the word "cue" is interesting.
it is hardly mentioned in english textbooks, but it is often used in daily conversations.
"i'm most afraid of the teacher cueing me in class", "hey, don't cue me, i have no idea", and so on.
javier allegue barros@soymeraki/unsplash
the verb "cue" means "to give (someone) a hint or suggestion", and as a noun, it has the meaning of a hint or suggestion on a drama stage.
according to merriam-webster dictionary, the origin of "cue" may come from the marking "qu" in scripts, which is an abbreviation of the latin word "quando" meaning "when", indicating to the actors "you can go on stage now". here are two examples:
►n.
she stood in the wings and waited for her cue to go on.
她站在舞台侧面等待着出场的提示。
►v.
can you cue me when you want me to begin speaking?
你要我开始讲话时能给我暗示一下吗？
the influence of english on chinese
many commonly used words in chinese have their origins as transliterations from foreign languages, as is well known with words like "bus", "microphone", "toast", and "taxi".
some words were borrowed into chinese in the 19th century, such as "一打" (表示"12个") which came from the english word "dozen" and was first adopted in shanghainese, later becoming widely used.
this period was the rise and fall of yangjingbang english (also called pidgin english).
in the book "world englishes in asian contexts", it is mentioned that english arrived in china in the 1630s when british traders conducted business in southern china, leading to the creation of a mixed language, yangjingbang english (also known as pidgin english), used for communication between local people and foreigners in places like guangzhou and macau.
interestingly, the oxford english dictionary explains that the term "pidgin" itself is a transliteration of the pronunciation of the english word "business" by people in guangdong at that time. later, "pidgin" came to refer to this mixed language.
this might be a case of "i transliterated your transliteration".
pidgin: a simplified speech used for communication between people with different languages.
1830s, pidgin english came to shanghai with businessmen, but it changed its name and evolved into "yangjingbang english" (yangjingbang was a river in shanghai, located between the british and french concessions, which was later filled in and is now part of yan'an road).
whether called pidgin english or yangjingbang english, it was actually a spoken language used by local people in shanghai and guangdong to communicate with the british.
the influence of chinese on english
through communication, both languages leave their marks on each other.
nowadays, some expressions in english, which have become idiomatic but cannot be explained by grammar, may have been influenced by chinese grammar.
►no can do: cannot do
►no pain, no gain: no effort, no gain
►long time no see: haven't seen you in a long time
these phrases have distinct features of chinese grammar.
when chinese people used yangjingbang english, they used chinese grammar. look at this english sentence:
►i have sold (this) for ten dollars. now i am going to sell it to you for one dollar.
it is not difficult to understand this sentence, which means "(this) i sold for 10 dollars, and now i'm selling it to you for 1 dollar."
this chinese word order is very authentic.
there is also a belief that words and phrases like "no-go" (not allowed to continue), "lose face" (to lose dignity or prestige), and "no-good" (worthless) have been influenced by chinese.
with this in mind, it's not surprising that expressions like "long time no see" have made their way into the oxford english dictionary with a very chinese style.
foreign words in chinese
unlike english borrowing grammar from chinese, chinese has borrowed some words from foreign languages (including english and portuguese).
the bus and the taxi were acquired through this method.
hundreds of years ago, yangjingbang english used in the pearl river delta included:
►catchee: catch (english)
►too muchy: too much (english)
►joss: god (zeus) (portuguese)
in addition, yangjingbang english in guangdong was influenced by cantonese, and after being spread to shanghai, there were still some cantonese words in the mouths of shanghai people at that time.
►taipan: supercargo (derived from cantonese: 大班)
►fankuei: westerner (derived from cantonese: 番鬼)
a post by a chinese user on douban claims that many commonly used words in shanghainese have english origins.
looking at these words gives people the experience of reading english to learn shanghainese for the first time.
►抬头title: invoice title, generally referring to the name of the buyer
►阿木林a moron: refers to someone who is dull, inarticulate, not smart
►嘎三壶gossip: refers to chatting, idle talk, bragging
►瘪三begsir: refers to a rogue, rascal, or idler
►扎台型扎dashing: refers to showing off
►一打a dozen: refers to twelve
►混枪势混chance: refers to taking advantage of a situation
languages change with the rise and fall of history, and yangjingbang english also had its decline.
the oxford guide to world english states that pidgin english began to decline in the late 19th century as standard english began to be taught in china's education system.
chinese pidgin english began to decline in the late 19th century as standard english began to be taught in the country's education system.
words and phrases have no inherent meaning, but people give them meaning.
with so many precedents, perhaps the phrase "people mountain people sea" will soon find its way into the dictionary as a completely chinese expression.