Chinglish

Chinglish

Chinglish refers to spoken or written English language that is influenced by the Chinese language. The term "Chinglish" is commonly applied to ungrammatical or nonsensical English in Chinese contexts, and may have pejorative or deprecating connotations, reflecting the attitudes of those who apply the label. Other terms used to describe the phenomenon include "Chinese English", "China English", and "Sinicized English". The degree to which a Chinese variety of English exists or can be considered legitimate is disputed.

 

Terminology

The English word Chinglish is a portmanteau of Chinese and English. The Chinese equivalent is Zhongshi Yingyu (simplified Chinese: 中式英语; traditional Chinese: 中式英語; pinyin: Zhōngshì Yīngyǔ; literally "Chinese style English").

Chinglish can be compared with other putative international hodgepodge varieties of English, such as Britalian (from Italian), Czenglish (from Czech), Denglisch (German), Dunglish (Dutch), Franglais (French), Spanglish (Spanish), Swenglish (Swedish), Heblish (Hebrew), Engrish (Japanese), Hinglish (Hindi), Konglish (Korean), Singlish (in Singapore), Orglish (Orcish) and Tinglish (Thai).[citation needed]

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the noun and adjective.

Chinglish, n. and a. colloq. (freq. depreciative). Brit. /ˈtʃɪŋglɪʃ/, U.S. /ˈtʃɪŋ(g)lɪʃ/. Forms: 19– Chinglish, 19– Chenglish [rare]. [Blend of Chinese n. and English n. Compare earlier Japlish n., Spanglish n. Compare also Hinglish n.2, Singlish n.2] A. n. A mixture of Chinese and English; esp. a variety of English used by speakers of Chinese or in a bilingual Chinese and English context, typically incorporating some Chinese vocabulary or constructions, or English terms specific to a Chinese context. Also: the vocabulary of, or an individual word from, such a variety. Cf. Singlish n.2 B adj. Of or relating to Chinglish; expressed in Chinglish.

This dictionary cites the earliest recorded usage of Chinglish (noted as a jocular term) in 1957 and of Chinese English in 1857.

Chinglish commonly refers to a mixture of English with Modern Standard Mandarin, but it occasionally refers to mixtures with Cantonese, Shanghainese and Taiwanese Hokkien.

Chinglish contrasts with some related terms. Chinese Pidgin English was a lingua franca that originated in the seventeenth century. Chinese-Ordered English and English-Ordered Chinese are pedagogical techniques for teaching Chinese as a second language. Zhonglish, a term for Chinese influenced by English, is a portmanteau from Zhongwen 中文 "Chinese language" and English. "

Some peculiar Chinese English cannot be labeled Chinglish because it is grammatically correct, and Mair calls this emerging dialect "Xinhua English or New China News English", based on the Xinhua News Agency. Take for instance, this headline: "China lodges solemn representation over Japan's permission for Rebiya Kadeer's visit". This unusual English phrase literally translates the original Chinese tichu yanzheng jiaoshe (提出嚴正交涉 "lodge solemn representation"), combining tichu "put forward; raise; pose bring up", yanzheng "serious; stern; unyielding; solemn", and jiaoshe "mutual relations; negotiation; representation".[ "Pure Chinese" is an odd English locution in a Web advertisement: "孔子學院/ CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE/ Teach you pure Chinese." This Kongzi Xueyuan (孔子學院) is Chinese for the Confucius Institute, but Mair notes that "pure Chinese" curiously implies "impure Chinese".

One author divides Chinglish into "instrumental" and "ornamental" categories. "Instrumental Chinglish is actually intended to convey information to English speakers. Ornamental Chinglish is born of the fact that English is the lingua franca of coolness. Meaning aside, any combination of roman letters elevates a commodity – khaki pants, toilet paper, potato chips – to a higher plane of chic by suggesting that the product is geared toward an international audience."

随着中国大陆地区全民学英语的状况加深，中式英语（Chinglish）作为一门具有中国特色的独特的英语方言逐渐形成。中式英语具有一些独特的词汇和短语，这些内容大多是在汉语的语义上，通过合理的构词法等法则转换到英语的，这使得在其他英语使用者看来不知所云，比如：testisache（蛋疼，或eggache、ballache）、gelivable（给力的）、caopoint（槽点）、Long time no see（好久不见）。中式英语的英文名Chinglish就来自Chinese和English的合写。 中式英语有时还会具有自己的发音，包括将单词末尾的-t、-k、-p等发出声来等现象，比如：将cat/kʰætʰ/读成/'kʰætʰə/。 另外，中式英语曾被认为是指带有汉语语音、语法、词汇特色的错误的英语，这种英语被称为Chinese-Ordered Engl