Monday, July 4, 2011 | By: Echo Zhao (赵蕾)

Worried about your Chinese pronunciation? Don’t be. Bad pronunciation is now in fashion. The phrase “灰常 (huīcháng)” is all the rage in Chinese social media. Originally, this was a made-up phrase used to mock the southern twist on “非常 (fēicháng, very)”—a mispronunciation common to Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Shanxi and Anhui. In the regional tongues of these areas, there is no distinct “f” sound, so “h” fills in. Thus, you’ll hear “灰常好 (huīcháng hǎo)” instead of “非常好 (fēicháng hǎo, very good).” What started as a jeer is now a fad among young people who are fervently into language invention. After “灰常” hit the internet, variations followed, like “灰机 (huījī),” instead of “飞机 (fēijī, airplane).” Mainly seen in the webosphere and on QQ, “灰常” is usually doubly emphasized for added cuteness: “我灰常灰常 害怕坐灰机 (Wǒ huīcháng huīcháng hàipà zuò huījī, I am very very afraid of riding in airplanes).” In the same vein, other internet slang that comes from dialect-based mispronunciations include “偶 (ǒu)” instead of “我 (wǒ, me),” “稀饭 (xīfàn, congee)” instead of “喜欢 (xǐhuan, like),” “虾米 (xiāmi, small shrimp)” instead of “什么 (shénme, what),” “酱紫 (Jiàngzǐ, purple sauce)” instead of “这样子 (zhèyàngzi, so; like this).”

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