Putting cuts, part-putting and pol symbol
Repost This ArticleI have always had a fascination for Sri Lankan English. In fact, Sri Lankans use English the way the British used Ceylonese in subjugating them to their will.
Now that the good old British have left our shores handing us independence on a silver platter we took English and quite liberally infused it with our own Tamil and Sinhala interpretations.
If Americans substituted lengthy and often awkward British notices such as, “Trespassers will be prosecuted” with “Do not enter”, we went one step further and spun our own interpretations.
Oh how the compilers of OED would wince when they listen to us using the word `put’ among others. Putting is not for those yuppies on golf courses.
There was my news editor at the Daily News who would shout out to his clerk/henchman Perumal to `put a transport to parliament’ meaning to book a vehicle for the reporters. Taking an AWOL from school is `putting a cut’. Pretending to be someone above himself is `putting parts’. Having a drink is, `putting a shot’ and recommending someone is `putting in a good word’. We do not pluck a coconut. We `break’ them from the tree and we also `break’ them instead of cracking them.
If we feel sorry for someone we say, `Sin, no’ and agreeing with someone we tend to reply, `Yes no men’.
When you want to say ‘I’ll return’ it is, ‘I’ll go and come’.
The Tamils in UK are a hardworking lot but when it comes correct pronunciation they are pretty laid back. So microwave oven becomes ‘macro’ Mcdonald’s `makinas’ and cctv ‘camera’.
If your cheque has bounced we say it has jumped! The letter ‘t’ is anathema to Tamils since it does not exist in the Tamil alphabet. Hence the stock excuse to your boss for being late is ‘because of raffic’.
In Sri Lanka you took a ‘pottocopy’ and pailed your English. My neighbour in Colombo bemoans her constant penury by saying ‘they are now welled-off and they won’t look at us’.
Which brings to my mind the reply of that great R.K.Narayan of Mowgli fame who when confronted by his English head of the village school where he taught in India as to why he could not pronounce his ‘r’ s like the English do. “Sir, you cannot decide how to pronounce ‘bough’ and ‘cough’ and you are complaining I cannot pronounce my ‘r’s”.
So let us carry on merrily with speaking English our own way just like that delicious pol sambol putting coconut, chillies, onion, karapincha, poddak lime and salt together.
Yes, we’ll speak English our way.
In my experience, Indians (particularly Tamils, Bengalis and Punjabis) are quite prone to “localising” English with a misguided sense of ethno-linguistic chauvinism. I don’t think we should encourage Sri Lankans to do the same when there is much worldwide prejudice about Sub-continental English.
Thankfully, Sri Lankans know that English is a language we use to communicate with the rest of the world. We don’t want to come across as uneducated, unsophisticated, insular, xenophobic, gaudy, unattractive, caste-conscious, cow-worshipping, arranged marrying, Bollywood watching, smelly, dirty, curry stained, untrustworthy, whingeing, extremist, anti-Western, un-modern, nerdy, meek and subservient, which are the qualities and stereotypes that the rest of the world associates with speakers of Sub-continental English.
English is a global language, and we should teach our kids to write and speak the variants of it that have the most prestige and recognition. We have Sinhalese and Tamil languages which are ours to whatever we wish, but let’s leave English alone.
Pearl,
Don’t put nation (jathi danta epa) !
Nice article Pearl! Not only was it highly amusing, it also serves to remind us that Sri Lanka’s quirks and diversity are exactly what makes her a wonderful place to be! Let’s hope we never let the racists, bigots and other assorted nut-jobs get us down and make it awful for the rest of us.
BTW, isn’t “to put in a good word” a valid expression in “normal” English too though?
Pearl, gosh, cant you come up with something NEW? All this is so OLD. We have heard it over and over again. We have also heard the dumb argument put forward by Bardo Flanks about how English should be left alone. If English in its pure sense was ‘left alone’ the language would not have had 75% of its wordstock, seeing as English borrowed from and was enriched by Latin and Greek and a hundred and one other languages. Jeez. How boring all of you are. This must be one of the most boring articles on groundviews up to date. Bardo, please read scholars like Kachru, Plat and Webber and Suresh Canagarajah, all esteemed scholars in countries where your “prestigous” English is the native language.
The tamil alphabet consists of twelve vowels, eighteen consonants ( 30 ), and combinations of these (216), which together add up to a grand total of 246 letters.
‘t’ and ‘r’ are there. ‘f’ is not there. Some sounds like ‘ja’ , ‘sha’ etc. are represented by additional letters borrowed from sanscrit.
Jeez, lighten up people. We have had enough misery to last our lifetime. And scholars are dime a dozen.
I did write a simliar version for Daily News in 1991 Amelie. Now that you mention these authors I am going first thing in the morning to the local library to educate myself. You are right. I cannot compare myself to your vast knowledge.
It is good not to take yourself too seriously.
@Amelie
I have little interest in protecting the purity or prestige of English. I’m only interested in how different ways of speaking and writing English are perceived by the rest of the world, given that we use English primarily to communicate with those who don’t speak Sinhala or Tamil. I don’t want our globe-trotting cosmopolitan compatriots to be associated with cab drivers and 7/11 workers.
Hi Pearl,
Nice article. I didn’t realise the Tamil expression that one is “going and coming” is also transported into English. Is it also a Sinhalese expression?
Do you know any Sri Lankan writers of fiction who use this local brand of English in their work? Would like to read it.
Pearl and Amelie,
Pearl and Amelie are part putting to us no? Amelie, what men, why do you have to be Pearl’s straw man?
Tune into “Pearl and the Straw Men” in the next episode of Singlish/Tinglish.
Pearl/Amelie/Belle,
Have you read Carl Muller’s “The Jam Fruit Tree” ?
Pearl don’t overkill, okay?
@Bardo F: how elitist. Are not cab drivers legitimate citizens of a country?
@Atheist: Yes, I read Jam Fruit Tree like in 1993 or something. CM writes in what he says is “burgher english” which is a sub-variety of Sri Lankan English. Even SLE is not one single variety, there are many variants of it. Just as there are may varieties of British English, American English etc.
@Pearl: didnt mean to offend you, and I am glad that you are advocating SLE.
I think the changing of the face of English is no big deal.As long as people communicate and they understand each other that is ok for everyday life.If you take UK newspapers such as Daily Mail or Daily Telegraph or Times they are much easier to read than Sri lankan English papers.We still use some Shakespearean English but for UK newspapers that era is already gone!.For them it is something like from another planet. With time languages change and evolution processes are also happening with them too.Nobody uses pure advance Singhalese or tamil language in SL and English is just like that.
This is the reason that scientists use simple common English in their research papers except for the scientific jargon.So let it be!
Atheist,
I am no patch on Carl Muller and I love his writing to bits. I simply thought that I would lighten up the day /night for some.
I do miss writing my columns for the Sunday Leader in the nineties so this is just a refresher exercise before I compile my own satirical columns.
Dear Amelie,
All is forgiven in this Holy Week. I have had over 20 years in journalism and reporting from the warfront and in UK working with perseucted journalists.
I may not have achieved doctorates but I feel the pulse ofthe people particularly Sri Lankans. We, like Mexicans, can’t be arsed with taxes and share portfolio but we try to live our days with minimum stress and not convoluting ourselves about out-doing our neighbour who has a Pajero and a conservatory or who owns properties from Marbella to Florida and Timeshares in New York.
We need to get away from the politics of self-servers and think of something else to entertain us.
My schooling days and trying to reach ambitions are long gone. I have but a few more years left on this earth and I want these to be as pleasant as possible. You get my drift.
One guy taught Sinhala to an American – he said do means Karanna.
Wellawatta Drive karanna
English speak karanna
Bus ticket sell karanna
Money change karanna
Paper read karanna
He made sense – and achieved his purpose in his short stay. Many Sri lankans who may not know much English / German/ Swedish achieve a great deal more in their commercial interactions with overseas folks.
To Pearl Thevanayagam,
Pearl, first and foremost, let me wish you a happy Easter. I’m sure you are loaded with chocolates. Did you attend Good Friday Mass at 3pm?
As you always claim to be a caring, honest journalist, I‘d like to share this with you: “Retrospection of the Media Behaviour” – Ravaya editor Victor Ivan speaks with Vikalpa. Since you are proficient in Sinhala, you will have no problem with this video.
Have fun!