I don't always remember that I have other readers when I blog so I apologize for the 'Thank you, bye bye' post without explaining. :)
I'm not exactly sure how to explain this so bear with me.... not everyone speaks English here but everyone does know 'Thank you' and 'Bye Bye' (and they don't always know how to properly use it) and there's just something about how they say it here that is too funny. It's very short, quick, to the point, with a slight raise in the voice and it just makes us laugh every time we hear them say it. Just imagine saying a foreign word, repeatedly, simply because that's the only word you know but you're not always saying it correctly or you say it with a funny accent. Unfortunately, I guess it's just one of those things you have to experience to understand the humor but I had to write about it because I was so caught off gaurd that I actually said it myself.
When I said, I hoped I didn't offend anyone... I just didn't want them to think I was mocking how they speak.
On that note....
Thank you, bye, bye.
1 comment:
Hey, it means you're learning the local language and adapting to the culture, so that's not mocking - it's unconscious learning. Unfortunately a lot of people mock Chinglish in Hong Kong - something I noticed a lot with students at the international schools. I find that native English speakers tend to be far less gracious with people who have learned their language than Asians are with people who learn even 4 words of their own language.
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