There are three main ways in which Cantonese borrows English words. The first is the Cantonese pronunciation of English words (such as Boss), the second is the direct use of English words (such as: I am so happy), and the third is half English and half Cantonese (such as sneakers). Why should I borrow it? I think the first reason is that it feels fresh and trendy. The second reason is that the pronunciation of the original Chinese word is not loud enough or unlucky (Cantonese people are the most "meaningful"). For example: strawberry because the pronunciation of "berry" is equal to Bad luck means bad luck, so in Cantonese people like to say "strawberry", which comes from the English strawberry. The pronunciation of this word is loud and auspicious (pear = profit).

One: Food

Cantonese English Mandarin or explanation examples

pie pie apple pie

Pizza pizza Italian pizza

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Plum American plum

Cherry

Cheese cheese

Chocolate chocolate

Pick brandy brandy

pudding, dessert fruit pudding

cream

sardine sardine

Salad, salad, vegetables eaten raw

Tart, a kind of Western egg tart

Milkshake

Pan cake, pancake

Toast toast, toast cido

Tuna tuna

Salmon salmon

Sandwitch sandwich

Cognac French wine brandy cognac

Buffet buffet buffet

Cookie cookie Danish blue jar cookie

cracker a kind of biscuit

wafer wafer a kind of biscuit

jelly

mince minced beef

Amale omelette omelet

Guozhan jam

Chowder a kind of Western soup

Punch mixed fruit punch

Toffee

Two: Sports

Modern sports, including football, basketball, table tennis, etc., are probably introduced by early overseas students and overseas Chinese in Guangdong Chinese. China's first table tennis world champion was a Cantonese, Rong Guotuan of Zhuhai (won in 1959). Therefore, many English words related to sports are commonly used in Cantonese. I dare say that many Cantonese people do not know that they are derived from English. The purpose of studying this is to explore its origin.

** Wave = ball = ball **

Anyone who has learned a little Cantonese knows that Cantonese people call the ball wave, which comes from the English ball. So there are: playing waves, kicking waves, wave boards, sneakers, wave shirts, etc. However, because we don’t know when it started, Hong Kong people jokingly call women’s breasts breasts. Cantonese speakers have begun to use the word wave with caution.

** Table Tennis**

When I was playing table tennis as a child, if it was a 7-point system, and the score reached 6 to 6, then either team must win two points in a row. Can win. This rule, even my semi-literate grandma knows, is called "Da Diao Shi". What is this Diao Shi? I have been wondering for more than ten years, and then I finally discovered that it is an English word: deuce.

Cantonese people call the spinning ball of table tennis: "West". For example, if the ball spins very hard, they will say: "What a good wave you made." If you serve a spinning ball and score, the opponent will "eat the west".

I have been wondering about the origin of this word for more than ten years, and finally found out that it is a very simple English word: side.

Table tennis rackets used to be called "wave boards" in Cantonese, but not many people call them that anymore, and use the Mandarin "racket" instead. Instead, the lollipop shaped like a table tennis racket was called "wave board candy" in Cantonese and is still used today. (Reminds me of Stephen Chow's movie "Kung Fu")

** Football **

Hong Kong TV news often says: The rash at the end of the toes, as mentioned above, comes from the side.

There is another commonly used one: volley shot in English, which means volley.

Man-to-man marking on the court is called "marking people" in Cantonese, for example: marking their striker. It turns out that it comes from English mark. (It has puzzled me for more than ten years)

Foul and out, the Cantonese word for "no" (the first sound) is "foul" in English. This is easy to guess. For example: The player is out of the game. (Hong Kong calls football referees ball referees)

** Basketball**

When we were young, we all said "throw the basket". After I learned how to write, I discovered that the Chinese word "throw" does not have a projection. I mean, I'm confused again. It turns out to be the English word for shoot. Cantonese pronounces long vowels as short vowels.

** Others**

Taluna (roller skating): roller

Dabuxing (boxing): boxing

Snooker (snooker): snooker

Q stick (snooker cue): cue

Melbourne Derby (horse racing): derby

Above Just a hasty collection, hoping to inspire others.

Part 3: Life

Regarding the research on English in Cantonese, I have written two blog posts before: "Food" and "Sports". Other aspects of English loanwords are difficult to classify, so they are collectively referred to as "life articles".

The main reason why English loanwords in Cantonese are the same as English loanwords in Mandarin is because there was no corresponding Chinese vocabulary at that time, such as "sandwich". Another main reason is that although there is a corresponding Chinese word, it seems very trendy to use English words to express it, such as "cherry" (cherry). However, some foreign words were later deemed unfashionable and were discarded. And some are still in use.

English loanwords that are currently abandoned or rarely used:

Stamp (stamp), market (market), percentage (percent), Sergent (police officer), custard (milk custard), baking powder (power, baking powder), quarter (quarter, 15 minutes), modern (modern, trendy), etc. .

English loanwords still in use:

Many English words have the sound of S or SI, so the English loanwords in Cantonese have many words for "shi", commonly known as "a lot of shit" :

Bus, taxi, case, last, lace, cheese, Shaoshi (size, size), tips (tips, tips), fans (fans, fans), cast (cast, cast), ounce (ounce, ounce), boss (boss, boss), There is no face (face) or pose (pose)

Also: Store (grocery store), spanner (spanner), spare tire, spare tire), snooker (snooker, billiards), etc.

Some other examples:

Plum (American plum), pudding (pudding), order (order), motor (motor), ratio Bikini (bikini), license (license, license plate), carefree (extra), film (film, film), etc.

Words used mixedly between English and Cantonese:

Chi (pronounced the first sound, check, check or check), such as: open the chi for you first; you shouldn’t be the next chi. When does the boat leave?

Charge, socket,

Sauna, steam bath, buffet,

p>

Buy fare (ticket),

Christmas card (card, card),

Gay, gay (gay, homosexual)

Tie (tie), bow tie (bow tie): Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang is known as "Bow Teng" because he always wears a bow tie. etc.

Use English vocabulary directly:

For English loanwords, if the pronunciation is closer to Cantonese than English, I will classify it as a loanword, such as taxi; It is close to English. There is no corresponding Chinese character in Cantonese. I think it is the direct use of English words without the process of Cantoneseization. It is just "English with a Cantonese accent" Cantonese English. These words include: cancel, cute, shopping, enjoy, easy, happy, yeah, in, cool, high, etc. Examples:

A plan was canceled by me; a small road is cute (pronounced Q or Q-tee); my wife and I went shopping...

Cantonese collected in this article The English loanwords in it are not required to be complete, but only representative.

Four: The Ultimate Chapter

Today, I will strike while the iron is hot and finish writing the topic "English Loanwords in Cantonese" and present the last blog post on this topic, so it is called the "Ultimate Chapter" .

The content of this issue is a collection of words that people think are already in Chinese, but are actually borrowed from English, so it is also called the "Surprise Chapter".

Smart: Unexpectedly, like modern, the word smart comes from English. The word "modern" is no longer modern; the word fashionable is no longer smart. If you still use this word to mean fashionable, you are no longer fashionable and out. Now you should use: good in, good hip, good hot, good cool or funky. After a few years, I wonder what new vocabulary will appear.

Court: Men who are new to Cantonese must learn the word "court", which is synonymous with "picking up girls" in Mandarin. In Jet Li's movie "Fang Shiyu 2", Chen Jianuo, played by Zheng Shaoqiu, said: "Gutter girl, ditch means communication." In fact, it was a funny scene in the movie. You may think that this term existed in the Qing Dynasty, but in fact it only appeared in Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s. "Gou" comes from the English court, which means "pursuit". Since the 21st century, this word has become out again. Now Hong Kong people use the word "jie nv". There is a standing knife next to the traditional "jie". In Cantonese, it means to cut with a knife, such as: Boundary opening sheet of paper. The origin of the term "Jie Nu" needs to be studied.

Boycott (boycott, boycott): This word entered Cantonese very early, and is now widely used in Mandarin.

There are several chemical substances, also derived from English: potassium cyanide (potassium cyanide), thinner (thinner). They do not mean "dust from the mountains" and "water from heaven."

There is also a perfume used by men: cologne, which has nothing to do with the martial arts novelist Cologne.

These are the things that have existed in Guangdong for many years: laine (sweater), decron (polyester clothing), casette (tape), hose (water pipe) ). "Cold shirt" is not called so because it is worn in cold weather, but comes from the French laine (wool yarn). Sorry, it is not English. The English word is yarn. "It is indeed cool" does not mean that this kind of clothes is very cool to wear. "Card-like" does not mean that the tape resembles a card. "Water throat" is not "water throat". Even if you are a Cantonese with good English proficiency, you may not have thought of these.

Standard parameter (ransum, kidnapping): To tie up your ticket is not to treat you as a "ginseng", but to ask for your ransom (ransom).

No fight (competition): As the old saying goes in Guangdong, it’s not “no fight”, but “no competition with others”.

Change (change): Another old Cantonese saying, singing turns out to be change. How can one sing with loose money?

Sandpaper (certificate, diploma): When I was a child, old people always said: If you want to go to college, you need a piece of sandpaper. That is to think that a college diploma is like sandpaper that can grind away difficulties. Who knows it comes from English.

Fashion, what are you doing?: When you were a child, if you were naughty, the old man would say: This little girl is wearing a flower robe. It turns out that you are not saying that you are a "fancy minister", but that you are doing something new (fashion). There is another word: fashion show (fashion show). Don’t think that you can eat peanuts and watch beautiful women at the same time.

Kiwi (kiwi): New Zealand’s national fruit, kiwi, does not look “strange” at all.

Live music (live music performance): Audiences, you don’t need to sit so far away, live music does not require widening the space.

Rally (cross-country car race): Yes, the "pulling force" of this off-road sports car is indeed worth dozens of horses.

Lao Li (rob, robbery): The robber does not have to "cover" your head (cover your head). He can start first. This word is rarely used.

Pop (pop, drug use): Does the action of eating a "Smurf" pill really make a "pop" sound?

Bumjee jump: Tie your feet and jump down. You are indeed a bumjee jump!

Radio phone call program (phone in): Audiences called the hotline, it was really "war".

Carnival (carnival): A group of young people have a carnival, which is really a "happy time".

Star basin (sink, washing sink): Mom, please explain whether there is a star rack in the sink?

Dad, I failed the exam this time: don’t discriminate against weight, fat people also have smart people.

A-mei, hello troulbe (trouble): Of course, troublesome people have "more saliva than tea".

Boss, I want to charge (report) you for sexually harassing me: To "charge" you don't need a knife and fork, just a piece of paper or a phone call.

The last sentence: The Cuban team has made a splash, and Lang Ping can eat barbecued pork (chance, probe ball) again. In volleyball, a high throw ball that is easy to score is called chance, or "probe ball" in Mandarin. The Cantonese semi-transliteration and semi-hilarious translation is called "Barbecued Pork".