India. Apparently they have a word for "I need a drink" (which is actually officially English): "Glassy". So, when you're next hanging out with someone, and you get thirsty, be sure to tell them you're glassy. Classy, no?
--Nambian English speakers say "...and what what", rather than "etc.". I think I'm gonna pick that one up permanently.
And this one is one I DEFINITELY want to begin seeing in our day-to-day vocabulary:
-- "Act Blur". Singaporian (which may or may not be a word) English speakers use the phrase "Act Blur" to mean "feign confusion". So when something goes wrong and you don't want to look stupid, you just act blur. Easily the sweetest new phrase I've seen in a long time.
And here are some British English phrases that really made me laugh...
"bumbag"= fanny pack
"articulated lorry"= semi-truck
"naughts and crosses" = tic-tac-toe
"transport cafe"= truck stop
So, regardless of how ridiculously stupid you may think I am, hopefully some of this stuff caused some form of amusement for you... I got a kick out of it... I also found it fascinating to see throughout the book how as English has been brought into the forefront across the globe, it has grown and evolved and absorbed bits of other cultures at such a rapid pace that alot of the language now is actually borrowed or has sprung out of other nationalities adopting it. KInda a fun survey of where English has been and where they see it heading as a language in the future (and for a geek/writer like me, that's intriguing stuff).
Blessings,
Hobbes