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Why some Asian accents swap Ls and Rs in English
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There’s a saying in Hong Kong kung fu movies:
“Wai faai bat po.”
It means "only speed is unbreakable."
“Wai faai bat po.”
That’s in Cantonese, a language with tones,
which English speakers have trouble distinguishing. So when an American says that phrase with
the wrong tones— “wifi bat po”—you get a Cantonese meme.
"It became kind of a joke that people will send to each other. It's like oh, this bad-ass
wifi is so good.
“Wai faai bat po.” It's quite funny.
If English is your first language though, you might be more familiar with a different joke:
“Supplies!”
That’s the notion that East Asians mix up their Rs and Ls in English:
“Oh herro prease.”
It’s a running gag in Lost in Translation,
an Oscar-winning film about two Americans who are sad in Japan.
“Lat pack. You know lat pack?”
“Rat? Rat pack.”
The movie makes communication with the locals seem hopeless.
“Hey. Lip my stocking.” “Hey? Lip them?”
And at one point Scarlett Johansson's character asks:
"Why do they switch the Rs and the L’s here?"
"Oh, for yucks."
This movie may be a bit rrrrr— rude, but
it’s not a terrible question to ask. Because if you’re genuinely curious, a foreign
accent gives us chance to learn something about another language.
So this trope has been applied to Japanese, Korean, and Chinese speakers.
"McFry!" "Herro." "Fa ra ra ra ra."
But, all of these languages deal with Rs and
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