I received an e-mail last week from a Filipina domestic helper who read my column about how Hong Kong people can improve their grammar. As I said last week, there is no quick fix (quick and easy way) to make your grammar better. The best way to improve your grammar is to read, write, listen, and speak in English. But the Filipina domestic helper e-mailed me about pronunciation, not grammar. She told me the Hong Kong people she works for always mispronounce some words and alphabets. She told me the family members always pronounce the alphabet "Z" as "eezed". The correct pronunciation in British English is "zed". Americans pronounce it as "zee". She also said the family she works for pronounces the alphabet "L" as "ello". The correct pronunciation is "el".

        I often hear Hong Kong people pronounce the alphabet "R" as "allo". The correction pronunciation is "arr". Most Hong Kong people also mispronounce the word "memo" as "meemo". The word memo is short for "memorandum", which means a written message, usually a short one. Such mispronunciations are prevalent in Hong Kong. I am at a loss as to why such mispronunciations are prevalent. Why do Hong Kong people pronounce the alphabet "L" as "ello" even though the "L" sound exists in the Chinese language? For example, the Chief Executive's name, Leung Chun-ying, has an "L" sound. The word "prevalent" means common or widespread. People from the Philippines are called Filipinos but female Filipinos are often called Filipinas. The expression "at a loss" means puzzled or unable to understand.

        When I pointed out such mispronunciations to my friend Tao Kit, he had an interesting answer. He said since English is a universal language, it is acceptable for people from different countries to have their own pronunciations for some English words and their own style of speaking the language. Singaporeans and Malaysians often add "la" at the end of a sentence when they speak. If there is nothing wrong with Americans pronouncing the alphabet "Z" as "zee" instead of "zed", then Hong Kong people should be allowed to pronounce it as "eezed". What do you think?

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        �ڤW�P������@����y�k�ġ]Filipina�^�ǨӪ��q�l�A�oŪ��ڳ̪񨺽g�ͤέ���H��˧ﵽ��k���M��C���p�ڤW�P�����L�A�ﵽ��ƬO�S���t���]quick fix�^���C�ﵽ��k���̨Ϊk���A�N�OŪ�B�g�Bť�B���^�y�C�������y�k�Ī��q�l�o��ڽͤεo���A�ӫD��k�����D�C�o��ڻ��A�o���u�B������H�`�`�N�r���M�r��Ū���C�o��ڻ��A���a�H�`�`��r��Z Ū��"eezed"�A���^���^�y�����T�o������"zed"�A�Ӭ����o���h��"zee"�C�o�S���A���a�H��LŪ��"ello"�A�����T�o������"el"�C

        �ڮɮ�ť�쭻��H��RŪ��"allo"�A�����T�o���O"arr"�C�\�h����H�]��memo �o�Ӧr��Ū��"meemo"�CMemo�Omemorandum��²�١A�Y�O�K���B²�T�C�o��Ū�����Ҥl�b����ܴ��M�A����o�˪����~Ū���|���򴶹M�A�ڹ�b���L�Y���]at a loss�^�C���ƻ򭻴�H�|��r��LŪ��"ello"�A�ר�O�����إ禳L���H�Ҧp�S���箶�^���W�r�شN��L ���CPrevalent�ѧ@���M�β���C��߻��H�|�Q�٬�Filipinos�A�����y�k�ʴN�q�`�s��Filipinas�C�߻y"at a loss"�ѧ@�ܧx�b�άO���H�z�ѡC

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        Michael Chugani �u²��