On the Distinction between China English and Chinglish

On the Distinction between China English

and Chinglish

作者：彭小夏

来源：《读与写·上旬刊》2013年第09期

Abstract:As a Lingua Franca, English has got many varieties during the course of its contacting

with other languages and cultures all over the world. China English, which is not the same as Chinese

English or Chinglish, is one of the varieties. While Chinglish refers to a kind of anomalous English

Keywords: China English；Chinglish；distinction；varieties

中图分类号：G648文献标识码：B文章编号：1672-1578（2013）09-0003-01

At present, British English and American English are not considered as the only two Standard

English. They are just two varieties of English. The Englishes that conform to the rules of English

expression and are accepted by the countries, where people speak English are called Normative

English. Then, how to define China English? Generally speaking, China English is a language which

is based on Normative English, by means of transliteration, translation-loan and semantic reproducing

to describe things existed only in China, while Chinglish refers to a kind of anomalous English with

which the expressers describe things in terms of Chinese expressing rules and customs. It cannot be

accepted and understood by the people whose native language is English. Although the aims of both

China English and Chinglish are the same, which is to describe the things existed only in China, and

they are both of Chinese features. However, China English is Normative English, while Chinglish is

anomalous. China English promotes the cross-

2.1Words。Chinese borrowings have been getting into English since the seventeenth century

when the Silk Road was set up. Chinese borrowings are distinctive. The features of them are the low

rate of eliminating and the exact expression. Totally, Chinese borrowings can be divided into three

parts-transliteration words, borrowing + English words, translation-

2.1.1Transliteration early transliteration words got into English are mainly from

Guangdong dialect. Those transliteration words are variant in spelling form. The recent transliteration

words are based on Hanyu Pinyin. The spelling form is more unified, especially some geography

names and city names in China. But there are still some place names translated as before because of