Speak Broken English Connotes to "Carabao English"
By Shavkat
@Shavkat (140430)
Philippines
July 27, 2019 8:28pm CST
Before I became an online English Teacher, I always spoke in broken English. Can you blame me? It is because Filipinos cannot practice the language in public, except if you are at school or working in companies. Some Filipinos described their fellowmen who speak slowly and commit lots of grammar errors as ‘carabao English.’ The realization strikes when I entered my university, I needed to step-up and enhanced my speaking ability using the second language. Along the course of improving my soft skill in speaking, the key factor is the will to make things possible.
There are three types of people who can use this language effectively are as follows:
First, the ability to speak the English language fluently, but not good at writing; Second, the ability to write using the English language, but not good at speaking; and Third, the ability to speak the English language fluently and to write without difficulty.
For the first and second, it can still be improved and the third is the gifted ones.
“How did you start learning the English language seriously?”
“What drives you to learn the English language?”
Image Credit: pbs.twimg.com
19 people like this
20 responses
@marguicha (226165)
• Chile
28 Jul 19
I learned some English when I was a child. My father went to the US for a year and a half and took us with him. When I came back to my country, I 'unlearned' little by little spoken English whole at the same time learned more language as I read a lot.
5 people like this
@Shavkat (140430)
• Philippines
28 Jul 19
It is nice that you had visited the US before. In my country, it is a good thing that we started to learn the English language at an early age since most of our textbooks are in English. However, we tend to rely more on watching English films to know the right pronunciation of words during the old days.
3 people like this
@marguicha (226165)
• Chile
28 Jul 19
@Shavkat Unless it is those movies now, full of bad words
2 people like this
@Shavkat (140430)
• Philippines
28 Jul 19
@marguicha I agree. I think we have lots of apps and means on the internet to check the proper pronunciation of English words.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (473369)
• Switzerland
28 Jul 19
I started as a child in school. We had to pick up a language and I decided for English, I added French later. I have traveled with my husband many times to the United States during 31 years. I can say that right now I do not speak English anymore, I speak American English.
4 people like this
@RasmaSandra (84435)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
28 Jul 19
I am American-Latvian and I grew up speaking English. I speak both English and Latvian fluently.
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (84435)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
31 Jul 19
@Shavkat I think quite a few are.
1 person likes this
@cacay1 (84581)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
28 Jul 19
That is true because English is just a borrowed language. But those who can speak English well do not imply they are bright , because English language cannot make you bright. There are countries who cannot speak better English like China, Singapore, Thailand, Korea and other countries but their countries are great. They rise to power.I learned English for that is the medium of instruction used in the classroom as a university professor in USTP.
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45635)
• Philippines
28 Jul 19
but you can also get by on your french
2 people like this
@JudyEv (351984)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jul 19
@hereandthere I guess that's sort of true. I used Duolingo a lot to help with my French.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (38466)
• Philippines
29 Jul 19
I can relate to #2 can write in English but is hard in speaking it. Although I could not say that my writing is perfect or fluent as I still have the tendency to make mistakes in my grammar many times. Speaking it is much more difficult with me since I rarely am able to practice that since at work we speak in our native language and we seldom speak in English unless we are in a formal meeting of some sort.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (38466)
• Philippines
29 Jul 19
@Shavkat I think they are are trying to imitate Japan where they focus on the own native language since Japan is progressive even though they do not speak or write fluent English. They theorise that if the subjects are taught in their native language they can easily grasp their lessons well than forcing them to learn it in English.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140430)
• Philippines
29 Jul 19
@rsa101 I think it is fine if the country is progressive. But then, English is still the universal language. In my little niece's school, she needs to learn Ilocano. In fact, she's having a hard time learning it, since her first language is English.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140430)
• Philippines
29 Jul 19
I do agree with you. Most Filipinos are having a hard time speaking the English language. But still, it can be improved. Recently, some fresh graduates failed their English fluency exams. It is because they lack speaking practice of this second language.
I am feeling bad that DepEd imposed to learn the native dialect in every province of our country. In my own opinion, it will not help the students to learn the English language, especially the speaking part.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36847)
• Pamplona, Spain
29 Jul 19
I speak the English as it is where I was born cannot help it just comes out that way okay I have an accent that has somehow got in there over time but most know where I am from.
I am learning bits of Welsh for fun at the moment as its really tough going to learn its a challenge Bore da, which means hello and good morning.
I speak Spanish like they do here missing out bits and pieces and making the mistakes they make too.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36847)
• Pamplona, Spain
29 Jul 19
@Shavkat
I can understand when they do things like that.
A few can speak it from what I see and hear around on the television.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140430)
• Philippines
30 Jul 19
@lovinangelsinstead21 It is nice to know some Spanish words. If I have the chance, I will learn it.
1 person likes this
@luisadannointed (7310)
• Philippines
28 Jul 19
I think its "English Carabao" hehehehe... I know that because I still speak the same way hahahaha! Its cool to speak in english because that is the standard in our country, and it helps me in blogging, but until now I am still not good at it and I have so many grammar lapses. I got so many insult because of that. A bit sad about the insult, but anyway that's life, all I have to do is ignore and go on with my life.
2 people like this
@Shavkat (140430)
• Philippines
28 Jul 19
Indeed, my friend. For most Filipinos, they verbally utter it as 'English carabao.' In the writing context, it is commonly used as 'English carabao.' For me, it still can be enhanced.
What is the origin of this phrase? Why carabao english? Why not Filipino English or maybe informal english or pidgin english?
@crossbones27 (50450)
• Mojave, California
28 Jul 19
I am American and cannot speak proper English, I imagine what it is like for you guys. Its a hard language and as always they did that on purpose because they wanted people to think they were not as good. Its always been a tactic to keep people down. It's amazing the lengths they go through when all they had to do was teach a better way. Twice the energy and half the impact compared to when you teach people right.
2 people like this
@Spontaneo (14700)
• United States
28 Jul 19
Has anyone here born & raised in the United States ever come across "slang" that you were clueless to? I never knew what "going commando" meant. I did not know what "sugar daddy" meant. I also did not know what "going cougar" meant. Have I left any slang out?
2 people like this
@florelway (23358)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
28 Jul 19
Though sometimes we cannot avoid carabao English because some people do not understand. In my office before I told our Taiwanese visitor to call his wife at the hotel,but he never understand, so I told him to give your wife telephone and he understood.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (163239)
• United States
16 Nov 19
I know some people learn here, and on other sites as well. Thanks for explaining the term Carabao English to us.
1 person likes this
@psanasangma (7428)
• India
29 Jul 19
Let me remember, it seems I start reading and writing and understanding the meaning of English words then Speaking in Schools as we were bounds to .. but this never hep until I went to College, where different communities with different mother tongue speakers come together
@Hannihar (130204)
• Israel
6 Aug 19
@Shavkat
I was born in the United States so English is my mother tongue but I have never been fluent in it. I was in the middle reading group and middle in most things. When I came to live in Israel I had to learn Hebrew and I am not fluent in Hebrew but get by most days. There are days my English has gone down hill and days I cannot spak any language right. Languages have never been easy for me and also for others as well.
1 person likes this
@Starkinds (32713)
• India
28 Jul 19
In my country English is optional so I choose it.
1 person likes this
