Beyond School

Sometimes an introduction is unnecessary. Let me just announce this new student blogger debutante by letting her show you her stuff. All I’ll say by introduction is, warts and all, I love the sheer joy in writing she displays in this post - not “schooly,” not academic, but wonderfully creative, thoughtful, and writerly, with a voice deserving my megaphone.  I’m going to post the first half, and hope you click through to read the rest on her blog. Announcing the inimitable 15-year-old “Flying Backwards,” and her post:

Language Barrier

Though many people are offended when someone teases us Asians about our horrid “Engrish,” it’s quite hard to defend our stance when we have grammatical atrocities like these plastered across the malls in Korea:

^ Apparently, when I “put first step” in their shop (Artbox), I “can have a big smile“. “Can.” But not necessarily. It’s optional. I could have a big frown if I wanted to. Or a big dump.

^ I’m not even going to TRY to decipher this one. But one thing I know for sure is that this sign does NOT make me “everyday smile and happy.” More like “everyday make odd finger gestures at grammatically mangled signs“

The people who were in charge of creating these signs for Artbox have not just butchered the English language, they have strangled it, hacked it up with a ten-foot long machete, and then proceeded to eat its raw flesh. In the rain.

Ironic considering that most Korean mothers will gnaw off their own hamstrings in order for their child to become fluent in English. I mean, even the CIA factbook has gone through the trouble of mentioning that “English [is] widely taught in junior high and high school.” (If you want proof CLICK HERE and look under the “Languages” part of the factbook.) . . . .

[Again, click here to read more.]