Friday, November 10, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Singlish lah
In England, they speak English, in America, they speak American...no, English, and in Singapore, they speak English...no, Singlish.
However American English is different from British English, they are still considered the same language. They have different idoms, expressions, and of course accents, but all the basics are the same.
But Singaporean English is fundamentally different, as far as I can see. Among other things besides the accent, they simplify things to the maximum efficiency. They don't say "excuse me." They say "excuse." If something is unnecessary? Just say "no need." And if, for example, you ask them "can I pay with credit card?" They would say "credit card, can," or "credit card, cannot."
Another thing is saying "lah" at the end of every sentence. Examples are: "Ok lah!" "Thank you lah!" etc.
Singlish is a hybrid of English that is gramatically so flawed, but they still communicate with it perfectly. Interesting huh?
However American English is different from British English, they are still considered the same language. They have different idoms, expressions, and of course accents, but all the basics are the same.
But Singaporean English is fundamentally different, as far as I can see. Among other things besides the accent, they simplify things to the maximum efficiency. They don't say "excuse me." They say "excuse." If something is unnecessary? Just say "no need." And if, for example, you ask them "can I pay with credit card?" They would say "credit card, can," or "credit card, cannot."
Another thing is saying "lah" at the end of every sentence. Examples are: "Ok lah!" "Thank you lah!" etc.
Singlish is a hybrid of English that is gramatically so flawed, but they still communicate with it perfectly. Interesting huh?
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
W.T.F
I went to the homepage of my cousin, who's been in the states as an exchange student for about a semester now, and I was taken aback when I saw his comments about black people. He called them "trash" for no valid reason, and I'm just surprised at how blatant he is.
Maybe it's not just him. Koreans are one of the most racist and exclusive people I've ever known - as a Korean myself, I'm ashamed to say this, but I'm afraid it's true. They hate black people for being black, they hate white people for being white, they hate Japanese for being Japanese. Basically, they hate everyone for being different from them.
For a long time, I'd thought it was more like xenophobia rather than racism. There haven't been not many foreigners in Korea, so it's understandable they can be afraid of foreigners because they hadn't seen them much. But if you call a certain group of people "trash" just because they are being who they are, it's serious racism, and I'm pretty sure my counsin isn't the only Korean who thinks that way.
All the crap in Korea about the Superbowl MVP Hines Ward was the most pathetic and hypocrat thing I've ever witnessed. Bi-racials in Korea had been the most underrepresented people, and all of sudden, that half-Korean, half-black dude was getting all the most positive media attention you can ever get. Koreans were just crazy about him, first because he had a Korean tie, and second he achieved such a great thing in the states, a country they try to hate so much, but can't help but admiring as much.
So on one level, you have these people calling others with darker skin collors trash without feeling any shame, and on another level, you have these people going crazy over a U.S. football star despite his skin color, again, without feeling any shame. That's a real, real shame to me.
Maybe it's not just him. Koreans are one of the most racist and exclusive people I've ever known - as a Korean myself, I'm ashamed to say this, but I'm afraid it's true. They hate black people for being black, they hate white people for being white, they hate Japanese for being Japanese. Basically, they hate everyone for being different from them.
For a long time, I'd thought it was more like xenophobia rather than racism. There haven't been not many foreigners in Korea, so it's understandable they can be afraid of foreigners because they hadn't seen them much. But if you call a certain group of people "trash" just because they are being who they are, it's serious racism, and I'm pretty sure my counsin isn't the only Korean who thinks that way.
All the crap in Korea about the Superbowl MVP Hines Ward was the most pathetic and hypocrat thing I've ever witnessed. Bi-racials in Korea had been the most underrepresented people, and all of sudden, that half-Korean, half-black dude was getting all the most positive media attention you can ever get. Koreans were just crazy about him, first because he had a Korean tie, and second he achieved such a great thing in the states, a country they try to hate so much, but can't help but admiring as much.
So on one level, you have these people calling others with darker skin collors trash without feeling any shame, and on another level, you have these people going crazy over a U.S. football star despite his skin color, again, without feeling any shame. That's a real, real shame to me.
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