Pinglish: Your Humble servant

Posted on July 11, 2008
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Humor, Pinglish
37 Comments
Total Views: 52481

Adil Najam
A friend sent these to me as examples of Pinglish. Supposedly, they are examples of actual language used in letters and applications of various types. Even if they are not real, they are funny.

A candidate’s application:
“This has reference to your advertisement calling for a ‘typist and an accountant–Male or Female’… As I am both for the past several years and I can handle both, I am applying for the post.”

An employee applied for leave as follows:
“Since I have to go to my village to sell my land along with my wife, please sanction me one-week leave.”

Student writing to headmaster:
“As I am studying in this school I am suffering from headache. I request you to leave me today.”

Student writing to teacher:
“I am suffering from fever, please declare holiday to the school.”

Letter to boss, requesting leave:
“As my Mother-in-law has expired and I am responsible for it, please grant me 10 days leave.”

Opening line in a letter to a friend:
“I am well here and hope you are also in the same well.”

———————–

Def. Pin-glish. For our purpose we will define Pinglish as a particualr variety of ‘Pakistani English’ which emerges when (a) English words are mixed with words of a Pakistani language (usually, but not solely, Urdu); or (b) an English sentence is constructed through the direct and exact translation of a thought in a Pakistani language and in the syntax of the latter, or vice versa; or (c) formal English is made even more uncomfortably formal by merging with the formality of Urdu idiom; or (d) Words in English and any Pakistani language are purposely and purposefully amalgamated for effect; or (e) any other way in which English is ‘Pakistanized’.

(Repost: Originally posted on June 22, 2006)

37 responses to “Pinglish: Your Humble servant”

  1. Rafay Kashmiri says:

    @BilligerentPacifist,

    In today’s world, we all speak branches of
    Indo-European languages, with the exception,
    of Kurdish, and Albanian, they hav’nt yet been classified
    in origins. Subject is wide-ranged research demanding,
    whenever we come to learn any other language than
    mother-tongue, we do face the following problems :
    – Grammatical structure to construct communication,
    – unavoidable ‘strange’ accent
    – imperfection in Pronunciation
    – Oratorical eloquency capacity

    one can not but tolerate and accept an ‘accent’ as our
    faculties need a solid background to develop in the above
    mentionned areas, what we ca not change is the fact
    how a German speaks French,
    a Frenchman speaks English,
    an Englishman speaks German
    a Punjabi speaks Urdu
    an Urduphone speaks punjabi
    An Indian speaks English
    an Arab speaking any other language
    and so on and so forth,
    funny accent has become a part of hilarity in nearly every
    culture today, tolerance is the best attitude, atleast against
    any form of “uniformism”. Achieving perfection in other
    languages is indeed extraordinary effort from some one
    not belonging to that language.
    What is profoundly disturbing is mixing two different
    languages as a false culture and trend, distinguishing
    ‘social class’ level, it mutilates both languages.
    Inventing languages is another subject.

    @ and I agree with Amna

  2. Amna says:

    Really funny stuff.

    I think most important part is at the end when you define Pinglish. I agree it is not just about speaking wrong English but about the mixing of English and Urdu idiom, words or grammar. Thank you for this.

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