In the world, there are many kinds of languages that were used by people to communicate. Each of the languages represents the different culture in each place around the world. It can be used to determine the specific language spoken by the locals with their distinctive features.
It is, therefore, no surprise that there are an estimated 50 million languages spoken around the world as described in one of the editions of Ethnologue published in 2022.
However, due to the cultural differences and the relatively close proximity to one another, the local language tends to merge with the other languages within the region.
Thus, some languages would interact and have some words in common. However, English language is an exception regarding this issue. Due to English’s global status, many Asian countries speak it every day.
When the English language arrived in Asia, it was a powerful language with a unique identity resulting in the ability to spread around Asia in rapid progression.
Although, this happened due to the British Empire colonizing the Asian nations and was gradually established afterward. After that, it has evolved from a colonial language to one of a global language, from a language for few nations to a language of the masses.
With its status as a global language, English has evolved into a flexible and embracing language that embraces diversity, not a language owned by merely a few cultures.
As a matter of fact, many Asians countries use it for cultural expression and communication as well. Although, like any other languages, English has its own history of why the language has spread enough influences to be the global language and why Asian countries are affected greatly by it.
From this point on, it is feasible that the English language has blended with Asian languages in many ways.
However, it is impossible to identify and isolate the “English” language in Asia since there are some cultural differences. Each of the English in Asian has its own distinctive functions in daily conversation.
The English they have been learning up until now is mostly used to communicate by non-native speaker to non-native speaker (the Asian themselves). Therefore, English in Asian nations is unique when used in their daily English conversation.
The Development of English in Asia
The history of English language in Asian countries is closely related to the dispersal of English which was involved in migration and colonization. Many people migrated from the eastern part of England to America and Australia. A series of dispersal between several countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines started in the late 18th century.
The dispersal of English men led to the obligation of English education in mentioned countries. There is a perception that English is spreading as part of a conspiracy to dominate the world.
As a result, the effect has spread across various Asian countries, especially those that speak English as their primary language. Singapore is one of the examples where English is considered their primary language.
Singapore was once ruled by British Empire starting from a single port on the island established by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. Later, it became a major port city and progressed into a small nation-state.
The first language declared by Singapore is English, but with unique characters. Noted that Singapore has unique characters in their English language, several countries may have them too.
The Roles of English Language in Asia
Throughout history, language has constructed societies and cultures, and what people think and feel reflects their worldviews and social construction. In this case, English language plays an important role in linking the culture with society through communication, especially in daily conversation.
It is now part of everyday life to speak English in most Asian countries by doing daily English conversation. Not only in daily conversation, but English language can also play an important role in speeding up national development through the ability to communicate with other nations.
Globally, improving cultural relations among nations through one global language which is the English language.
The mandatory use of English as a communication language in the world is considered to be important as well. In this way, all people in the Asian region can learn about other nations and interact with them on a daily basis through English.
English in Daily Conversation in Asia
The number of people who speak English in Asian countries is the largest throughout the world and increasing rapidly every year. Considering these circumstances, we can see some distinguishable English languages in several local languages in their daily conversation.
The vocabularies are identical to those in normal daily English conversation, but with several differences in some aspects. Linguistically, English in Asian regions differs significantly, with unique phonology, vocabulary, and grammar features. It is the result of localized English forms used in Asian regions these days.
The vast majority of people who are using English in their daily life are using them as Lingua Franca. They are not learning English for the purpose of using them to communicate with native speakers, but with their neighboring nations instead.
Therefore, English is used by non-native speakers to communicate with non-native speakers as well. In this case, English is not always the same anymore with some localization used by the locals to speak with each other.
In Singapore, for example, has a unique form of English spoken by Singaporeans called Singlish. Singlish has unique words and phrases:
- Can or not, A way of asking if something is possible or can be achieved.
Example = “Party at 8pm? Can or not?”
- Eye power, Someone who doesn’t extend help. Instead, they just stand around and stare as if their eyes can offer assistance.
Example = “Don’t eye power leh, come help us tidy up the room.”
English Localization
Speaking of the English language that exists in Asia has changed differentially throughout different regions, and the localization of the English language in most Asian regions has undergone several aspects.
Many of these aspects are dealt with identifying the unique characteristics in each region to the individual variation in terms of phonology (accent), lexis (vocabulary), and grammar (morphology and syntax), according to Kingsley in his article entitled “English in Asia, Asian Englishes, and the issue of proficiency”.
The difference in accents in each region is the main feature that created the localized English in the specific place. Although the locals may conduct daily English conversation to a certain point, they tend to use some localized English words in their distinctive daily conversation. There are, however, still some words that remain the same as their origins, which are called loanwords.
Loanwords in Asian Language
Languages in Asia are similar in some ways but differ from one another in vocabulary and pronunciation. To illustrate this point, let’s take the example of Indonesia. In Indonesia, there are a lot of Javanese words since the Indonesian language was developed from the Malay language.
Regarding this concern, the globalization of the English language has resulted in some loanwords that have distinct features in the Indonesian language as well.
Due to the popularity of English usage in Indonesia through music, movies, and developed technology, people tend to switch to English in order to keep up with the advanced development of current advancements. Besides being necessary for global communication, Indonesian people consider English as a “cool” language.
Several loanwords can be found in some Asian languages, such as in Indonesia. In Indonesia, there are some English loanwords like these:
Kokpit, comes from the English word Cockpit which refers to the compartment to control an aircraft or spacecraft.
Koboi, comes from the English word Cowboy which mean a man who herds and tends cattle in the western countries.
Things to Consider Before Translating English to Asian Languages
Prior to translating English into other Asian languages, some aspects need to be considered due to the various developments in the English language throughout the Asian languages.
Thus, the translation needs to be aligned with the usual daily English conversation with localization done simultaneously. There may be some similarities between some vocabulary terms, but the use of those terms is not the same. The cultural aspect and historical beliefs need to be learned in order to do localization in certain regions. Moreover, loanwords in the target language need to be looked at as well.
The problem of translating languages between two or more languages can easily be solved by the professional in this field. In this case, a professional translator is able to provide the right services in translation, especially the local professional translator.
Since a certain region has different culture and language, the words need to be matched with the local culture. It is easy for them to localize languages and able to make a minimum number of mistakes when they do so.
Throughout history, English language emerged in Asian languages as a global language. As a medium, it facilitates communication between all nations around the world, including Asian nations.
That is how English is used in most Asian nations. However, some aspects need to be noted in order to translate English to certain Asian languages. The aspects consist of historical beliefs, cultures, and accents as well. Therefore, translating word to word is not effective when the purpose is to localize the language and make the audience understand.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers
http://www.paaljapan.org/conference2011/ProcNewest2011/pdf/poster/P-4.pdf
https://sites.google.com/site/ajarntoi/articles/asian-englishes-history-identity-and-power
https://learnenglish100.com/asian-countries-that-speak-english/
https://www.geisteswissenschaften.fu-berlin.de/en/v/english_in_asia/index.html
https://www.indonesianpod101.com/blog/2021/05/13/english-loanwords-in-indonesian/
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2000/nov/23/tefl.guardianweekly
https://thehoneycombers.com/singapore/singlish-101/
https://www.learnindonesian.education/single-post/indonesian-loanwords-from-english
*This content is created by a third party. Some contents found on this website may be created by, or incorporate the content of, third parties. PT PeMad International Transearch is not responsible for any contents that are credited to third parties.
