Thread: Slang phrases from foreigners' lips

Hi, friends.

There're many foreigns in our city. Generally they are from USA. You know, Sakhalin, petroleum, gas, energy and so on. =)
Very few of them can speak Russian well. And one day I thought what would it be, if I heard slang words from foreigners' lips. Would it be funny to hear? Let's say, it's a foreigner who is saying such phrases with appreciable accent: чувак / я беспощадно заточил этот бутерброд / эт че за хрень? / etc.

Then I thought: "Hm, what about the same situation in any english-speaking country?"
And I am here to ask you, how is it to hear from a foreigner with accent some constructions, for example: 3rd person with do, not does / 3rd person with are, not is / gonna, woulda, gotcha / etc.

=)

My wife has been in the UK for about seven years, and her English is good but not perfect. She regularly screws up slang expressions, either because she mis-heard or mis-understood the phrase in the first place or because she's trying to adapt the grammar to another context and making a mess of it. It just sounds cute, and slightly funny, but to be honest it often sounds just as cute and funny when she gets it right, especially when using a more colourful expression. On the other hand, I used to work with a few foreigners, two Polish guys, a Russian lass and a Frenchman, and no-one batted an eyelid when they used slang terms even with strong accents.

I sometimes get laughed at when I'm in Russian for using slang terms in Russian or making some cultural reference (usualy when I'm drunk), but when I ask why they're laughing it's not because I've made a mistake but because it I got it exactly right and it was completely unexpected.

Originally Posted by blacky

And I am here to ask you, how is it to hear from a foreigner with accent some constructions, for example: 3rd person with do, not does / 3rd person with are, not is

When foreigners get do/does or is/are wrong, I mostly don't think twice about, and I think that's probably true for other Americans as well.

Originally Posted by blacky

gonna, woulda,

We probably wouldn't notice if a foreigner were to say "gonna" just because it is so very common. The "woulda" for "would have" might cause us some confusion because most foreigners can't get the vowel quite right in the first syllable and can't change the "d" into a dental tap, so we would probably hear it as "wood a" and misunderstand his meaning.

Originally Posted by blacky

gotcha

Originally Posted by blacky

/ etc

Originally Posted by blacky

.

If I heard a foreigner say "gotcha," I would laugh.

I think generally a successful use of slang by a foreigner mostly generates a pleased amusment. I remember a scene from a movie where a scientist with an East Indian accent says, "She gives me a stiffy," where stiffy is childish slang for an erection. It was hysterical to hear that from his mouth, both because I didn't expect the word from him and because the foreign accent gave it a type of charm, whereas it would simply be a standard comment made in poor taste by anyone with an American accent. I'll have to keep my ears open for examples.

Once when I was in Petersburg I asked a couple guys «Вы студенты, что ли?» I had a very light accent at the time... most people take me for a Lithuanian. But the two guys snickered and said, «Только мы говорим "что ли"».

Originally Posted by doninphxaz

...Once when I was in Petersburg I asked a couple guys «Вы студенты, что ли?» I had a very light accent at the time... most people take me for a Lithuanian. But the two guys snickered and said, «Только мы говорим "что ли"».

Грубияны. Наверное, вместо што ли ты сказал чито лы.

Originally Posted by Lampada

Originally Posted by doninphxaz

...Once when I was in Petersburg I asked a couple guys «Вы студенты, что ли?» I had a very light accent at the time... most people take me for a Lithuanian. But the two guys snickered and said, «Только мы говорим "что ли"».

Грубияны. Наверное, вместо што ли ты сказал чито лы.

Нет-нет, всё было сказано с дружеским юмором.

«Чито лы» - это литовский акцент?

Originally Posted by doninphxaz

«Чито лы» - это литовский акцент?

It seems like a Chinese one. =)

So what about ain't and kinda? =)

If a foreigner said "kinda," I wouldn't think twice about it because that's simply approaching conversational pronunciation. But if he said "ain't," I would be taken aback. "Ain't" is considered incorrect grammar, so I wouldn't be sure whether he was making a little joke or whether he had uneducated friends from whom he had picked it up. And most likely I would correct him, although generally it's impolite to correct someone else's grammar unless they ask you to.

The problem is, foreigners learn the proper form of the language they are learning. For example, a Russian would be taught proper (British, joke)English, with all the correct grammatical rules. So generally what they say tends to be on the formal side. So if they then randomly throw in the odd slang word or term it sounds strange because it jars with the rest of their English. It only sounds natural and normal if someone uses slang when they speak the language to a high standard and it blends and flows with the rest of what they are saying.

For example when I speak to Russians they always say my Russian is very formal and bookish, so if I then stick some slang in it will sound even weirder.

Originally Posted by TATY

For example, a Russian would be taught proper (British )English

Fixed.)