Command of the language

[Porker]

Do you guys ever suffer from lapse of the command of the language (be it English or Mandarin) ever since you left skool?

 

I swear I type and talk like an 8 yr old (grammatically that is) from time to time. I think dementia is setting in

[Rncw]

as long as your targeted audience understands ok liaos

[Chrispie]

i understand what you mean.. certain times you can rattle off like crazy.. words just flow..

 

OTher days, you can even make a proper sentence.. the right words just elude you.

[Chisiang]

i learnt it the hard way. SMS and forums worsen the situation. That's why now i try to construct proper sentences as much as possible. Because it will eventually affect your speech.

 

Frankly speaking, most of us have not master our first language and second language (mother tongue) nor are we proficiency at all imo. We merely know the basic.

 

Try engaging in a verbal argument with an Ang mo and you will see how badly we fair. Try the same with a Cheena and you also see how pathetic our cheena is.

 

I kept getting the idea that we are so call "good" for being bilingual, but after speaking with some friends working in UK and those working in China, most of them had a tough time picking up the language and vocab from scratch.

 

Among ourselves of course we can understand each other, but is that the point of being bilingual? Learn English to speak with another Singaporean? Why not learn Malay since its the native language?

[Gabriel]

happens to me...

when a chio bu is in front of me

[Comfy]

which chio bu??

[Comfy]

then its time to practice good english... and to speak good mandarin/2nd language. talk to someone more than facing the computer screen..

[Sabian]

you on extreme protein diet?

 

but on a serious note, i think spellcheck and old age are a bad combination.

[Lv3338]

that's why singaporean are been tagged as "bananna people"...

i had a hard time working in abroad previously on those u mentioned

[Qpik]

Tks for yr help the other day, I think PeeSaiOng akan datang treat u to Yakun for tea break.

 

Back to yr post, if u expect aver Sporean to speak proper English like the Brit complete with the accent etc, quite difficult unless one is schooled in UK.

 

But why we speak in such colloquial lingo is bcos we are unique. No other nationalities can dupe our identify, using the short time n the shortest sentences to get our msgs across to a fellow native. It is very subjective whether we should be proud of this trait.

 

Classic example; would you choose (a) or (b) if you're in a posh place or hawker centre

 

(a) Excuse me, could you please direct me to the Gents?

(b) Sry, where is the toylet? 10 U.

 

If u want to talk abt corresponding with foreigners in their language, you probably won't get all the answers to yr qtns. To circumvent this issue, I use point form. They might hv a poor perception of me but at least I can be assured that all my qtns will be answered and they will also understand what I am tryg to communicate to them.

 

So, bottom line, I doubt fellow members here are not apt but whether to use it at the right place, time and to the right people.

[Beei]

  Quote

Do you guys ever suffer from lapse of the command of the language (be it English or Mandarin) ever since you left skool?

 

I swear I type and talk like an 8 yr old (grammatically that is) from time to time. I think dementia is setting in

ya shuld haf asks owl MCF onli graduape for hell, weixiang.. hiss engrish is the powderful.. got guud potenial as comended bye hiss manger.. furhermo, he ark drawing a salry or 3.5K in futre..

[Chickenfarm]

This thread is so cheem

[Scoots]

  Quote

i learnt it the hard way. SMS and forums worsen the situation. That's why now i try to construct proper sentences as much as possible. Because it will eventually affect your speech.

 

Frankly speaking, most of us have not master our first language and second language (mother tongue) nor are we proficiency at all imo. We merely know the basic.

 

Try engaging in a verbal argument with an Ang mo and you will see how badly we fair. Try the same with a Cheena and you also see how pathetic our cheena is.

 

I kept getting the idea that we are so call "good" for being bilingual, but after speaking with some friends working in UK and those working in China, most of them had a tough time picking up the language and vocab from scratch.

 

Among ourselves of course we can understand each other, but is that the point of being bilingual? Learn English to speak with another Singaporean? Why not learn Malay since its the native language?

 

Well... look at it this way.. "good" in that we are better in Chinese compared to an Ang Mo, and that we are better in English than a Chinese..

[Chickenfarm]

Maybe sometimes we shld just go back to basics and speak simply and clearly without any haze in sprouting a cheem cheem vocab here and there. Think that will suffice speaking to an Ang Mo cos they will understand you. Problem cums when u try to keep up with them and start speaking gibberish.

 

The key is - back to the basics

 

Good ang mo is when your audience understand what you're saying...not when you sprinkle a bit of vocab here and there...to the extend that they have to search for a dictionary.

 

Anywayz dun take me too seriously cos I'm the most lowly educated one down here And I only have the basics

[Ahliew]

yesh, i ish thinks i needs lessons in conversational engrish and my spoken mandarin ish really half-fark

sms and msn is the cause of it

Edited August 4, 2008 by Ahliew

[RadX]

ya lor...kong simi LJ....i onli pramree 3 lebel....cannot make it in life...no ellucatoirn

[RadX]

cb...wat basics...i lagi basic....need to use sign langhuarge

[Scoots]

We just need to speak clear, 'unbroken' english.

 

So we don't pronounce tomato as toe-MAY-toe or toe-maaaAAAAAAaaaarrrrr-Toe...big deal.... it's still the same thing