Asian Englishes

[AAllan at AOL.COM]

In Barry Popik's spirit, an article in the Sydney Morning Herald of April 22,
2000:

http://www.smh.com.au:80/news/0004/22/text/spectrum2.html

by Susan Butler, publisher of The Macquarie Dictionary,

concludes with this list of

English as she's spoken in Asia:

PHILIPPINES
aggrupation: political faction
barrio: village
solon: a law-maker
THAI
acharn: teacher
klong: canal
minor wife: mistress
INDONESIAN
bemo: motorised bike
jaga: a guard
kraton: a sultan's palace
SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA
beehoon: rice noodles
blur: confused
kiasuism: getting the best out of every deal
TAIWAN
cocktail: a cocktail party
ichiban: superior
tea gathering: event where light refreshments are served
HONG KONG
chim sticks: fortune-telling bamboo sticks
dragonhead: triad leader
gweilo: white person
ASIAN
brinjal: eggplant
compound: a building and its surrounds
godown: warehouse
CHINESE
jump the dragon gate: to overcome obstacles
mao tai: rice spirits


- Allan Metcalf