Singaporeans use the word ‘take’ in an odd manner. I’d never really thought about or noticed it until I was at lunch today, when I was chatting with an acquaintance I’ve known for a long time (but haven’t seen in many years). He told me that he tends to eat a lot at lunchtime because he “…doesn’t take breakfast.”
When people are saying hello and trying to be polite, they ask if you’ve “taken” your lunch or dinner yet.
Aside from the obvious – “Sorry, I didn’t get the memo about having to relocate my food,” – where did this bizarre use of the word ‘take’ come from? In Mandarin, people just ask if you’ve eaten when they mean Hi there. I’m not sure about Malay or Tamil, but I’m pretty sure their greetings don’t involve the transportation of food. How did this word get… Singlish-ised?
heh. stuff like this just passes me by now.
i asked a colleague if they had taken their breakfast the other day on a conference call, while we were waiting for the others to join, and then i asked if another colleague was going to be participating, or whether they were still on MC.
then i realised that an austin-based singaporean friend who was in the next room talking with mark was doubled over laughing at me – i guess it seemed really out of context for him, since he’s only known mark and i here, and it’s easy to forget we were ‘exposed’ for 6 years before we arrived in austin. and now, of course, my daily exposure continues, even though i’m out of the country.
Comment by Kristen — 16 August 2006 @ 12:43 am
Funny, I was just thinking the same thing today at lunch, when someone asked me if I “took” vinegar with my xiao long bao. And I translated it into Mandarin in my head, but that didn’t work. Same route, same route.
Comment by vickiho — 16 August 2006 @ 12:43 am
Kristen, so you speak more Singlish than me? Hahaha!
Vicki, maybe we should work out a theory why the word ‘take’ is used.
Comment by Andrea — 16 August 2006 @ 11:07 am
it’s all about survival. you learned mandarin, i learned singlish. and some weegie.
Comment by Kristen — 17 August 2006 @ 12:24 am
If would seem that Charles Dickens, or at least
one of his characters in Great Expectations used Singlish:
`Do you take tea, or coffee, Mr Gargery?’
(chapter 27)
Comment by Pete — 18 August 2006 @ 3:09 am
Or do you take milk or sugar?
I dunno, it sounds okay when we’re talking about hot caffeinated beverages, but when it comes to condiments or meals in general, it just sounds weird.
Comment by Andrea — 18 August 2006 @ 10:35 pm