Language in Brunei

Research continues at UBD on the pronunciation of Dusun. The following website highlights recent efforts: http://fass.ubd.edu.bn/research/d...

How should I pronounce 'Sultan'? Should it be [sʊltən] (the first syllable rhyming with 'full')? Or should it be [sʌltən] (t...

I am currently in Singapore, and it is fascinating to listen to the announcements on the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport, the underground train sy...

In enabling learners of English to become proficient communicators in international settings, making themselves understood is the key goal, ...

In the modern world, we emphasise that there are many ways of speaking English, and insisting on one external model such as British or Ameri...

One of my colleagues told me today that, when you make an appointment in Brunei say for 10 am the next day, people might ask Janji melayu at...

Traditionally, words ending in -o tended to refer to people and generally had a negative connotation: wino, psycho, wacko, etc. However, in...

The other day, my wife went into a restaurant and ordered a cup of doujiang ('beancurd juice') to take away. When the lady handed i...

I wrote the Wikipedia page on Brunei English . But subsequently, anyone anywhere can edit the material. And sometimes complete rubbish gets ...

A friend was arranging to meet with me in Bukit Beruang, near Tutong. But the message actually stated Bukit Versing rather than Bukit Beruan...

How do you pronounce 'mischievous'? According to Wells (2008, Longman Pronunciation Dictionary , 3rd Edition), the standard pronunc...

We often make allusions to things and events in the world about us, and sometimes we make allusions to books and films. Yesterday, my daught...

I was recently told that young people in Brunei write messages like this when texting: im finna go to store The more formal version of thi...

Voiceless TH, the sound at the start of words such as 'thin' and 'three', can be something of a shibboleth: some people worr...

Nowadays, few people learn Greek. I learned the language from the age of 9 till 13, and I hated every minute of it. So thank goodness nobody...

Chinese people say ‘jiā yóu’ (加油, "add oil"）to encourage others to redouble their efforts, particularly at sporting events. It is ...

I have done lots of work on the intelligibility of English in Asia. Within this context, it is worth acknowledging that many accents of Engl...

I spent last week in Hong Kong as a guest of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Department of English Language. It is interesting to...

Like everyone else, I use Wikipedia all the time to find out about things; and it has a huge amount of incredibly valuable information. Howe...

I have been in Hong Kong this last week. Hong Kong English is interesting; but I was not there long enough to gain many insights. I will sha...