LL-L "Idiomatica" 2005.06.29 (09) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 29.JUN.2005 (09) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Críostóir Ó Ciardha <paada_please at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2005.06.29 (05) [E]


Ron wrote in reply to our Elsie:
"I often hear "is it?" (or "isn't it?) used as a generalized question or tag 
among (South-)East Asian speakers of English, especially among people from 
Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. I strongly suspect this to be a 
substitute for generally applicable Cantonese 係唔係 _hăi m hăi_, Mandarin 是不是 
_shi bu shi_, etc., literally "is not is".

Aside from South Africans, I have heard it in one or two Pakistanis who have 
Panjabi as their first language, and a few Indians who I think had Hindi as 
their native tongue. Perhaps they picked it up from schools in which the 
teacher had spent time in Malaysia and Singapore, and become influenced by 
the Cantonese-imbued English there? It seems to be used in place of "isn't 
it?" or "is that right?" in the Indian and Pakistani examples.

Go raibh maith agaibh,

Criostóir.

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