When I arrived in Singapore in 2005 from North America, I was surprised by some words that were used because such words were never used to describe the actions in North America and would have been laughed at. Below is a summary of the words (italicized words are the interesting words):
- "I shall check with my boss and revert to you....."
- "XXX has been convicted of drink driving and sentenced to...."
- "Irregardless of this matter, you should not do the following...."
The above is just a sample of the "interesting" usage of the English language that I have discovered. So what's wrong with each of them? Let me explain....
- With regards to item (1), I am sure that many have seen and used the word "revert" on a daily basis in emails and text messages. Nothing wrong you say...but wait a minute. "Revert" in the English dictionary actually means "to return to an original state" and used mainly to explain returning to an original form. In the example of item (1) then, my question then is what original state would the speaker be returning to after speaking with the boss? This is extremely hilarious because I want the speaker to get back to me with an answer and not go into some original state (liquid, gas, solid). The use of this word is definitely hilarious because it carries a different meaning from the intended purpose.
- Drink Driving: What's wrong with this phrase you ask? It is used by the papers, local government officials, newspapers etc...therefore, it must be correct! Wrong!! By analyzing the words "drink driving" to indicate someone who is drunk and driving is completely off the mark as to what we want to portray. By analyzing the words "drink driving", we realize it is actually derived from combining drinking and driving. Now, think carefully about this...is drinking and driving actually an offense or is being drunk and driving the true offense? I believe it is the latter. Drinking and driving is not per se an offense (although I do not encourage this!) unless the driver is drunk. The law in Singapore stipulates that to be deemed legally drunk, the person must have a blood alcohol content above 0.08. As such, to drink and drive is not legally wrong because one glass of wine does not make my blood alcohol rise above the limit. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with drink driving but the offense should be drunk driving because the offender is drunk and driving, not drinking and driving!
- Irregardless: This word should be obvious why it is problematic...basically, the word irregardless is a double negative and no such word exists! There is only regardless as a word. However, I constantly hear people using this word but have never understood how one could arrive at this word since it's non-existent.
I have written the above not to criticize but to allow a better understanding for all who speak the English language. Wrong usage of words can bring about laughs and sometimes misunderstandings. Even though I understand that people here in Singapore may understand the meanings of the words as it is used daily but do spare a thought for the foreigners (which are rising in numbers), and the tourists who have no clue what you are talking about. Also, please note that the use of such words in a foreign country may contribute to serious misunderstandings about Singaporean culture or views because people may think that Singapore prohibits people from having a drink before they drive (as an example).
These are just some of my thoughts...please do contribute if anyone out there has heard of additional "interesting" use of the English language locally in Singapore. Anyway, these words have intrigued me for several years and I am now finally able to share....
5 comments:
I don't dare to comment though. However, its true about the usage of those words that is use wrongly. I guess over here, people learn from each other the command of words without realising the meaning of it. As long as it sound good, to them it doesn't matter. of cos' we won't deny it do raise some eyebrows.
haha ok. i admit i've misused the word 'revert' now and then...but i know better now! we learn something new every day eh :)
here in sg i notice another butchering method, which lies in people's diction. i personally adore singlish and i use it all the time. so long as you are understood, then i think it's fine. which means that it's equally important to have the ability to speak proper english, especially to foreigners who may not understand our colloquial terms.
the general main purpose of a language is after all, to communicate. so why not put in some effort to enunciate instead of mumbling through the entire sentence right?
things like nowadays being pronounced as nows-a-day, or a problem becoming a pro-brum.
there's also this mitsubishi starmex air-con commercial, where jack neo comes out and say "vacuum here, and wipe here!"
..which is amusing to me because it sounded like "vacuum here, whack here!"
"vacuum here, whack here?" haha! Pronouncing words perfectly and accurately is my biggest "pro-brum". I get tongue tied and when I have to repeat it, the joke is not funny anymore. I guess that's human, we are just not perfect.
agreed. nobody's perfect and everyone's learning everyday. but i think the key difference here is effort. with words that we're not sure of, obviously mispronouncing is bound to happen. but when it comes to common words that we use on almost a day-to-day basis, i think we should at least try our best not to let other people think we're saying 'whack' when we're actually trying to say 'wipe'! ;p
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