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Singaporeans, your interest in speaking and writing English well and your passion for the language have been phenomenal.

We have more questions on English usage than we can possibly use in the hugely popular column in The Sunday Times.

To meet the thirst for answers, we are extending the print column on-line to Stomp.

Here, in this Stomp section, our English language panel answers your questions.
send
your photos and questions to Stomp at

75557@stomp.com.sg

We will endeavour to answer every query.

This section is made possible by the Speak Good English Movement.


 

This is a UK product but there’s also a blatant typo.

Valkyrie

The English Language Panel comments:

Hi Valkyrie!

Somehow this makes us think of Spanish.

But yes, that is a typo. You’d know that it should be ‘accurate’.

Buffer up
What exactly is a ‘buffer’? I’ve heard it used many ways, but I don’t really understand what it means.

Bufferfish
Hi Bufferfish!

You’d think a bufferfish would know what its name means…

Just kidding!

Anyway, if you look in a dictionary, there are quite a few different meanings of ‘buffer’. We won’t list them all out but ‘buffer’ generally refers to something that is used to shield or cushion for protective purposes.

Ch...ch...chilling
Why is ‘ch’ in school pronounced as k?

Are there other words that are pronounced like that?

Failbob
Hi Failbob!

Wow, we can’t really explain to you why ‘ch’ is pronounced with a ‘k’ sound in some words! You’ll have to ask a linguist about that. And let us know the answer when you get it!

As for other words that have a ‘k’ sound for ‘ch’, here’s a few:

Christmas
Epoch
Character
Architect

We’re sure you can think of more. They’re everywhere, Failbob!

Ghostly ghoul
Why is there a difference in the way ‘gh’ is pronounced in the words ‘through’ and ‘enough’?

Viridian
Hey Viridian!

Have you met Failbob? You guys should meet. We think you’d have very meaningful conversations.

Again we can’t explain to you why ‘gh’ has different pronunciations. Ask a linguist!

But you missed out one more different pronunciation of ‘gh’, Viridian. That can be found in words like ‘ghost’ and ‘ghoul’.

Speak Mandarin, are you game?
Hi,

I have a question to ask regarding the usage of English language.

What's the difference between ‘Mandarin’ and ‘Chinese’? Can we use them interchangeably?

If not, how do we use it correctly? If possible, can you give me a few examples?

For instance, is it right for us to say:

‘Do you speak Chinese/ Chinese language / Mandarin?’

‘Are you a Chinese/Mandarin?’

Thank you.

Mic Lim
Hi Mic Lim!

‘Mandarin’ and ‘Chinese’ can share the meaning when they’re referring to the spoken language!

‘Mandarin’ does not mean ‘Chinese’ in the sense of being a person of Chinese race or a person from China.

So you can say ‘do you speak Chinese?’ and ‘are you a Chinese?’

But in this context, you can’t say ‘are you a Mandarin?’

You should take note that ‘Mandarin’ can also refer to a type of plant or a powerful government official or a member of a powerful group. So ‘are you a mandarin?’ can be correct in the right contexts!

more...