Meet Jack Neo.
Jack Neo is one of the most prolific filmmakers in Singapore. In recognition of his achievements and contributions towards Singapore’s media industry, Neo was awarded the Public Service Medal Award in 2004 and the Arts Cultural Medallion Award in 2005. He continued to receive many other awards such as the local ‘Top 10 Special Achievement Awards’ from the Special Achievement in the Arts Award, and also the Best Actor and ‘The Most Popular Singapore Movie’ awards by Malaysia Golden Wau Awards in 2013.
Neo’s films have participated in various film festivals around the world. In Singapore, some of his films have topped the yearly box office for domestic films . His most successful movie, Ah Boys to Men, broke several box office records in Singapore and became the highest-grossing movie within a short span of five weeks. Its sequel, Ah Boys to Men 2, broke the box office record yet again.
Singapore is extremely linguistically diverse. It has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil, but there are many other varieties of Chinese spoken, mainly Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese. Of course, they have Singlish, too. As happens everywhere else, different languages and dialects are used in different contexts, sometimes the language is mixed (Singlish) sometimes not.
For this week’s discussion board, we’re watching an 8 minute clip from Jack Neo’s Just Follow Law. Post any and all observations about the way the characters are using language. In what contexts is English prevalent, and what does that tell you about how English functions in this culture? Which characters seem to be speaking a more standardized form of language and who is more likely to mix?
And, this is a comedy!! We’ve talked about humor being difficult to translate so…do you get it? What parts are funny to you and why?
This board is a little bit of a free for all….post whatever else seems relevant to you….
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
In the video, they show many characters and different perspectives. Some of the characters like the man and his daughter at the beginning speak English. But the English he speaks his heavily accented compared to the CEO guy and the boss lady who speaks English much more fluently. This could show the use of English as being more of an authoritarian thing and a privilege to use English rather than a civilian thing, as the rest of the characters speak Singaporean or heavily accented English. Other times English is used is when the characters use it as words to follow, such as when they use the five “E”‘s, enthusiam, expressiveness, effeciency, excellence, effectiveness. Or when the chrarcters use the 3 I’s inovative, initiative, and interesting. This can possibly show an western influence in the society of Singapore. People in Singapore may believe that English is a higher language and look down on those that can not speak the language,
To me, I find the beginning part of the video funny, when the father and daughter try to cross the street they are caught by the the police but the police were after someone else. Its sudden and unexpected and It does not require language to understand the joke which I like when it comes to foreign film. Another joke in the movie is when they say BCC “Better cover Backside”. I do not know why but I just found it funny because it seemed like saying “cover your ass” but in Singaporean.
Angelo, I agree with your statement and would like to add that I also noticed the CEO guy and the bosses were the only ones to speak fluent English. It’s as if the CEO and the supervisors were more educated or that they were more privileged to be able to speak English.
Yes!!! The opening scene with the father and daughter was the funniest part to me. Maybe because it was so universal. Everyone has been told they’re not doing the right thing by a 4(ish) year old at some point in their lives. If you haven’t yet, it’s coming.
I liked that part too where it’s like you need to bcc everyone you know kinda in important emails so like it doesn’t come to bite you in the butt. It’s very real in the work space, you gotta take note of everything otherwise it’s like a back and forth thing. I also agree with you that this short film showed western influence in the society of Singapore because in the office scene you can see how stress Tanya was to just make sure she was the better looking department and no one didn’t take her seriously.
I agree that the economic status of an individual will have an impact on how “proper” their use of English is. You mentioned how the father and daughter spoke Singlish when talking. The CEO and department heads, all of higher economic status, spoke “proper” English in their meeting and also to their employees.
I agree that a person economic status is reflected through the way they speak. The example of the father and daughter show that they used a mix of English while speaking but the people like the CEO and the other people at the meeting only spoke English to their employees.
I noticed that they use English as terms to follow too. Like how we have “questions? comments? concerns?” And I too agree that Singaporeans view people who speak English as someone higher in society, due to westernization. I also found the beginning of the video hilarious and I didn’t even notice the BCC part.
I thought the first portion was amusing as well. It reminds me a little of Bangladesh. People do not always follow the laws of the road. Even when I pay a visit, I just cross the street. However, as a result of this, numerous traffic accidents have occurred as a result of failure to observe the laws. I believe the sequence was included at the start to remind viewers to observe the rules, which are also the series’ namesake.
Angelo, I fully agree with your thoughts on how western influence may have caused the people in Singapore to believe that English is a higher language, therefore they may look down on those who don’t speak it. This is subtly made evident throughout the film when the higher ups within the office spoke more english, than the regular office workers.
Yea, I found that part pretty funny, especially cause the CGI was so bad. And then there was a guy in the back that appeared from thin air. It kinda reminded me of that movie with the landlady that has superpowers. I think it’s called Kung Fu Hustle or Kung Fu.
I agree with your statement it seems that people who work in jobs like an office, a CEO or a director, speak fluent English when compared to civilians. The civilians also seem to speak English but not as fluent as them. Office workers speak more fluent English because it’s probably required or they need to use it more.
I completely agree with you Angelo, because it is true that there’s a huge differentiation between how the normal civilians and the CEO speak English. I think the CEO and the boss of the company try to speak more standard English so that they can show that they have a higher range and dominance.
I agree with this because I also noticed that the authority figures spoke fluent English but towards the end they also showed the maintenance man speaking a good bit of English which had me a little confused on whether he was just mocking what he heard or he simply just knew how to speak it.
I loved this episode after seeing it. The comedy series, “Just Follow Law” depicts the inflexibility of obsolete governmental law and regulations. As well as this is an inflexible mentality of local public workers who strictly adhere to the rules. The title is a play on the English phrase “just follow the law,” which implies obeying commands without questioning their justification. There was a fantastic blend of dramatic irony and presenting two distinct characters, in my opinion. Because in the video, its plot concentrates on two different characters. Aside from their varied job levels, their attitudes are also quite separate. Lim Teng Zui is indolent and just not very proficient at what he is doing, but he is nice with almost all of his coworkers and even has two faithful companions who are always there. Tanya Chew, Lim’s supervisor, creates a strong demeanor at all times and gets praise from others solely through terror. However, persons in higher positions in the workplace spoke more standardized English than the people who work as a contractor when it came to speaking. I believe they just use the language they are most comfortable with. It is their native language and they do not erase their accent. Although the overall message of the movie is a little confused in the manner it was given because it started with a father and daughter attempting to cross the road, and then it moved on to the office. They were talking about coffee in the last portion, and they mentioned black-white. However, the overarching point I took away from the film was that language changes depending on one’s social rank.
Jannatul, I agree with your statement about how the overall message of the movie is confusing. And honestly I couldn’t really tell what the message was but looking at it from a linguistics standpoint as you mentioned, the way we use language in our everyday lives changes depending on where we are and what setting we’re in.
It’s interesting that you say that you were confused by the overall message of the movie in the same post as you summarize the events of the movie so well. It reminds me of those conversations about bilingualism and communicative burden. Here you’ve taken on the communicative burden a little more actively than you would have ordinarily. Meaning that you might not have even watched this clip and tried to understand it if I hadn’t posted it. And….you understood a LOT. I have a feeling that if you’d seen the entire move, you would have understood more. Increased exposure (and active listening and observation) usually equals better comprehension.
I believed the overall plot of the video was confusing too until I read your comment. I think you understood and depicted it clearly, especially about the juxtaposition of Lim Teng Zui and Tanya Chew. You even found the meaning of the title. Zui’s and Chew’s careers and attitudes are very opposite and you explained it perfectly to me.
I agree with what you said about not really understanding the film because I was also a bit confused on what the purpose was and how the first scene is connected to the workplace scenes. Also I think the part about the coffee and the black and white was used to mock her in some sort of way because they all received the email and I remember a woman speaking to her about making the email black and white. It’s a little confusing but I think that there was a double meaning when they spoke about the coffee.
In Jack Neo’s comedic film “Just Follow Law”, there are a few observations I’ve noticed about the way the characters are using language. One observation I noticed at the beginning was between what I would assume to be father and son, speaking a mix of a Mandarin dialect (I think) and English. The father was trying to explain to the son that if the light to walk is red but there are no oncoming cars or no policemen around, that it is okay to cross the street. You see it quite often between the policemen at the beginning and the co-workers throughout the film. I observed that the “jokesters” of the office used a Mandarin dialect and English while talking with each other. On the other hand, the supervisors would only use just Mandarin or just English. For example, when there was a meeting between all the supervisors, only English was used. But when the supervisors relayed the information from the meeting, they used Mandarin. That being said, the “Main Boss” and the supervisors would use a more standardized form of language and the coworkers are more likely to mix amongst themselves. Anyway looking at it from less of a linguistics aspect and more of what it is, a comedy, there was one thing that made me chuckle. When one of the jokesters started mocking the supervisor for the 5 E’s, he made his own joke and said “Remember my 4 B’s: Bang jio (pass urine), bang sai (pass motion), bang pui (fart),…bang gang (off duty!!!).
The joke you found funny made me realize this clip shows an emphasis on powerful words all starting with the same letter. First, with the CEO and his 3 i’s. Then, with the department head and her 5 E’s. Lastly, with the male employee and his 4 B’s. I could be mistaken but America does a lot of this. I want to believe everyone has heard someone mentioning a number of some specific letter words, at least once (I hope that made sense lol). When I was in elementary school, my school’s motto was the 3 R’s: Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience.
The four Bs part was hilarious because they weren’t even English words but he used the English initial of the words. My brain can’t remember any other phrases that included alliteration but “Questions? Comments? Concerns?” but I know there are plenty in the English-speaking world in America, but I noticed they use that tactic a lot too.
I completely agree with you. Except for the boss, everyone in the video spoke in a mixture of languages. You also described the moment where the employees made up their terms, which was comical even though I didn’t understand what he said. It surprised me that no one reported to the woman he teased.
Marcus, I agree with all your observations.I feel as though these specific observations were crucial to really understanding this film. Certain things you mentioned like how the supervisors only spoke in english during their meeting, and spoke to the staff in mandarin. Its components like that throughout this film add tons of interest to their language roles within their society.
Wouldn’t you say that it’s more common amongs higher ups or authority to use english as it’s more “proper” in a office setting?
I like how you said that the main boss and the others used English when they are together in the meeting, but when the manager communicates with the workers they use their own language. I think it shows that English I’m their country is more for formal uses and their native language for day-to-day activities.
I would like to begin by discussing the prevalence of the English language within countries all around the world. English within any part of any country is a marker of colonization. English might be an official language in many countries but it historically isn’t the first language of that region. The English language has been able to maintain its global power over numerous independent nations by invading those countries’ cultures and having the audacity to integrate their customs onto them.
Now focusing our attention on the video, I believe English is used surrounding authority. The meeting held with the CEO and the department heads of the company was strictly held in English. Shortly after, when the department heads speak to their department they, again, speak solely in English. Authority figures speak and are spoken to in “proper” English. Regular folk used English and Singlish when referencing something with significance or an authority figure like a cop. Getting a contractor to fix the board seemed of significance because the employees said contractor in English.
I particularly enjoyed the beginning of the clip where the father and daughter are trying to cross the street. The father, whose role is intended to be a role model, tells his amateur daughter to cross the street even though the light isn’t for them. She persisted to wait until it is safe for them to do and he insist on the opposite. I found it funny because the roles have seemed to reverse.
Shantal, I found it interesting that you brought up how colonizers have greatly impacted the world. I’m glad that you keep bringing it up because I think it is an important topic for discussion, especially for this class. It’s crazy how much influence colonizers still have over the countries they’ve invaded hundreds of years ago.
I agree that colonization had, and has, a huge effect on the way we use and view languages globally. Colonizers would quickly suppress the native language in any territory they occupied because they didn’t want people plotting against them, and wanted to alienate them from an extremely important cultural connector. There is, however, and additional factor to consider is the way language is shaped by trade. English is a lingua franca, a bridge language used to facilitate trade and commerce among many countries–even non-English speaking countries.
Lingua francas have been around for a long time. The term is taken from the medieval Mediterranean Lingua Franca, an Italian-based pidgin language used especially by traders in the Mediterranean Basin from the 11th to the 19th centuries. Currently, people all over the world learn English to access jobs and trade markets. Whenever I have to make a tech service call or call for help with some software or hardware feature, I always ask the person I’m speaking to (in English) where they are….a lot of times they’re in India or the Philippines. Both of those countries have a large cohort of highly educated people who will work for less than American workers will. So, outsourcing may be a new type of colonization. It should be mentioned that this feature is directly tied to commercial and manufacturing power. There’s a reason that almost every business program in the US is pushing their students to learn Mandarin and it’s not because of an interest in Chinese culture. It’s because of China’s power in manufacturing and trade.
Another way that English maintains its power as a world is through our most successful export, media. People all over the world consume American media…movies, TV, music (this is a big one). Right now, there are people in Russia, Togo, Japan, Mexico, S. Korea, Ecuador….you get the idea, that can sing along with Beyonce’s latest single. quote lines from The Avengers (or whatever the popular movies are), and follow along with English language tutorials on Youtube and Tiktok. Our success with media means that people in non-English-speaking countries have high levels of exposure to English…may even be passively bilingual…just because of media exports.
K-pop is interesting to look at right now because you would think that its popularity would increase the understanding of Korean language and that teens in the US would be singing in Korean. Is that how it’s working out?
Watch an interview with BTS ( https://youtu.be/v_9vgidPJ8g ) (if you want to watch you need to copy/paste the link–this site won’t let me link in a comment ).
What’s happening here and why?
oh…the link gets live when you post. Just FYI if you ever want to link in here.
From my experience of being a Kpop fan at first I didn’t take an immediate interest in learning the language but as I listened more the their songs I wanted to know more about the language. Since I’ve been a Kpop fan for 6 years I have picked up some basic Korean and able to understand the language to an extent. But if we are talking about artist like BTS who are targeting the western audience they producing music in English to cater to their English audience. Especially in the interview, you can see that each member is speaking in English and Korean.
Too true…because the US is a huge market for media, as well. If you get traction here, you do much better in terms of commercial success and global exposure. K-pop is an engine in tis own right. They’re working it for sure. It’s exciting to hear that you have picked up some Korean from your K-pop exposure. I think that type of thing has real potential in undermining some of the longstanding exclusionary language attitudes in the US. The arts, in general, seem to foster a more inclusionary perspective.
It’s remarkable how you’ve linked the video to colonialism. People who can communicate in English are also regarded as the most intelligent members of society. And in the clip, persons in higher levels demonstrated their respect for one another by speaking English. I believe that the roles of father and daughter should be reversed since everyone in culture says we should learn from the elders.
I agree with what you’ve stated 100%. I didn’t even think about that English is a form of a colonizated marker, so with that on the table is everything in today context colonizated by the white man?
I also enjoyed the beginning of the short film. The kid is trying to do the “right thing” yet the dad is trying to cross the street knowing they shouldn’t. This situation where the kid acts like the parent was unexpected and the roles do seem to be reversed which makes this funny.
First of all, I loved that you make a connection to the real world. Also, the fact that they use English surrounding authority, make sense because when they use English is when they are in the meeting with the CEO.
Throughout the flim, I understood to an extent what they’re talking about because some words/sentences were in english but also their tone, body langauge and the context also helped. I think I would’ve enjoyed it more without the subtitles so I can get the full authentiness.
Loved the dad and daughter scene where he’s trying to jaywalk and shes like nope. That’s something that I do often, I try my best in busy areas of traffic to jaywalk. I rather just wait for the light, I usually say like I’m not trying to die but like if i have the light and a car is still moving, I lowkey key be wanting them to hit me so I can get a check lol. I think all New Yorkers are like that, like hit me so I can get a check.
In the office scenes I noticed that they were speaking more English or Singlish because I’m assmuing it’s more professical and proper in the office to speak English. It made me upset that Tanya is trying to do her best by her team but also for the company, while everyone is trying to go home at 5, she’s like we need to stay so we can be the best department to the other company and no one was understanding. they just wanted to go home.
I also agree that this clip reinforces the idea that the environment does affect how we speak. When the father was at his job he spoke more in English than when he was with his daughter. I believe that because it is a more professional setting the employees feel more obligated to speak English and attempt a more proper form of that.
I agree with you Asanti, on how one is able to understand what the characters are talking about just based on their body language and tone. An example of this would be the pregnant lady talking to the assistant technician. In the scene the lady uses an aggressive tone in order to get the signboard to be fixed quickly.
I agree that throughout the film, the use of body language and tone helped to add some context to what they were attempting to communicate. Without that it may have been a bit more difficult to fully interpret what they were saying. I also agree that without subtitles it may have been able to give us a more authentic feel to the film, but at the same rate I feel as though we would have been totally lost with what they were saying exactly!
I agree with what you’re saying because, even in America, socioeconomic status affects the way you speak/communicate. As shown in the film, the higher the socioeconomic class (e.g CEO & Executive Board), the more relevant English was in conversation. In England, they even have a Posh accent which is associated with the high class.
In Jack Neo’s comedic film “Just Follow Law”, there are a few things that stood out from the way the characters were using language. From the start of the video we see the interaction that the Father has with his daughter in which they speak using a mix of English and Mandarin to express their different understanding of the law when crossing the road. In addition, in the video we are shown how the CEO and how Tanya Chew speaks the English language with more fluency but you can also hear a slight accent when they speak but it isn’t as heavy like the rest of the employees. Another interesting point that the video makes is that the people that speak English with fluency are the ones on top while the people that speak a mixture of Mandarin and English are below them with an accent.
I enjoyed watching the video and how it showcases people’s various ways of speaking their language. I mostly enjoy the father and daughter interaction because it was very funny to me. Another part of the video that I enjoyed was between the pregnant lady and the guy having a conversation about finding a contractor to fix the light of the signboard. During this part the lady has a more aggressive tone while speaking in English and Mandarin while the guy has a more relaxed tone.
I also enjoyed watching this video because it showcased “people’s various ways of speaking their language”. It shows how other people can mix their languages together and speak it without any trouble. It’s also interesting how this means that people in Singapore are fluent in multiple languages.
I see that you mention accent when you talk about each of the character’s language use. I find it fascinating that although all the characters seem to be of the same nationality, they use language in such distinct ways. I wonder if they can attribute their language choice based on the perceived expectations of language use in the workplace.
I also enjoyed watching this video because of the humor in certain parts of it. It also made me realize how the workers were not being judged for switching between the two languages and it was normalized while here in the U.S you are seen as less than if you can’t speak fluent English or use a different variation of it.
In the video “Just Follow Law”, made by Jack Neo, one of the most prolific filmmakers in Singapore, the characters use a mix of English and other native languages. The characters in the video with higher authority use more English than the others. For example, at the beginning of the video, Lim Teng Zui, who is an event assistant technician, uses most nouns of English when talking to his daughter, but he still uses his native language mostly. In contrast, his boss, Tanya Chew, who is the director of event and promotion, speaks fuller sentences of English whilst still keeping her native tongue here and there. Her boss, Alan Lui, who is the CEO of the company, solely speaks English. There isn’t a time where he speaks an Asian language like the rest of the characters. As the position of the career heightens, the frequency of the English does as well. Based on this observation, Singaporeans may believe that English gives a higher status socially and economically. Aside from the language of the video, I found it quite humorous. The funniest part to me was when the secretary told Tanya Chew that her “hubby” was waiting on her and then proceeded to speed walk. In the beginning when Lim Teng Zui told his daughter that crossing the street at a red light wasn’t breaking a law but then acted guilty when the police showed was hilarious. The ending where Tanya Chew was bamboozled by the three workmen was quite funny too.
Your attention to the pattern in which the frequency of English is used based on career position is very insightful. This makes me reflect back to how language is used in the American workplace. I can see a similar pattern that of which the formality of language also increases with career position. It becomes less casual to maintain a language conveying their authority.
During this hilarious film “Just Follow Law” by Jack Neo, there were quite a lot of interesting characteristics regarding language that made the film much more unique. Along with its plentiful use of sarcasm, this film was very eye-catching due to its aspects of shock value. Not only this, but what really stuck out was how well certain metaphors were used in this short film. For example towards the end of the film when the working men sat down the main business lady, it almost seemed as though they were communicating something to her without being so abrupt. To which she understood the point they were making. Yet what stuck out to me the most was how they were doing this while mixing languages, showcasing how well anything can be communicated no matter what language is being used. Something else that really stuck out to me was how it was evident throughout the film how the people working the jobs with a higher position were the ones who spoke more English in their speech. It almost infers that those with the qualifications to work these more professional jobs were able to know English, and thus being able to incorporate it in their language. However it also brings into thought the idea that there may be certain words within the Singapore language that don’t have a Singaporean translation, therefore it’s said in plain english. All in all, this film highlighted many interesting language traits that are often seen as uncommon within our society.
I find your analysis of this clip to be very eye-opening. To respond to that point you made about how those in the position of power spoke a more formal style of English, I believe that this particular skill is what distinguishes them in the workplace. This language seems more ideal for those who take on job positions as bosses and leaders to more effectively communicate with other higher-ups instead of their employees.
After watching the video, something that I noticed was the fact that, when unsupervised, people ignored the laws set in place for them. Like at the beginning of the movie, the father continually tries to convince his son to “break the law” as no one is around to (1) witness said crime and (2) be affected by it. Of course, as soon as the father takes three steps, the entire police force spawns on top of him. To be honest, I would side with the father, but I’m pretty sure that was just there for comedy’s sake. Another example is introduced shortly after the first scene. It’s when Tanya, the high-ranking female employee and a stickler for the rules, tries to convince her department to clean up the mess in the room. However, the department cleverly points out that they won’t work unless given AC. Both parties are following the laws set in place for them. As supervisor of a department, she is depicted as very coldhearted and is mocked by the department after she leaves. The movie uses humor to make fun of her behavior as “too proper” and emphasizes that breaking the rules is, in some cases, encouraged. This is probably why the guys at the end of the video say, “sometimes black and white cannot be taken seriously” and is why they mention the fact that some laws are unwritten. Since I need like 20 words, I’m going to say that it’s interesting how the CEO knew English, but the lower class workers did not.
I agree with what you are saying because they clearly show how English is more prolific at higher economic standing. By the end of the vid, we see that the older, most respected members of that society remark that her properness was too much and that she needed to learn. Pretty much said she was boring.
Language is used to distinguish the specific classes that the characters of this video clip fall into. English is used in the workplace as a language of authority, while the local language is used more as a conversational language. English is prevalent in showcasing which characters hold power. Since the policemen, and the CEO and department heads of a particular company use English in the means to communicate, this distinguishes them as people of authority. Contrarily, the employees can be seen opting for the use of their local language. Those in a position of authority are more likely to speak a more formal form of language, while those who are older and of a low-class ranking seem to fuse the two languages, utilizing a more hybrid form of the languages. I also observed English being utilized as a form of a weapon, whereas the mother tongue initiates a more casual dialogue. The strict department head uses English to address her subordinates, even though they, as a collective, communicate more comfortably by a mix of the local language and English. I noticed that I was mostly able to get the jokes when imitation and theatrical elements were incorporated. This is because these mannerisms are universally humorous; they act as signals for the audience to laugh. Jokes that relied heavily on puns were harder to understand due to the lack of context and possibility of a mistranslation. It was very interesting to see how language use has a huge impact on how we perceive characters.
Jack Neo’s Just Follow Law depicts characters speaking different languages when speaking and expressing different emotions. At the start of the short film we see a dad and his kid using a little bit of English when conversing about whether they should cross the street. They mix the languages when both are speaking informally about a simple conversation. We then see the characters at an office use English when speaking formally, when trying to make a point and giving instructions to their co-workers. From this we can infer that when in a work environment and when being serious, Singaporeans use mostly English. When making jokes characters mostly mixed the languages together. We can all infer that most people mix the languages together when having a normal conversation but when in a work environment and speaking formally they speak English. This was a really interesting film which didn’t fail to show how linguistically diverse Singapore is. Also how most people speak multiple languages which shows that they are smart nonetheless.The most funny part of the film for me was the beginning when the dad and his kid were discussing whether they should cross the street. It was unexpected and funny how the police appeared out of nowhere and they thought it was for them and the dad crossed the street yet the kid went back and stayed behind trying to “follow the rules”.
The first thing that I noticed from this video is one possible message that they trying to transmit, it is that rules exist and people chose if they want to follow or not. At the beginning of the video they show how the little girl wants to follow the rule of not crossing the street until the assigned time, but the man didn’t care about it. Another thing that I noticed from this video is how different these people use English, something from the image you can see that they might be doing something funny so you could laugh and when you read the subtitles you like: is this funny? This happens because, in my opinion, not all countries have the same jokes so when they are translating to English, they just translate exactly what it says and they don’t look for the correct way to say it in English, that’s why it doesn’t make sense. I remember when I was in high school in my English class we were talking about “Sayings”, we had to share a saying and then translate to English — the one that I share “ El burro hablando de oreja”(Ex: If you’re fat and you call another person fat, then this person will tell you that, because you both fat), which translated to English is “The donkey speaking about ears”. Is not funny, right? But if you’re Dominican or you Speak Spanish you’ll understand like the joke. So my point is to show how things just translate to English sometimes doesn’t make sense.
PD: The Original and Understandable way of saying this “Saying” in English is “The pot calling the kettle black”.
In this video the people use English in various ways. In the beginning of the video I was a bit confused at what I was hearing but after a few more seconds of listening I heard the switch between the two languages. It seems as if most of the people in this video integrate english words or phrases with chinese (I believe this is chinese not sure!) very often. You can also hear that whenever they speak English they have this sort of heavy accent which clearly indicates it’s not their first language. I also noticed that the Boss spoke “proper” English when addressing the workers in the conference room. Also there was a scene when they were giving out instructions I think and the people who were doing so also spoke “proper” English. This allowed me to believe that speaking English was something that displayed authority in Singapore like you have some sort of privilege or class if you can speak English really well. What intrigued me was the fact that even though everyone is speaking either perfect English or some sort of mixture between the two languages, they all understood each other perfectly unlike what we see here in the U.S. I also found it weird how the men at the table all spoke mandarin when they looked like they were authority figures also. This raised the question: Does the way they speak have to do with the tone they want to express? An example is when my mom wants to express anger she usually speaks creole although she can express her anger in English because it’s more effective. The part I found funny was when the maintenance man mimicked the woman after she left and It also showed how they are capable of speaking English well and switching between the two.