Malaysia recently secured an impressive third place in Asia and 26th worldwide in the 2024 EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), highlighting the nation's high English proficiency. However, not all Malaysians exhibit fluent English skills, with many resorting to Malaysian English or Manglish a unique blend of English, Malay, and local dialect seven in professional settings.
This linguistic phenomenon was humorously underscored in a recent post by X user @jan_1513, who shared a photograph of a hilariously flawed English sign at a hotel in Johor Bahru. The sign, meant to warn patrons against touching Christmas decorations, was riddled with grammatical mistakes. The message read:
"Reminder all guest hotel, please don't playing and touch this decoration Christmas.
"If any item broken from this decoration, you will be paid RM300. Don't coming inside and don't touch!"
The post, captioned simply as Malaysian English, quickly went viral, garnering over 280,000 views and more than 140 comments. Netizens were amused not only by the awkward phrasing but also by the unintended implication that anyone breaking the decorations would earn RM300a point that inspired a flurry of witty remarks.
The post quickly went viral, garnering over 280,000 views and more than 140 comments. Netizens were amused not only by the awkward phrasing but also by the unintended implication that anyone breaking the decorations would earn RM300a point that inspired a flurry of witty remarks.
"Easiest RM300 ever made," quipped user @miqatsum7, while another user, @Nuriwa_J, playfully clarified: "So they'll be paying those who break the items? Ok coo! Just so were clear here, RM300 per item, right? Got it! Mak is ready."
The viral post also sparked discussions about the accessibility of modern tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to avoid such errors. User @LJ_VanHuizen noted, "With ChatGPT around, I still don't get these errors."
Source: TheSun
