Deliberately Poor English

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Revision as of 17:22, 26 October 2015

Bad English these is.

Poor English (more commonly called Engrish) is often deliberately used, particularly in relation to video games, which historically have been poorly translated into English from Japanese while localizing the games for the Western market.

Video game-related appearances

• Population: Tire — The game's premise contains several instances of poor English, including "YOU ARE SOLDIER!", "YOU ONE ARE OF BRAVE FEW" and "I FEEL ASLEEP!".
• Thy Dungeonman — If the player beats the game, the game gives a "congraturation".
• Peasant's Quest — After you kill the Kerrek and then look at him, the message on the screen says, "He dead."
• Videro Games — Strong Bad complains about difficult video games that only reward with a hearty "CONGRATURATION!".
• Stinkoman 20X6 — This game has many instances of "Engrish", such as "My stummy hurts" (pluralized as "Our stummies hurts") which also counts as a portmanteau of "stomach" and "tummy", "Keep try"[ing], and "Flash 7 or Hire" ("hire" is a homonym for "higher"). Its manual contains even more examples.
• Vector Strong Bad often uses poorly translated lines like "YOUR HEAD A SPLODE!" (a splode meaning "explode"). He also pronounces "hello" as "HELLOTE" (seen in the email alternate universe).
• Sundae Drivin' — As seen in the email redesign, the game includes quotes like "CHERRY GET!" and "YOUR JAMES OVER".
• Where's an Egg? — The auction for a page of the Russian instructions for this game contains poor English.
• SBCG4AP Dev Blog — Strong Bad wants his video game to say "GRAPHICS HAVE!" on the cover. An image also shows a picture of the game's box with the words "BOX IN!" on it.
• Homestar Ruiner — One of Strong Bad's reactions to being hurt in Snake Boxer 5 is "I've been bited" (properly phrased as "bitten").

Other appearances

• Marshie and the Female Lappy 486 frequently make spelling and grammar mistakes.
• Where My Hat Is At?/Where My Hat is At? (toon) — The title of the second book.
• In Search of the Yello Dello — Homestar Runner says, "I think I has the solution!"
• Strong Bad's title at Crazy Go Nuts University is "Prinicpal".
• Email little questions — Strong Bad replies with terrible grammar and fractured sentences to a poorly written email from a Swede.
• A Decemberween Pageant — Bubs (as Dr. Christmas) says "Everybody knows me. Mine name Cornbread."
• Email interview — Strong Bad opens the email with, "So many emails, so little good emails." While the second part of the sentence is supposed to be playing off of "so little time", in regular speech the sentence should read "few good emails".
• Email english paper — Strong Bad spells English as "Englilsh" in the report's title, ridiculing the email sender's spelling of the word.
• Email kids' book — In the book "Everyone Is Different", the page with the girl wearing glasses reads, "Some people wears glasses."
• The most-often-used slogan for the Homestarmy is "Do you Has what it takes?"
• Email the bet — In an Easter egg, The King of Town advertises for Butter-da saying, "They tell me not to, but I still drinks it!"
• Email different town — Strong Bad says, "I think my imagination's broke."
• Senorial Day — Bubs says he can't remember his own "lins".
• Email for kids — An Easter egg shows a can of The KOT's Good Gravy with the slogan "I don't lets the Poopsmith near it!"
• Email bottom 10 — Marshie says, "Yowza! Guess who birfday it is!"
• Email myths & legends — In Bubs' Concession Stand, the Bear Holding a Shark t-shirts say "My Baby Got Stole... By the Bear Holding A Shark!!"
• Email isp — Homestar, as an insincere telephone recording, says "Thank you for holding. Your call is very unportant to us."
• Email redesign — Strong Bad says, "But I does!"
• Email trading cards — When Strong Bad is describing The Cheat's trading card game, the phrase flashing on the screen is "PLAY GET!".
• Email retirement — Marshie's Sweepstakes is entitled "The Fluffy Puff Marshmallows My Lappy Got Stole! Sweepstakes".
• Email coloring — Homestar says "Teach-orr! I have go bafroom!" He also pronounces crayons as "crowns" and library as "liberry" in this email.
• Email unnatural — Once Bubs shrinks back down to normal size, he explains that he didn't want the others to eat his chicken wings "'Cause they mine, and they good!"
• Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 14.2 — Homestar sings "Somewheres, out theres..."
• Email more armies — the words "forefathers" and "identities" are written as "fourfathers" and "identies" respectively in the On Point Kings' pamphlet.
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 13 — When Momkins runs out the door after talking with So and So, Strong Bad says, "She gone!"
• Email business trip — After Homestar shows the King of Town his two Pork b/w Beans cans, Strong Bad says, "What the sense-make?"
• Email buried — In the Taranchula Black Metal Detector commercial, Schenkel McDoo says, "Maybe find some coin!"
• The Homestar Runner Gets Something Stuck in His Craw — Strong Bad mentions "Once a time, [Homestar Runner] was in the field doing some yard work".
• SBCG4AP Gameplay Trailer — Homestar says, "Five episodes? Where do I buy them ats?"
• Twenty THANXty Six — 1-Up mentions favorite food, spiced bun, and frozen bake. He also says, "What are you think you're doing?".
• Coach Z's 110% — The announcer mentions that there are "a some lot more" videos besides the ones shown, and then in the locker room, he asks Homestar Runner "How you diddat?" after just winning a sports-type game.
• Email being mean — In an Easter egg, Coach Z sings, "My name's Coach Z and I likes to get noice"!
• 2-Part Episode: Part 1 — After Flashfight announces that he will fire Gunhaver, Gunhaver queries, "But then who will have gun?"
• Email hremail3184 — Strong Bad proclaims "I can't takes it no more", Coach Z says ".. but now I don't has to", and the Lappy asks "does that means?"
• Compy Catalog — Strong Bad's new computer, the Compé, has an error message that reads "Fragrant Computer Error. Your brand new computer is bloke."
• Record Store Day —
  • Several of the images in the B-est of B-sides contain several examples for poor English.
  • The TV Time Toons Menu's description of the toon is, "Sloshy drop they new single."
• Strong Bad Classics! — The Porridge Maiden catches the Ocelot "For to sup."

See Also

• A Splode
• All the Time
• Be's
• G#Mispronunciation of G
• Homophones
• I'm
• Jumbled Words
• Lack of Intelligible Speech
• Malapropisms
• Mans
• Might Could
• Multiple Negatives
• Non-inverted Questions
• Peoples
• Please to be
• Plural Instead of Singular
• Poorly Written Emails
• Portmanteaus
• Rhymed Phrases
• Singular Instead of Plural
• Why Come