Oooooh, pretty colors in that photograph! I like! Take more like that!
And as for Google, I think there is a fairly widespread although seriously mistaken belief in the United States that any country in which the majority of the population is Not White absolutely cannot have as a primary language any language that originated in Europe. If a country is particularly well-known, such as India, a few people may manage to remember that English is common there; an even smaller number of people may even occasionally intermittently realize that an awful lot of people in the Philippines speak Spanish. But Singapore? The only things anybody here knows about Singapore are that some American got caned there a decade or two ago, and that it is located somewhere in the general vicinity of Asia. Therefore, you just must speak Chinese, no matter how many books (or people writing to Google to complain) may claim otherwise.
Oh-ho, you remember that some American got caned here, huh. :\ But do that many people in the Philippines actually speak Spanish these days, though? I mean, Spanish definitely has massive historical and cultural significance there, and Tagalog has tons of loan words from Spanish, but I always thought that English was the second most widely spoken language there, not Spanish.
And well, why Chinese, and not Malay, for instance? After all, Chinese was brought over by immigrants too.
"Oh-ho, you remember that some American got caned here, huh. :\"
It was a huge news story here back whenever it was that that happened. It was pretty much the only time Singapore ever made big headlines here.
"But do that many people in the Philippines actually speak Spanish these days, though? I mean, Spanish definitely has massive historical and cultural significance there, and Tagalog has tons of loan words from Spanish, but I always thought that English was the second most widely spoken language there, not Spanish."
*is an ignorant American too, and should not be asked these questions, because even despite the fact that I probably have more LJ friends in the Philippines than you have, I have apparently not been paying adequate attention*
(on second thought, a few years ago I used to have a rather large number of people in the Philippines on my LJ friends list, but now I merely have a rather large number of journals of people in the Philippines on my LJ friends list - they're all owned by the same person)
A few hundred Filipinos still speak a dialect of Spanish in Manila that is now in its final death throes. The principal languages are Tagalog and English, although as you say with a lot of Spanish loan words. Spanish names are still very evident (Gloria Arroyo).
Incidentally, and completely unrelatedly, I believe Arroyo went to university with Bill Clinton when both were still being groomed for leadership and apparently they became friends.
Singapura, O Singapura...kaidudeJanuary 22 2006, 06:55:27 UTC
If taken in a quick glipmse, it's as if a fire had broken out in the first pic and everybody is running for their lives *choi!*
Oddly enough, in recent weeks, MegaUpload has decided that I should switch to Chinese also. But for Google to make such a boo-boo - gah, how unforgiveable! Now, it's not just the local authorities who are being insensitive to the minority races.
Re: Singapura, O Singapura...rekraftJanuary 22 2006, 17:22:05 UTC
Heheh... and if I look quickly enough, I could almost imagine the dude in front carrying those red pails filled with water...
Interesting that MegaUpload is doing the same thing. Also, if I had the presence of mind (and free time) then, I would have gone through all the different countries to see just how many exotic languages Google has their TOS in.
Minority races?? I would be interested in just what proportion of the majority race here can read fan2 ti3 zi4 well enough to understand a legal document.
Comments 16
And as for Google, I think there is a fairly widespread although seriously mistaken belief in the United States that any country in which the majority of the population is Not White absolutely cannot have as a primary language any language that originated in Europe. If a country is particularly well-known, such as India, a few people may manage to remember that English is common there; an even smaller number of people may even occasionally intermittently realize that an awful lot of people in the Philippines speak Spanish. But Singapore? The only things anybody here knows about Singapore are that some American got caned there a decade or two ago, and that it is located somewhere in the general vicinity of Asia. Therefore, you just must speak Chinese, no matter how many books (or people writing to Google to complain) may claim otherwise.
Reply
Oh-ho, you remember that some American got caned here, huh. :\ But do that many people in the Philippines actually speak Spanish these days, though? I mean, Spanish definitely has massive historical and cultural significance there, and Tagalog has tons of loan words from Spanish, but I always thought that English was the second most widely spoken language there, not Spanish.
And well, why Chinese, and not Malay, for instance? After all, Chinese was brought over by immigrants too.
Reply
It was a huge news story here back whenever it was that that happened. It was pretty much the only time Singapore ever made big headlines here.
"But do that many people in the Philippines actually speak Spanish these days, though? I mean, Spanish definitely has massive historical and cultural significance there, and Tagalog has tons of loan words from Spanish, but I always thought that English was the second most widely spoken language there, not Spanish."
*is an ignorant American too, and should not be asked these questions, because even despite the fact that I probably have more LJ friends in the Philippines than you have, I have apparently not been paying adequate attention*
(on second thought, a few years ago I used to have a rather large number of people in the Philippines on my LJ friends list, but now I merely have a rather large number of journals of people in the Philippines on my LJ friends list - they're all owned by the same person)
"And well, why ( ... )
Reply
Incidentally, and completely unrelatedly, I believe Arroyo went to university with Bill Clinton when both were still being groomed for leadership and apparently they became friends.
Reply
Oddly enough, in recent weeks, MegaUpload has decided that I should switch to Chinese also. But for Google to make such a boo-boo - gah, how unforgiveable! Now, it's not just the local authorities who are being insensitive to the minority races.
Reply
Interesting that MegaUpload is doing the same thing. Also, if I had the presence of mind (and free time) then, I would have gone through all the different countries to see just how many exotic languages Google has their TOS in.
Minority races?? I would be interested in just what proportion of the majority race here can read fan2 ti3 zi4 well enough to understand a legal document.
Reply
Reply
Reply
You are tempting me to photoshop your picture.........
I would be interested in just what proportion of the majority race here can read fan2 ti3 zi4 well enough to understand a legal document.
Let me try for a one-up:
I would be interested in just what proportion of the majority race here can read jian3 ti3 zi4 well enough to understand a legal document.
I, for one, think I'll be utterly stumped.
Reply
Go right ahead and be my guest. :) flukycoda's already inspired me to take my mouse to this one.
I would be interested in just what proportion of the majority race here can read jian3 ti3 zi4 well enough to understand a legal document.
Ok, you win. I'd give up straight away!
Reply
Freakin' hilarious photoshopping you did on the other one - YOU win!
(Reply to this)
Reply
( ... )
Reply
Leave a comment