What exactly is "my bad" ???

[Nicky]

I have encountered SMS or email responses from friends that involved the term "my bad". I always thought it's just bad English or lingo until yesterday while reading my sons a 'Ben 10' comic book I came across this term !!

Look I may be old but don't think I'm that old.. But what kind of English is that when it seemed this term is used to replace "my mistake". Can someone tell this old man what is the exact meaning of this term and how to use it correctly? Is it even a correct term at all to start with ?

[vinz]

"My bad" is slang for "my mistake".

Key word: slang

So... is slang = bad English?

Personally, I feel you can't keep slang (and other similar 'mangling' (for want of a better word) like Singlish, SMS Lingo, etc) out of language. What is important is to recognise what is slang, etc and to NOT use it in formal communication or in situations where readability by users with different English language skills is important. And it is important that we teach our children that too.

Anyway, you were reading fiction base on a popular cartoon. I would assume it had little or no emphasis on English language education, and I would not expect the language used in it to be formal or educational.

[hmpkbetta]

To me (my bad) is not a bad english, i hear white people or black people or another name people from state. the sentence should sound, oh it my fault? and they change it to. Oh my bad.

there is another word we all hear in singapore.(gostan) meaning move backward, but the right word is (goes a turn). so we singaporean need to change out way of talking, i am also trying to improve my english and also spelling.

[Nicky]

"gostan" comes from "go stern", so it is just bad pronounciation. "My bad" is just plain wrong

To me (my bad) is not a bad english, i hear white people or black people or another name people from state. the sentence should sound, oh it my fault? and they change it to. Oh my bad.

there is another word we all hear in singapore.(gostan) meaning move backward, but the right word is (goes a turn). so we singaporean need to change out way of talking, i am also trying to improve my english and also spelling.

[blackconvoy]

I have encountered SMS or email responses from friends that involved the term "my bad"

'my bad' made famous by optimus prime in the transformers movie 1.
its basically 'my fault/ my mistake'.

its a slang alright, an american slang.. just like 'i am so going to swenson',
'its so yesterday', its bad english but many people use it. and yet we complain about our singlish

[Nicky]

You are right.. we, together with foreigners, criticised ourselves for using "lah" and other Singaporean terms.. and yet we tolerate and even mimick terms such as "have a cuppa" or "no worries", and uphold them like they are the best thing of language. I guess this has to do with the inferiority complex and the colonial mentality that still exist in many Singaporeans.. to them, anything "angmo" said is right.

[hmpkbetta]

Nicky noted, my bad. by the way even the foreigners use(lah)word today

[BFG]

The term 'My Bad' is correctly defined as my mistake and was started in the US if I'm not mistaken. It did not 'made famous by Optimus Prime' as earlier movie, usually from the african american community usually use this slang. Another word, 'gostan' are/was used in the later years of the last century by our local simple minded folks who use the term 'gostan' as to reverse, not to 'gostern' . The term was usually used as 'go head/ahead, gostan'. Usually used in conjunction as to direct a vehicle, either to park or to guide a vehicle out whereby the driver cannot see directly behind the vehicle but need another person to guide him. That person would usually yell "gostan, gostan".....while telling or guiding out the reversing vehicle.

Hope this helps!

[alien54d]

i can tolerate slang (singlish included)
but not lazy SMS lingo


: boomz
: mi, u, dat

[hwchoy]

I was under the impression that gostan is a malay word ;'@

[TyroneGenade]

I hate bad English. English is confusing enough without slang. Until recently English had a wonderful word to describe what happens when one object collides with another: impact. Today it is used instead of affect which is a much better word. This irritates me. "Impact" used to mean something. For instance, one could say "with my fists I want to impact the heads of people who use it in place of affect." Try use the word affect in that sentence to carry across the same meaning. How about: "Did you see the meteor affect last week? It leveled half of down town LA. A hive of slang-breeding was simply vaporised."

To further make my point consider Tolkein's LOTR. In it you will read about Frodo having a gay time in the Shire and Sam burning faggots. Thanks to slang two very good and proper words have been robbed of their meaning and turned into something less beneath their original meaning. In 50 years time we will need to translate LOTRs into modern "English" to reflect that Frodo had a happy time in the Shire and Sam burnt bunches of sticks to cook food.

[stormhawk]

I was under the impression that gostan is a malay word ;'@

It's not part of the Malay language as far as I know.

[hwchoy]

It's not part of the Malay language as far as I know.

MY BAD!!!

[hmpkbetta]

funny people talking funny english like me

[eddy planer]

Oh My God, that's my BAD!!!!!

[BFG]

I was under the impression that gostan is a malay word ;'@

All races in singapore, at one point of time, do use this word. " Gostan " is used when someone is assisting a driver to reverse his vehicle. I sometimes ask my colleague at work, whenever they mention "gostan", how did they spell this word. Usually I get a smile or a laugh, which I understand that it is silly in the beginning. The actual word is "reverse" but many never use this though.

[hmpkbetta]

i should make a new word for reverse of vehicle, so by 2020 there is new word(mobak)as know as,(move back)

[felix_fx2]

"My bad" appeared many years ago, but its not a proper phrase to use.
But its like "Lah, Lor, Ley" but more easily taken in due to Singaporean's nature i think.

Come to think of it "Gostan" i really thought it was malay language .

So will Prime say "Autobots, Roll out and not Gostan" in transformer 3?

[Nicky]

So "my bad" is ok and Singapore slang may not be allowed ???
You know I'm poking fun at mods right haha...

[hmpkbetta]

i cant imagine if autobots will said, (autobots gostan) than the movie will go number one movie in singapore.