I went to the UK last December for my sister's graduation. I was trying on some clothes in the fitting room and the clothes did not suit me. Before going out from the fitting room, my sister said, "If she (the person waiting at the entrance of fitting rooms who collects the items that we don't want or need) asks if they're any good, say 'no good'."
I laughed because 'no good' seems incomplete and what I would call as 'Bad English'. Moreover, the staff looks like an English person whom I believe can speak proper English.
I replied 'no good' to the staff's question anyway because the person before me said the same thing.
It seems that bad English does not exist as long as the other party understands you.
Interesting. I think 'no good' is the way that people in the UK might say it. So it might be very brief, and it might lack any politeness; but it is nothing to do with standard or non-standard English.
ReplyDeleteIt'st just like people in Singapore sometimes get criticised for using 'how come' on the basis that it is Singlish. But 'how come' is actually very common in the UK. It's certainly quite informal; but it is nothing to do with Singlish.