or not
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
See also: ornot
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Influenced by Chinese 是不是 (shìbùshì, “whether or not”), forming a question, and similar interrogative expressions with 不, 無/无, 唔 and other dialectal synonyms.
Pronunciation[edit]
Particle[edit]
- (Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial) Final interrogative particle, forming a yes/no question from a declarative statement.
- 2020 January 26, JustGreat, “I ordered Pizza Hut”, in SG Talk[1]:
- Can or not ?
Usage notes[edit]
In contrast to most English dialects, where "or not" is only optionally appended to a yes-no question formed syntactically ("He called" → "Did he call?" → "Did he call or not?"), in Colloquial Singaporean English, "or not" functions as a final particle and forms a question by itself: "He got call" → "He got call or not?".
Synonyms[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (Mid-Atlantic) (file)
Phrase[edit]
- Emphasizes that a particular claim or idea makes no difference regarding what can or has happened.
- A sardonic response to a new event that contradicts what the speaker has just stated.
- "I bet the green car will make it unscathed!" said Mildred. Suddenly, there came a loud crunch from the racetrack. "Or not," she sighed.
See also[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from Chinese
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English particles
- English multiword terms
- Singapore English
- Malaysian English
- English colloquialisms
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with audio links
- English phrases
- English terms with usage examples
- Singlish
- Manglish