Hear me read this post


Chop chop it's time to get this audio post started!

When I'm doing something with other people and want to move along a little faster I often say, "chop chop."  It means hurry up.

For example, I might tell my slow moving friend, "Chop chop we're going to be late!"

Chop chop is a word borrowed from Cantonese.  A borrowed word, also called a loan word, is a word that is used in one language that came from a different language. Most languages have some borrowed words, but English has lots of them. 

For example, if you order a slice of apple pie in a restaurant, the server will ask Do you want that ala mode?  That's a French word for trendy but in America it means served with a scoop of ice cream. 

Another example is the word lanai.  In the US South, a lanai is what people call their patio or outside porch.  Lanai comes from the Hawaiian language.

So, chop chop sit down on the lanai and eat your pie ala mode before your ice cream melts. 

If you would like to learn more click on the links after the transcript. 

Thanks for listening.  This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.

Links
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/asianwords1.html  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_words_and_phrases_used_by_English_speakers  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Hawaiian_origin