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Top Chinglish words of 2006

By Vyuz Newswire

November 26, 2006

San Diego--'No Noising' and 'Airline Pulp' have been named the Top Chinglish Words of 2006 in The Global Language Monitor's annual survey of the Chinese-English hybrid words known more commonly as “Chinglish.”

"The importance of Chinglish is the fact that some 250,000,000 Chinese are now studying, or have studied, English and their impact, and imprint, upon the language cannot be denied," said Paul JJ Payack, President and The WordMan of the Global Language Monitor.

There are now some 1.3 billion speakers of English as their native, second, business or technical tongue. In 1960, the number of English speakers hovered around 250,000,000, with most located in the UK and its Commonwealth of former colonies, and the US.

Some say that English is undergoing a rebirth unlike any seen since the time of Shakespeare, when English was emerging as the modern tongue known today. (Shakespeare, himself, added about 1700 words to the lexicon.) English has emerged as the lingua franca of the planet, the primary communications vehicle of the internet, high technology, international commerce, and entertainment.

With the continuing emergence of China on the world stage with the Olympics coming to Beijing in 2008, the state is now attempting to stamp out some of the more egregious examples of Chinglish.

In its annual survey, the Global Language Monitor has selected from hundreds of nominees, the top Chinglish words and phrases of 2006.

The Top Chinglish Words and Phrases of 2006 follow:

1. "No Noising" -- Translated as "Quiet please!"

2. "Airline pulp" -- Food served aboard an airliner

3. "Jumping umbrella" -- A hang-glider

4. "Question Authority" – An information booth

5. "Burnt meat biscuit" -- No it's not something to enjoy from the North of England, but what is claimed to be bread dipped in a savory meat sauce.

Bonus: GLM's all-time favorite from previous surveys: "The Slippery are very crafty." Translation: "Slippery when wet!"

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