You ever know someone who speaks English as a second language

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Poll of the Day » You ever know someone who speaks English as a second language
and they have certain terms or phrases that they use all the time. Like, it usually works just fine with what they're saying, but they use it MUCH more than any native English speaker would typically, almost as if it's a catchphrase.

I used to date someone whose thing was "not too shabby". I usually hate that term, but it was cute coming from her and I'd wonder where she would have picked it up from. It's interesting to think about where and how someone learns a language from can shape how they use it.
My wifes first language isnt English. I find it hilarious when she merges exclamations. For example, instead of saying Jesus Christ or Holy Shit shell say Jesus Shit!

Also, expletives are apparently all interchangeable, so she once referred to somebody as a mothershitter.
Glob posted...
My wifes first language isnt English. I find it hilarious when she merges exclamations. For example, instead of saying Jesus Christ or Holy Shit shell say Jesus Shit!

Also, expletives are apparently all interchangeable, so she once referred to somebody as a mothershitter.
God, I envy your relationship, haha!
My daughters first language isnt English but havent picked up on anything yet.
"It was so ridiculous and I have so many feelings about it."
-Virtual Energies
I recently taught my wife how to play Farkle (dice game that youll be very familiar with if youve ever played KC:D).

Last night she told her sister that she knew how to play a game called Fuck All.
Another exchange I feel the need to share:

Wife: Whats the name of that film? The one with the diner song?

Me: What? I dont know.

Wife: Yes you do. Its got all the diner songs on the island and they turn naughty.

Me: Wait a minute, are you talking about Jurassic

Wife: Dramatic Park!
There are many people from Japan and the Philippines where I live, so it's not uncommon.
Donald J. Trump--proof against government intelligence.
I am not a native speaker and I probably do this. Hard to say for sure about yourself, though. I definitely mix idioms and turns of phrase from different countries and regions. And my accent is atrocious, I'm certain, but I have had no trouble making myself understood.
A gentleman will walk, but never run
I know a bunch of people from Japan who do that. However, now that I speak decent Japanese myself, I understand it's mostly English phrases that have caught on over there ("lucky" and "perfect" are two that immediately come up; I'm sure there's some idioms as well, but none immediately jump to mind).
Kill 1 man: You are a murderer. Kill 10 men: You are a monster.
Kill 100 men: You are a hero. Kill 10,000 men, you are a conqueror!
darkknight109 posted...
I know a bunch of people from Japan who do that. However, now that I speak decent Japanese myself, I understand it's mostly English phrases that have caught on over there ("lucky" and "perfect" are two that immediately come up; I'm sure there's some idioms as well, but none immediately jump to mind).
wasei-eigo is a really interesting subject, words cross cultural boundaries and sometimes mean the exact opposite of what they do in english

most egregiously, mansion meaning condominiums when they borrow that word
https://imgur.com/LabbRyN
raytan and Kana are on opposite ends of the Awesome Spectrum.
agesboy posted...
most egregiously, mansion meaning condominiums when they borrow that word
I know exactly what you mean. "I'm about to take a limousine to my mansion" means two very different things depending on whether you're speaking English or Japanese. Same thing with calling someone "high-tension".
Kill 1 man: You are a murderer. Kill 10 men: You are a monster.
Kill 100 men: You are a hero. Kill 10,000 men, you are a conqueror!
Glob posted...
Wife: Whats the name of that film? The one with the diner song?

Spaceballs
try to take the best of me go away
You
darkknight109 posted...
I know exactly what you mean. "I'm about to take a limousine to my mansion" means two very different things depending on whether you're speaking English or Japanese. Same thing with calling someone "high-tension".

In Vietnam people use the word limousine to mean mini-bus.
Damn_Underscore posted...
Spaceballs
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c03e2d85.jpg
My German teacher once said that she new an exchange student who was trying to explain how someone came to her house and knocked on her door to check on her.

"Yeah, he came to my door and knocked me up"

Glob posted...
Another exchange I feel the need to share:

Wife: Whats the name of that film? The one with the diner song?

Me: What? I dont know.

Wife: Yes you do. Its got all the diner songs on the island and they turn naughty.

Me: Wait a minute, are you talking about Jurassic

Wife: Dramatic Park!

Diner Song? Was she trying to say Dinosaur?

That girl I used to date, one time she was trying to tell me about a game she used to play as a kid on Gameboy, the Goat Butter Game. It took me a couple tries to realize she was saying Ghostbusters.
Salrite posted...
My German teacher once said that she new an exchange student who was trying to explain how someone came to her house and knocked on her door to check on her.

"Yeah, he came to my door and knocked me up"

Diner Song? Was she trying to say Dinosaur?

That girl I used to date, one time she was trying to tell me about a game she used to play as a kid on Gameboy, the Goat Butter Game. It took me a couple tries to realize she was saying Ghostbusters.

Yes, diner song was dinosaur.

Yeah, I was part of a German exchange program for a couple years in High School. My German host family spoke good English.
"Shhh! Ben, don't ruin the ending!" --Adrian Ripburger, Full Throttle
Glob posted...
My German teacher once said that she new an exchange student who was trying to explain how someone came to her house and knocked on her door to check on her.

"Yeah, he came to my door and knocked me up"

Clearly that has been overtaken by a new meaning now, but I believe there is an instance in one of the Sherlock Holmes novels as well with Holmes waking up Dr Watson by knocking on his door at night and apologizing for knocking him up.

A gentleman will walk, but never run
Sashanan posted...
Clearly that has been overtaken by a new meaning now, but I believe there is an instance in one of the Sherlock Holmes novels as well with Holmes waking up Dr Watson by knocking on his door at night and apologizing for knocking him up.
Hmm, I just looked it up. It seems British uses this term in that sense, knocking on someone's door. So I guess the other meaning is more of an Americanism? My teacher just thought it was amusing, and a lesson in regional slang.
Sashanan posted...
Clearly that has been overtaken by a new meaning now, but I believe there is an instance in one of the Sherlock Holmes novels as well with Holmes waking up Dr Watson by knocking on his door at night and apologizing for knocking him up.

Somehow youve quoted me but not at the same time?

Salrite posted...
Hmm, I just looked it up. It seems British uses this term in that sense, knocking on someone's door. So I guess the other meaning is more of an Americanism? My teacher just thought it was amusing, and a lesson in regional slang.

Knocking somebody up is used much more commonly in the UK for getting somebody pregnant than knocking on their door.
Glob posted...
Somehow youve quoted me but not at the same time?

Whoops, missed your post completely. At any rate many terms had a different use before their sexual connotation in more recent years, "gay" being a prominent example. A deleted scene in the first Back to the Future plays with this, with Marty wondering in a convo to 1955 Doc about the possible consequences of changing history.

Marty: "What if I turn out gay?"
Doc: "Why wouldn't you be happy?"
A gentleman will walk, but never run
Poll of the Day » You ever know someone who speaks English as a second language