The “No somoking” sign behind the driver’s seat amused all
of us. I will be honest; the fact that the misspelled word proved illiteracy didn’t
bother me at that time. It was pure entertainment for me.
After some time, I realized if someone noticed it and
informed the driver. I’m guessing, no one is courageous enough to do it or
people hardly notice it since it looks like it has been there for quite a long
time considering the dirty-white color of what used to be a white cloth.
Public advertisements and signage are some of the most
common victims of faulty grammar.
Some people might notice these errors but some might not.
Some might be too ignorant to think that these signs were approved by officials
or anyone who has the power to do so that’s why their grammar is not flawed, or
some might just ignore them; whatever the reason is, it all boils down to the
minimal knowledge of the English language.
The Philippines is one of the leading English-speaking
countries in Asia, yet some of us, Filipinos, still do not get proper training
of the English language. Some are fortunate enough to be enrolled in schools
that have regular english classes while others are not.
Majority of the people who are not privileged to have proper
training of the English language acquire knowledge of it through
advertisements, public signage, and television shows; this being the reason why
advertisers, actors and actresses, TV show hosts, others who post in public, and
everyone should be cautious of their grammar. Also, correct grammar should be
properly observed so as not to mislead the reader.
"After some time, I realized if someone noticed it and informed the driver."
ReplyDeleteThis sentence is quite confusing. Are you trying to translate "narealize ko kung me nakapansin ba at ipinaalam sa driver" in English? In the first place, I think that the word "realize" is not the correct term for this statement. To make it clearer and less confusing, I would write it as "After some time, I wondered if someone noticed about it and informed the driver."
I think you did well on writing this post. I also like your choice of topic since it's something we all can relate to. Good job, Pao! :)
Good observation, Angel, but let me correct the tenses and omit the preposition in your version:
DeleteYours:"After some time, I wondered if someone noticed about it and informed the driver."
Corrected: "After some time, I wondered if someone HAD ALREADY noticed it and informed the driver."
Everytime I see incorrect grammar or spelling in advertisements or signage, I tend to ask myself whether they do that intentionally or not. I mean, did they do that just for fun or they really were not aware of their mistakes? I also admit that if I were in your place, I also won't tell the jeepney driver about the misspelled word and will just laugh. It's because I don't have the courage to do so.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you did great, Pauline. I got your entire point in this post. That is why I agree that everyone should be careful and sensitive in using the English language for the sake of others. :)
Bad grammar in public is horribly frustrating, yet kind of funny at the same time. People in the media and in the general public should understand and practice good grammar.
ReplyDeleteKudos to this blog post! :)
"I’m guessing.."
ReplyDeleteI think shorter is better.
Those wrong grammar signage and advertisements are really funny. The people who make these should always be aware of their grammar. All in all, your blog entry is very nice, great job Pau! :)
I agree with you Pau. Correct grammar should be properly observed everywhere.
ReplyDeleteWell done! Congratulations!
Hello Pauline! "NO SOMOKING" - What? It's like you spelled it by syllables in Filipino. (Pagbabaybay in Tagalog)
ReplyDeleteYes, it is funny in the eyes of many, but it is alarming in the view of educated people. The Philippines is one of the world's largest English-speaking countries, yet some of us still commit mistakes such as misspelled words in our public signage.
Anyway, the post is very informative. Congratulations! God bless.
I was, too, confused in "After some time, I realized if someone noticed it and informed the driver." I think you didn't put the thought well enough; in the contrary, this was a nice blog! Good job, Pau!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry. That should be "on the contrary". Hehe!
DeleteYour post is really amusing! Great job!
ReplyDeleteGood job on choosing your topic, Pau! :) You had a few missing and misplaced commas on a few sentences, but you were able to put your thoughts into writing very well.
ReplyDeleteNice topic,Pau! Looking at the pictures makes me laugh. :)
ReplyDeleteI must admit that wrong grammar traffic signs can be funny sometimes, but they also bother me on some level. I am wondering why they do not ask or hire someone to proofread the signage before they print it. Perhaps they do that intentionally.
ReplyDeleteTo me bad grammar is a sign of lack of care. People should really practice good grammar.
Anyway, GOOD JOB PAU!! What an interesting topic you got there :D
You made some mistakes but good job. :D
ReplyDelete"After some time, I realized if someone noticed it and informed the driver."
ReplyDeleteI was also confused by this sentence. Perhaps "wonder" would fit the sentence better.
Good choice of topic, Pau. I'm sure all of us have encountered these faulty public ads in one way or another. I also found them funny, yet bothering. Job well done :)
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ReplyDeleteIsn't it disappointing that the Philippines is one of the leading English-speaking countries in Asia, but you can see different public advertisements and street signs with faulty grammar like these everywhere? Yeah, correct grammar should be practiced all the time.
ReplyDeleteGood post, Pau. :)
Your blog post is really interesting and timely. I think these grammar errors are brought about on how our languages clash specifically on how we spell words and express our thoughts in writing.
ReplyDeleteThese common mistakes may be entertaining for most of us but it reflects badly on us as a leading country in terms of speaking the English language. I agree with your opinion pertaining to the informal sources of learning to be cautious on how they use English so as to not mislead those who cannot by any means learn the English language.
I congratulate you for writing such a wonderful post. Great job! :)
"After some time, I realized if someone noticed it and informed the driver."
ReplyDeleteThat sentence doesn't make any sense. I'm not sure what you are trying to tell your reader.
"I'm guessing, no one is courageous enough..."
I think you can omit the comma. "Courageous" might not be the proper term, don't you think?
"...yet some of us, Filipinos, still do not get..."
I think adding "Filipinos" is quite redundant.
Anyway, this is a good topic.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"After some time, I realized if someone noticed it and informed the driver."
ReplyDeleteThis sentence is a tad bit confusing. But anyway, I still got what you were trying to say.
Whenever I see faulty grammar on public signage, I too tend to wonder whether it was purely just for a laugh, or whether they were serious. The mere fact that these signs are out in the public truly is troubling. If foreigners would see them, they may either laugh, or take us seriously. Either way, these signs should be changed. Faulty grammar is not something to be laughed at.
I congratulate you for writing such a vivid blog post, and by explaining your experience on this topic, equipped with an amusing tone that caught my interest.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, these sign boards are warnings that must be taken into consideration because it reflects not only a portion of our population but also carries with it the image of our country that is once known as great handlers of the English language. Therefore, as students of our country we must gather up our courage to eliminate these funny, yet dangerous "monsters" that threaten to destroy our reputation as competent users of the English language.
Once again, congratulations!
This is a really well written entry. Nice job.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Pauline. The images help a lot on elaborating your topic. God bless.
ReplyDelete