Comments on: I Mean What I Mean

By: Nikki

Nikki — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:28:46 +0000

in my neck of the woods, nappy is an insulting adjective used to describe someone’s unkempt hair. most of the black kids i went to school with would call each other nappy headed. i’m nappy-headed after it rains here and my hair gets super frizzy. carrot top probably gets nappy hair.

according to chinatraders.com: if you use nappy to describe your dinnerware, you are talking about a round vegetable dish.

who knew?

By: dorothyho

dorothyho — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:24:59 +0000

Hahaha! Thanks all for sharing. I forgot all about the candy/sweet and the nappy debate. Plus I think “nappy” may mean something not that pleasant here.

By: Daphne Maia

Daphne Maia — Sun, 24 May 2009 09:14:54 +0000

i love this post. i had a bit of problems after leaving the american school, and moved to singapore, but as i was only 15 back then, i made the switch pretty easily between british and american english words. about accents (which you wrote about in that other post u linked to), i code switch too, depending on who i speak to. i find it exhausting sometimes because if i don’t, my singaporean friends say i speak funny.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:22:52 +0000

it works both ways! and it IS exhausting, dot! as an American living in Singapore for the past 10 years, I also still get it wrong.

i’ve spent 15 minutes in the GO with Mdm Lim both of us working veeerrrry hard to figure out how in the HELL else can I describe a business card to her so that she knows what I want her to order for me. finally, i see understanding dawn in her eyes and she says, “you want name cah, eh?” yesssssss, thank you god.

also had entire conversations with australian co-worker derailed over pronunciation. once, talking about the australian term for a mickey mouse course (a class you take in uni for a guaranteed A), Pia said in Australia, they call it a Mah-crahm-mee course (phonetic spelling). what is that? i say. you know, she says, the stuff we use to do in the 70s. with ropes. making knots. to hang your planters in it? oh. silence while i try to connect the dots. Macrame? (which we pronounce Mack-ra-may)? she says, what did you say?

jake is headed to American summer camp in a few months and i’ve already started talking to him about the different words a) americans use for things and b) southerners use for things. I can’t properly explain to him what an American biscuit is. But he’s gonna love it when he has one. i just hope they don’t beat the crap out of him when he politely declines something by saying, “no thanks. I don’t fancy it.”

By: emi

emi — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:41:18 +0000

spot on! Ms HO. Spot on!

AS much as I am supposed to speak proper Engrish here. I sometimes like to give my sentences some edge and add some Singlish rhythm which send people to laughter! heheheh. I feel kinda sterile without my singlishLAH! LOL.

How can one know that if a car leaves marks on the road, which we call a skid-mark it means the bad doodoo one line that is left on someone who accidentally pooed in his pants? OR the why do we need to pronounce bitumen- bitchmen instead of bitumen in Australia? So the pedanticlah.

By: serene

serene — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:51:58 +0000

When I say elevator, I mean lift.

When I say stand in line, I mean queue up.

When I say candy, I mean sweets.

When I say freeway, I mean highway.

When I say trash can, I mean dustbin.

When I say eraser, I mean rubber.

Our first two years here was really hard…

By: Hazy

Hazy — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:39:58 +0000

I had problems with nappy/diaper/pampers!
I thought nappy is associated with cloth nappy. Then I said diapers but was teased coz this part of the world don’t use it. I have to say pampers to my folks for them to understand.
Btw, this part of the world calls slippers, “thong”. Which I associate with major wedgy. I say panties, everyone giggles thinking it’s a naughty spanky word.
I give up.

By: Serene

Serene — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:03:05 +0000

I love this! It’s soooo true and it just happened to me too with the serviette and boot not too long ago. Great post!