CHINGLISH: The Joys of Chinese English

By Henry Hao

Chinglish is an affectionate look at the strange, charming, tortured and often nonsensical English that is affectionately known as Chinglish. "Trushing name is the first consumers are the highest" as one instruction manual for a motorbike begins. Travel through China and you will find Chinglish everywhere. The development of China, and the influx of foreign traders and tourists accompanying it, has meant that English is becoming more and more commonplace. This book is a collection of these failed attempts of the Chinese to get their heads around the complexities of the English language.

Henry Hao, Hong Kong's leading zither manufacturer, is happily married to Henrietta, formerly Gao Xing, with sons Worrall (Wo) and Nicholas (Ni). His English mother from Boston Spa early taught him to distinguish English from Chinese English, and for many years he has been travelling the Chinese-speaking world, from Soho to Singapore, Beijing to Nanjing, selling zithers and marimbas to anyone who will listen, and noting down Chinglish as he goes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oleander Press
• Release date: Jan 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781909349025

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The Oleander Press Ltd

All rights reserved

Copyright 2013 The Author and The Oleander Press

This Smashwords edition published by The Oleander Press: January 2013

OLEANDER

INTRODUCTION

Anybody who has read the set of instructions on a Chinese-manufactured product is already familiar with the strange, charming, tortured and often nonsensical English that is affectionately known as Chinglish:

Trushing name is the firs: consumers are the highest

as one instruction manual for a motorbike begins. But travel through China and you will find Chinglish everywhere. The development of China, and the influx of foreign traders and tourists accompanying it, has meant that English is becoming more and more commonplace. English is used not only between locals and foreigners, but also between Chinese from different regions whose dialects are hard to understand. Computers and the Internet also promote the wide use of English because most of the e-mail addresses use the English alphabet. Nearly all educated young people now have a basic knowledge of English and it is used on signs in many public areas. In some parts of China, Chinglish

Reviews for CHINGLISH

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book really doesn't have a reason to exist. I mean, if there's anything the Internet is for, it's shit like this. And wow, the German Sinologist who compiled it and the linguist who wrote the foreword sure treat it like a serious and noble undertaking when it's just about a few cheap laughs, with all their talk about the future role of English and the nature of cross-cultural communication. But they do good with bringing in the kind of sentimental silly tear-to-your-eye marketing copy on stationery and shit, and reviews and things that aren't even ungrammatical but give you a sense of how English is used in a Chinese context, as well as your "children stick in source" menus and whatever. And I liked seeing that Great Wall sign from Jinshanling about saving your own life by not picking the flowers. And "deformed man bathroom" will always be funny. But yeah, not a tonne of reason to exist.

[katbear-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Any book that makes me laugh out loud this much gets 5 stars.