Engrish: Difference between revisions
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Engrish features prominently in [[Japanese pop culture]]. Many popular Japanese songs and television-show themes feature disjointed phrases in English amongst the otherwise Japanese lyrics. Japanese marketing firms helped create this popularity, resulting in an enormous array of advertisements, products, and clothing marked with English phrases that seem amusing or bizarre to those proficient in English. These new Engrish terms are generally short-lived, as they are used more for fashion than meaning. |
Engrish features prominently in [[Japanese pop culture]]. Many popular Japanese songs and television-show themes feature disjointed phrases in English amongst the otherwise Japanese lyrics. Japanese marketing firms helped create this popularity, resulting in an enormous array of advertisements, products, and clothing marked with English phrases that seem amusing or bizarre to those proficient in English. These new Engrish terms are generally short-lived, as they are used more for fashion than meaning. |
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Instances of Engrish due to poor translation were frequently found in many early video games produced in Japan, often due to the creators not having enough |
Instances of Engrish due to poor translation were frequently found in many early video games produced in Japan, often due to the creators not having enough money for a proper translation. One well-known and popular example of Engrish in pop culture is the video game translation phenomenon "[[All your base are belong to us]]", which also became an [[Internet meme]]. |
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Engrish has been featured occasionally in the [[Trey Parker]] and [[Matt Stone]] cartoon ''[[South Park]]'', such as the song "Let's Fighting Love", used in the episode "[[Good Times With Weapons]]", which parodies the poorly translated opening theme sequences sometimes shown in [[anime]], and in Parker and Stone's feature length ''[[Team America: World Police]]'' where the late North Korean leader [[Kim Jong Il]] is depicted singing the song "I'm so Ronery".<ref name="WP South Park">{{cite news|last=Stuever|first=Hank|title=Puppet Government 'South Park' Creators' Left Jab at Jingoism May Backfire|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34313-2004Oct15.html|accessdate=16 September 2011|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|date=October 15, 2004|quote=The North Korean dictator speaks in the voice of "South Park's" Eric Cartman, ... only with an Engrish accent. "I'm so ronery", Kim confesses in a pitiful ballad to himself, which explains his evil-doing -- he just needs to be ruvved.}}</ref> |
Engrish has been featured occasionally in the [[Trey Parker]] and [[Matt Stone]] cartoon ''[[South Park]]'', such as the song "Let's Fighting Love", used in the episode "[[Good Times With Weapons]]", which parodies the poorly translated opening theme sequences sometimes shown in [[anime]], and in Parker and Stone's feature length ''[[Team America: World Police]]'' where the late North Korean leader [[Kim Jong Il]] is depicted singing the song "I'm so Ronery".<ref name="WP South Park">{{cite news|last=Stuever|first=Hank|title=Puppet Government 'South Park' Creators' Left Jab at Jingoism May Backfire|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34313-2004Oct15.html|accessdate=16 September 2011|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|date=October 15, 2004|quote=The North Korean dictator speaks in the voice of "South Park's" Eric Cartman, ... only with an Engrish accent. "I'm so ronery", Kim confesses in a pitiful ballad to himself, which explains his evil-doing -- he just needs to be ruvved.}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 22:09, 16 July 2013
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2010) |
Template:Contains Japanese text
Engrish (イングリッシュ) is a slang term for the misuse of the English language by native speakers of some East Asian languages.[1] The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place for both. The related term "wasei-eigo" refers to pseudo-anglicisms that have entered into everyday Japanese.
While the term may refer to spoken English, it is more often used to describe written English. Engrish can be found in many places, including signs, menus, and advertisements. Terms such as Japanglish, Japlish or Janglish for Japan, Konglish for Korea, and Chinglish for China are more specific terms for Engrish.
Roots of the phenomenon
In Japanese Engrish, there are two contributing factors:
- First is the great difference between Japanese and English. Japanese word order, the frequent omission of subjects in Japanese, the absence of articles, a near-complete absence of consecutive consonants (owing to the syllabary nature of the Japanese language), as well as difficulties in distinguishing l and r all contribute to substantial problems using Standard English effectively.[2] Indeed, Japanese have tended to score comparatively poorly on international tests of English.[3] Unwittingly poor translations from online language translation tools are used while totally ignoring (or without even asking for) the advice of a properly trained or experienced English editor.
- The second factor has been the use of English for "decorative" or "design" rather than functional purposes;[4] i.e., for Japanese consumption, not for English speakers per se, and as a way of appearing "smart, sophisticated and modern," in much the same way as Japanese and similar writing script is used in western fashion.[5] Indeed, it is claimed that in such decorative English "there is often no attempt to try to get it right, nor do the vast majority of the Japanese population ever attempt to read the English design element in question. There is therefore less emphasis on spell checking and grammatical accuracy."[6]
In popular culture
Engrish features prominently in Japanese pop culture. Many popular Japanese songs and television-show themes feature disjointed phrases in English amongst the otherwise Japanese lyrics. Japanese marketing firms helped create this popularity, resulting in an enormous array of advertisements, products, and clothing marked with English phrases that seem amusing or bizarre to those proficient in English. These new Engrish terms are generally short-lived, as they are used more for fashion than meaning.
Instances of Engrish due to poor translation were frequently found in many early video games produced in Japan, often due to the creators not having enough money for a proper translation. One well-known and popular example of Engrish in pop culture is the video game translation phenomenon "All your base are belong to us", which also became an Internet meme.
Engrish has been featured occasionally in the Trey Parker and Matt Stone cartoon South Park, such as the song "Let's Fighting Love", used in the episode "Good Times With Weapons", which parodies the poorly translated opening theme sequences sometimes shown in anime, and in Parker and Stone's feature length Team America: World Police where the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is depicted singing the song "I'm so Ronery".[7]
See also
- All your base are belong to us
- Non-native pronunciations of English
- Hong Kong English
- Japanese Pidgin English
- Taglish - Filipino portmanteau of the words "Tagalog" and "English"
- Manglish
- Tinglish
- Wasei-eigo
- Singlish
- Denglisch
- Faux Cyrillic
References
- ^ Ziemba, Christine N. (December 05, 2004). "Translate at your own risk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dougill, John (2008). "Japan and English as an alien language" (PDF). English Today. 24 (1): 18–22. doi:10.1017/S0266078408000059.
- ^ Kowner, Rotem (2003). "Japanese Miscommunication with Foreigners: In Search for Valid Accounts and Effective Remedies" (PDF). Jahrbuch des Deutschen Instituts für Japanstudien. 15: 117–151.
- ^ Ikeshima, Jayne Hildebrand (2005). "Some perspectives on the phenomenon of "Engrish"" (PDF). Keio Journal of International Studies. 15: 185–198.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Dougill, John (1987). "English as a decorative language". English Today. 3 (4): 33–35. doi:10.1017/S0266078400003126.
- ^ Melin, Tracy (2005). "Emphasizing Foreign Language Use to International Marketing Students: A Situational Exercise That Mimics Real-World Challenges". Global Business Languages. 10: 13–25.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Stuever, Hank (October 15, 2004). "Puppet Government 'South Park' Creators' Left Jab at Jingoism May Backfire". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
The North Korean dictator speaks in the voice of "South Park's" Eric Cartman, ... only with an Engrish accent. "I'm so ronery", Kim confesses in a pitiful ballad to himself, which explains his evil-doing -- he just needs to be ruvved.
External links
- Engrish.com—photos of Engrish from Japan, China and elsewhere
- Large Engrish Photo Collection on Weird Asia News
- Engrish Funny —photos of Engrish from around the world
- Translation Party - an online tool that demonstrates how phrases are lost in translation between English and Japanese