Chinglonesian
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Chinglonesian, a portmanteau of the words Chinese, Indonesian, and English, is the English-based Creole spoken colloquially in Indonesia, Singapore and other countries that have large numbers of speakers of each language mentioned, for example Australia.
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[edit] Vocabulary
Chinglonesian adopts much of its vocabulary from English, especially terms relating to the sciences, information technology and the arts. However, much of its spoken, everyday vernacular is derived from Indonesian and Malay, the two being mutually intellible, with differences being mostly regional.
Chinese, predominantly Standard Cantonese, is also used extensively, particularly for Asian concepts.
Examples of Chinglonesian vocabulary:
- Ai-yaa, from Cantonese 哎呀, "Oh no!"
- boleh, from Malay, "can". (It also means "may" in Indonesian.)
- fashion, used as in English "fashionable"
- ang moh, from Hokkien, "foreigner".
- kopi, from Malay/Indonesian, "coffee."
[edit] Grammar and common errors
Chinglonesian grammar is Subject Verb Object. English words, when used in sentences, are often uninflected, due to the nature of the other languages forming the creole. Articles are also often misused.
A peculiarity that is common among English speakers in Singapore and Malaysia is the use of the word lah, used to soften an imperative.
[edit] Pronunciation
Chinglonesian pronunciation is predominantly modelled on that of Hong Kong English, particularly for English words; although pronunciation of individual words is often dependent on native language.
Of note:
- the distinction between /l/ and /r/ is often lost
- /n/ is often replaced by /l/ (due to influence from Hong Kong Cantonese)
- /θ/ (thin) and /ð/ (then) merge into /t/ and /d/
- Complex consonant clusters are often simplified, seemingly at random.
[edit] See also
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