Has anyone heard about Filipinisms/Filipinoism?

[paochai01]

Hi guys. In the call center industry, it refers to terms/phrases used by Filipinos in speaking and in writing (sometimes). They gave me a list with corrections and assigned me to send one Filipinism with corrections weekly. However, in my opinion, sending the filipinism and a correction seems not enough.
I want to include reasons/explanations why a certain Filipinism is wrong but I'm neither a teacher nor a native Brit/Am so I don't know how to exlain each entry/correction.
I need your feedback for each entry (What makes them wrong? Is it grammatically incorrect? etc... How do I explain to agents?)
Here is their list:

"Filipinisms are words or phrases that are ususally grammatically incorrect or are almost always results of transliteration."

Filipinism (Correct Usage)

1. Free subscription of... (Free subscription to…) - prepo issue
2. Can I speak with…? (May I speak with…) - To sound more polite/ask permission?
3. Come again? (I'm sorry I didn't get quite get that / Excuse me? / I'm sorry would you please say that again?) - English trainers discourage agents to use this because they say that it could mean 'cum again')
4. It's for free! (It's free. / It's free of charge. / We're sending it to you for free.) - Filipinos have been used to saying 'It's for free'. How do I say that it should be avoided? What makes it wrong?
5. Hold your line/For awhile… (Would you mind if I put you on hold for a second? / Please hold) - hold your line is absurd. any comment? what about for awhile?
6. Open/ close the light/computer (Turn on/off the light/TV/computer) - how do I explain this? it sounds like opening/closing the tv for repair.
7. Do you mind waiting? Yes, I'll wait. (No, not at all. / No, I don't mind at all.) - YES is the issue. wrong response. any other feedback?
8. Anything? (Is there anything I can do for you? / How may I help you?) - fragmented, seems vague?
9. I'll ask her an apology. (I'll apologize to her. / I should make an apology.) - this sounds illogical?
10. We take lunch. (We eat lunch. / We have lunch (every Sunday).)
11. We accept repairs. (This shop repairs cars/cellphones, etc.)
12. We accept painting jobs. (This shop does painting jobs.)
13. Tuck out (Untuck)
14. He was salvaged. (He was assassinated.)
15. She deliveredher baby yesterday. (She had her baby yesterday. / Dr. Smith delivered her baby.)
16. Xerox (Photocopy)
17. Oppositor (Opposition member)
18. Hand carry (Carry - on luggage)
19. It's traffic today. (Traffic is heavy.)
20. Senatoriable (Senatorial candidate)
21. At around 2pm (At about 2pm) - around is Am? about is Brit?
22. I failed in Accent training. (I failed accent training.)
23. We were under Mr. Johnson. (Mr. Johnson was our teacher.) - Filipinos are used to saying 'That student is under my class' so this filipinism has started.
24. My brother is taking up law. (My brother is taking law. / My brother is studying law.)
25. Where are you studying? (Where do you go to school? / What school do you go to?)
26. Pass by my office before you go. (Drop by my office before you go.) - Brit/Am phrasal?
27. We have one participant only. (We only have one participant.) - should they say 'only one participant'?
28. I talked to her already. (I already talked to her.) - I need help on adverb order. This confuses all Filipinos and me too. Where should adverbs be placed?
29. Will you be at the office at 7am? Actually. (Will you be at the office at 7am? Yes.)
30. Actually, I like Jennifer Aniston. (I like Jennifer Aniston.) - Actually/basically has become Filipinos expressions.
31. As per Paul, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.)
32. Wanted: Sewer (Wanted: Tailor or seamstress)
33. Take home (Take it home / To go. / For take out)
34. I felt kind of tired. (I felt rather tired.)
35. As to the project… (About the project…)
36. Thank you for that/this one. (Thank you for the information. / Thank you.) - I need to send this in a few minutes and I still couldn't think of an explanation. Phrasing sounds awkward to me. But besides getting straight to the point, why did 'for that/this one' make it wrong?
37. I do love playing basketball/volleyball. (I love playing basketball/volleyball.) - this may sound right depending on the flow of the conversation, right? e.g. you don't love playing... No, I do...
38. Currently, I live in Quezon City right now. (Currently, I live in Quezon City. / I live in Quezon City.) - redundant - now and currently.
39. Actually, I like Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe (I like Microsoft Symantec and Adobe)
40. As per Mon, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.)
41. I do apologize (I apologize.)

Seeing and hearing their errors frustrate me. I wanna help them but I'm not a teacher. Help me,
please.

 

[susiedqq]

First of all, these are not exclusively 'Filipinism: - many are rather common expressions that could be confusing or misinterpreted when used over the phone or sound like casual conversations. I have made small notes for your review.

1. Free subscription of... (Free subscription to…) - prepo issue
Free subscription to (a delivery service)

2. Can I speak with…? (May I speak with…) - To sound more polite/ask permission? Can means "able"; may asks for permission.

3. Come again? (I'm sorry I didn't get quite get that / Excuse me? / I'm sorry would you please say that again?) - English trainers discourage agents to use this because they say that it could mean 'cum again') Please repeat your answer - or - could you repeat that, please?

4. It's for free! (It's free. / It's free of charge. / We're sending it to you for free.) - Filipinos have been used to saying 'It's for free'. How do I say that it should be avoided? What makes it wrong? Free is no cost. How about "It's cost-free"?

5. Hold your line/For awhile… (Would you mind if I put you on hold for a second? / Please hold) - hold your line is absurd. any comment? what about for awhile? May I place (or put) you on hold? (don't tell them for how long unless they ask)

6. Open/ close the light/computer (Turn on/off the light/TV/computer) - how do I explain this? it sounds like opening/closing the tv for repair.

7. Do you mind waiting? Yes, I'll wait. (No, not at all. / No, I don't mind at all.) - YES is the issue. wrong response. any other feedback?

8. Anything? (Is there anything I can do for you? / How may I help you?) - fragmented, seems vague? Is there anything else I can help you with?

9. I'll ask her an apology. (I'll apologize to her. / I should make an apology.) - this sounds illogical? I'll ask her for an apology.

10. We take lunch. (We eat lunch. / We have lunch (every Sunday). We take lunch at 11 a.m. or we eat lunch at 11 a.m. are both acceptable.


11. We accept repairs. (This shop repairs cars/cellphones, etc.) We accept repair jobs.

12. We accept painting jobs. (This shop does painting jobs.) OK


13. Tuck out (Untuck) ??? What?

14. He was salvaged. (He was assassinated.)

15. She deliveredher baby yesterday. (She had her baby yesterday. / Dr. Smith delivered her baby.) "She delivered her baby" is used often.

16. Xerox (Photocopy) Common expression - everyone understands!


17. Oppositor (Opposition member)??

18. Hand carry (Carry - on luggage)

19. It's traffic today. (Traffic is heavy today.

20. Senatoriable (Senatorial candidate)

21. At around 2 p.m. (At about 2pm) - around is Am? about is Brit? Don't use around or about in the business world. Sounds too casual.


22. I failed in Accent training. (I failed accent training.)

23. We were under Mr. Johnson. (Mr. Johnson was our teacher.) - Filipinos are used to saying 'That student is under my class' so this filipinism has started. "We were under Mr. Johnson" is commonly used in the business world.

24. My brother is taking up law. (My brother is taking law. / My brother is studying law.) casual expression meaning he is studying law.

25. Where are you studying? (Where do you go to school? / What school do you go to?) OK. casual

26. Pass by my office before you go. (Drop by my office before you go.) - Brit/Am phrasal? Please see me in my office before you go.


27. We have one participant only. (We only have one participant.) - should they say 'only one participant'?


28. I talked to her already. (I already talked to her.) - I need help on adverb order. This confuses all Filipinos and me too. Where should adverbs be placed? I already spoke with her. or - I have already spoken to her.


29. Will you be at the office at 7am? Actually. (Will you be at the office at 7am? Yes.)

30. Actually, I like Jennifer Aniston. (I like Jennifer Aniston.) - Actually/basically has become Filipinos expressions. American, too!

31. As per Paul, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.)

32. Wanted: Sewer (Wanted: Tailor or seamstress)

33. Take home (Take it home / To go. / For take out)

34. I felt kind of tired. (I felt rather tired.)

35. As to the project… (About the project…) Regardiing the project . .

36. Thank you for that/this one. (Thank you for the information. / Thank you.) - I need to send this in a few minutes and I still couldn't think of an explanation. Phrasing sounds awkward to me. But besides getting straight to the point, why did 'for that/this one' make it wrong? Thank you for the information is more polite.

37. I do love playing basketball/volleyball. (I love playing basketball/volleyball.) - this may sound right depending on the flow of the conversation, right? e.g. you don't love playing... No, I do... I do love playing basketball/volleyball. - sounds British.

38. Currently, I live in Quezon City right now. (Currently, I live in Quezon City. / I live in Quezon City.) - redundant - now and currently.

39. Actually, I like Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe (I like Microsoft Symantec and Adobe)

40. As per Mon, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.)

41. I do apologize (I apologize.)

 

[paochai01]

First of all, these are not exclusively 'Filipinism: - many are rather common expressions that could be confusing or misinterpreted when used over the phone or sound like casual conversations. I have made small notes for your review. - Oh my god! Thank you so much! It feels so good that one replied among thousands of members. Thank you very much susiedqq!

1. Free subscription to (a delivery service) - so 'free subscription of' is grammatically incorrect, right?

3. Please repeat your answer - or - could you repeat that, please? - This is helpful. However, I read an article that says using 'please' means 'kindly do this or else do this.' Like you are telling your listener that your order MUST be done or that he/she has no choice but to do your command. What do you think? The writer suggests that we go straight to the point or remove 'please' instead. What do you think?


4. How about "It's cost-free"? - Right. So how do I explain to them the 'It's for free' is wrong? Teacher's perspective...

5. May I place (or put) you on hold? (don't tell them for how long unless they ask) - Really? I see. But why do almost every quality specialist/English trainer in a call center requires their agents to give a timeline? They say that agents should always give a timeline so customers would have an idea how long they'd be placed on hold.
So what's wrong with 'for a while'?

8. Is there anything else I can help you with? - What about 'Is there anything else I MAY help you with?' And how do I explain to the agents that 'anything?' alone is improper?

10. We take lunch at 11 a.m. or we eat lunch at 11 a.m. are both acceptable. - what about 'we have lunch'? grammatically or logically incorrect?

11. We accept repair jobs. - Thanks!

12. We accept painting jobs. (This shop does painting jobs.) OK - Is 'This shop does painting' correct?

13. Tuck out (Untuck) ??? What? - English trainers here suggest that agents use 'untuck' instead of 'tuck out'. I don't know if 'tuck out' exists in the world but 'untuck' means 'to unfold/undo as a tuck or to release from a tuck or fold' (from thefreedictionary.com and yourdictionary.com but the word doesn't exists in Merriam/Longman/Newbury)

15. "She delivered her baby" is used often. - Besides it's used often, is it logically and grammatically correct?

16. Xerox (Photocopy) Common expression - everyone understands! - All right. how do I explain this to English teachers here? They discourage agents to use this.

21. Don't use around or about in the business world. Sounds too casual. - what should agents use instead? Do you mean they could use this if the vendor manager wants them to be conversational/casual with the customers on the phone?

23. "We were under Mr. Johnson" is commonly used in the business world. - so when do we and do we not use 'under' in similar contexts?

24. My brother is taking up law (casual expression meaning he is studying law.) - Are these correct: My brother is taking law. / My brother is studying law.?

25. Where are you studying? - If this is casual, what are these? Formal? : Where do you go to school? / What school do you go to?

26. Please see me in my office before you go. - I see. Why? What's wrong with 'pass/drop by'?

27. should they say 'only one participant'? - could you send me a link that comprehensively discusses adverb placing?

31. As per Paul, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.) - do we really have to use 'as per'? When do we and do we not use it?

36. Thank you for the information is more polite. - Thanks!

37. I do love playing basketball/volleyball. - sounds British. - When would Americans use and would not use the emphatic form?

39. I don't know how to explain them when to use 'actually/basically/just/etc'. I know how and when to use it but I can't explain the teacher's way. Any help?

41. I do apologize (I apologize.) - still sounds British? Does it always sound British whenever emphatic form is used?


No comment/feedback on the following?

18. Hand carry (Carry - on luggage)
19. It's traffic today. (Traffic is heavy today.
20. Senatoriable (Senatorial candidate) -
22. I failed in Accent training. (I failed accent training.)
33. Take home (Take it home / To go. / For take out)
34. I felt kind of tired. (I felt rather tired.)
38. Currently, I live in Quezon City right now. (Currently, I live in Quezon City. / I live in Quezon City.) - redundant - now and currently.

Thank you, susiedqq for your time and effort in giving feedback to each entry. You have no idea how much I really really appreciated your effort and time.

 

[polyglot]

Hi,

I'm a call center agent and I also did a research on Filipinoisms during my communication training. I found out that Filipino trainers are sometimes too rigid and they tend to commit what you call in linguistics "hypercorrection". That is, they tend to correct something that is correct or not necessarily wrong so they end up commiting an error. But to be fair, most of what they teach are valid.

For example, when I pronounced Merriam-Webster like Miriam, my trainer corrected me saying, mur-RYE-am. When I asked several native English speakers, all of them pronounce it like Miriam and one even told me mur-RYE-um sounds ridiculous. In fact, when you go to merriam-webster.com and listen to any Word for the Wise audio files, at the end of each broadcast you will hear the speaker pronounce it like Miriam.

To validate the Filipinoisms, I consult unabridged dictionaries of prestigious labels (Collins, Oxford, American Heritage, etc) when I go to local bookstores. I also purchased an unabridged Merriam-Webster dictionary and I always check the online merriam-webster.com which is regularly updated.

I will give my comments on some entries in your list. If you have doubts, you can go directly to www.merriam-webster.com to look up the terms. You can simply tell your trainees that this or that word is acceptable as it is found in the dictionary.

2. Can I speak with…? (May I speak with…) - To sound more polite/ask permission?

This is traditional English grammar. Since language is dynamic, there have been many changes, though many people still stick to traditional rules. This is what m-w.com says when you look up the word can:

2: have permission to —used interchangeably with may<you can go now if you like>
usage Can and may are most frequently interchangeable in senses denoting possibility; because the possibility of one's doing something may depend on another's acquiescence, they have also become interchangeable in the sense denoting permission. The use of can to ask or grant permission has been common since the 19th century and is well established, although some commentators feel may is more appropriate in formal contexts.

The use of can or may in your example is acceptable, though some people will think you're wrong if they are not updated.

3. Come again? (I'm sorry I didn't get quite get that / Excuse me? / I'm sorry would you please say that again?) - English trainers discourage agents to use this because they say that it could mean 'cum again')

This is a classic example of Filipinoism which I also heard some native English speakers say in some context. I'm not sure if it's totally wrong. It was explained to me before by a native speaker but I forgot the explanation. I may need to research again. You may also add "pardon" to your list.

7. Do you mind waiting? Yes, I'll wait. (No, not at all. / No, I don't mind at all.) - YES is the issue. wrong response. any other feedback?

I have witnessed some native English speakers in different regions of the US debate about this in English forums because it is also common to hear a positive response with the same meaning. I will just send you the link because I am not allowed to post a link yet.

16. Xerox (Photocopy)

The word "xerox" is still widely used by many native English speakers and is not considered wrong. In fact, you can find its entry even in pocket-sized dictionaries. Though when it comes to usage, I've heard many Americans simply refer to it as a "copy", instead of "photocopy"; and the machine they call a "copier", instead of a "photocopier". All three are acceptable: copy, xerox, and photocopy.

24. My brother is taking up law. (My brother is taking law. / My brother is studying law.)

I clarified this with grammarians (native speakers of English) and they say that "take up" is also correct but it means to begin something. This is what my unabridged Merriam-Webster says about "take up":

6 a : to enter upon (as a business, profession, subject of study)
*took up his father's trade*
*disliked the subject and wished he had not taken it up*
*is thinking of taking up the violin*

But if one is already in law school, it should be "take" like in your example. I think, the other option is "He is currently enrolled in law school".

 

[paochai01]

I found out that Filipino trainers are sometimes too rigid and they tend to commit what you call in linguistics "hypercorrection". That is, they tend to correct something that is correct or not necessarily wrong so they end up commiting an error. But to be fair, most of what they teach are valid. - I totally agree. Right, hypercorrection.

Thank you, polyglot.
I could only imagine the time and effort you spent to give feedback and comments.
Your time and effort are much appreciated. Really.

 

[polyglot]

You're welcome, paochai01.

To add to your list, here are some valid Filipinoisms that you failed to include:

birthday celebrant, instead of celebrator
office mate, instead of colleague
masteral, instead of master's degree (but doctoral is correct)
fill up a form, instead of fill it out
fall in line, instead of stand or wait in line
slippers, instead of flip-flops (a rubber sandal loosely fastened to the foot by a thong)
rubber shoes, instead of sneakers (AmE) or trainers (Brit)
you're very much welcome, instead of you're very welcome
the meeting will push through, instead of the meeting is still on (push through is used in other contexts)
I don't like it also, instead of I don't like it either
in fairness, instead of to be fair like in my example:

Local call center trainers tend to hypercorrect sometimes; but to be fair, most of what they teach are valid and correct.


These are other invalid Filipinoisms because native speakers in other regions also use them:

1. don't use cell phone; use mobile phone instead (wrong!)
> cell phone is widely used by natives and it's in the dictionary; I think, mobile phone is used mostly by British people

2. don't say soft drinks; say soda instead (wrong!)
> Strictly speaking, soft drink is a general term used to refer not only to cola drinks but also to fruit juices (nonalcoholic). Even though soda is the more popular word, soft drink is still used in different English speaking regions to refer to cola drinks, for example. In fact, m-w.com says about soft drink:

: a usually carbonated nonalcoholic beverage; especially : soda pop

This linguistic phenomenon wherein you use the general term (soft drink) to refer to a specific thing (soda) is called synecdoche.