broken English
Imperfect second language
Broken English is English spoken imperfectly by a non-native speaker—marked by grammatical errors, limited vocabulary, or awkward phrasing.
The term acknowledges the effort while noting the limitations: He explained in broken English that he needed directions.
Though descriptive rather than intentionally pejorative, it can sound condescending depending on context.
- language barrierMutual incomprehension across tongues
- mispronunciationIncorrect vocal rendering
- pidginImprovised contact language
- grammatical errorsViolations of language rules
- immigrant experienceNewcomer's adjustment to another country
fresh off the boat · creole · language acquisition · second language · accent · thick accent · code-switching · lost in translation · miscommunication · misunderstanding · stumble · gesture · hand gestures · interlanguage · literal translation · repeat · speak slowly · multilingualism
- West African Slanghow far, bros, gist, pidgin, chop
- language barrierslanguage barrier, miscommunication, misunderstanding, untranslatable, confusion
- pidginspidgin, pidginization
- gibberishgibberish, nonsense, babble, babbling, drivel
- language skillsspeaking, reading, writing, listening, fluent
- slangslang, jargon, lingo, argot, cant