DO YOU SPEAK SEINGLISH?

We may not have known it at the time but watching the hit US comedy show 'Seinfeld' in the 90s meant those of us devotedly loyal to the show acquired a sort of second language - what I now refer to as 'Seinglish' which we became inadvertently fluent in. It's a sort of self-aware version of American/English with a comic bent to it.

I suppose now I really start to think more deeply about it, 'Seinglish' is more a parody of the English language and a way of looking to emphasize absurd details of how words sound ('You're CRAZY!") or break pattern recognition with familiar phrases or cliches we've become accustomed to ("Not bloody likely!"). Plenty of comic hypothesizing regarding the insanity of life and observing the hilarious minutiae of human behavior and body language ("is that a pick or a scratch?" also goes with the acquiring of 'Seinglish' as a kind of second language/psycho-neuro condition combined.

What's even better is when you meet a stranger who is also an expert in 'Seinglish'  it can act as a super effective ice breaker as well as an immediate shorthand to getting to know one another socially.

For 'Seinglish' is also a kind of social code, one where the cruel judgment of others and one's own self is absolutely demanded. You become super attentive to the study of micro-aggressions and micro-flirtations when you become fluent in 'Seinglish' but still fall victim to hubris with it getting lost in translation,  misreading certain situations with hilarious and sometimes semi-tragic unintended consequences.

In addition to its uses as a way of having fun with the standard English vernacular, 'Seinglish' has also brought many new words and phrases to the language that have now become legacy. These include 'Yada Yada, 'Giddy Up', 'Serenity Now', 'Man Hands' the 'Bro/Manzier', 'Soup Nazi', 'Schmoopie' and 'Not That There's Anything Wrong With That!"

If you feel so inclined, make some of your own. I know I often do.

"Jollops' instead of jowls is one I'm particularly proud of.

You're all welcome!