Lecturer says ‘Yennapunahnah’ in class
In a subreddit for the National Techonological University of Singapore (NTU) community in Singapore, one reddit user shared a 17-second-long clip of what appears to be a lecture in NTU. The user who posted the video wondered if the conduct captured in the video was “slightly racist” and sought views from other members of the NTU community on Reddit.
In the video, the lecturer first gave examples of brand names that were easy to pronounce, like Sony, Sharp, Toshiba and Toyota.
Cited as an example of name that is hard to pronounce
He then wanted to give an example of a brand name that is hard to pronounce. After pausing for a few seconds to think of a brand name that is hard to pronounce, he said:-
Supposed you have a name… say… Yennapunahnah or something like that
*laughs*
Although it was cited as a word that was hard to pronounce, the speaker did not seem to have any troubles pronouncing the word.
The video, which was later republished on TikTok, may be viewed here.
@sgviralvids there is no such word #sgviral #singapore #sgtiktok🇸🇬 #NTUsg #fyp #callitoutsg
‘Yennapunahnah’ is not a real word
At the outset, it is useful to clarify that this phrase, which has been used from time immemorial to mock or refer to Indian accents sand dialects, is not a real word. There is no such word in the Tamil language, or any Indian dialect for that matter.
Similar to how ‘Ching Chong’ is used and globally recognised as an unacceptable ethnic slur for mocking east-asians and east-asian accents, ‘Yennapunahnah’ is a phrase that many Indians who have grown up in Singapore will be familiar with.
Put simply, it is gibberish that is often cited, often not in an endearing manner, to make fun of Indians or their accents.
Lecturer was not intentionally racist?
A number people on the Reddit thread and the comments section of the TikTok video pointed out that the Lecturer was not being malicious intentionally racist as he was simply giving an example of a phrase that is hard to prounounce.
In our view, it may indeed be true that there was no racist intention. However, in situations like these involving derogatory phrases like ‘yennapunahnah’, intentions may not matter much.
Real examples of brands and names that may be hard to pronounce
There are many examples of actual brand names which are hard to pronounce, or often mispronounced by Singaporeans, that could have been cited.
We have set out a few that come to mind in the course of writing this article below:
- Salvatore Ferragamo
- Eunoia JC
- Guylian
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Louis Vuitton
- Audermars Piguet
If we can learn how to pronounce names like ‘Michelangelo’ and confidently mispronounce ‘colleagues’, we should also learn how to pronounce actual Tamil names and words properly. It is all about effort and understanding. On that note, this classic video by Lola Farah comes to mind:
@farahlola Teachers on the first day be like: #BrownNameDyslexia #Babalah
We should all stop using the phrase ‘Yennapunahnah’
Just like how there is a broad consensus that ethnic slurs and phrases like ‘ch*ng chong’ should have no place in civilised discourse, we should all collectively stop using the non-existent phrase ‘Yennapunahnah’.
This phrase has a long history of being used in a derogatory manner to mock Indian accents and dialects. Another example of such a phrase, which is often seen on online forums brimming with racism, is “AbuNehNeh” (unsurprisingly, that is also gibberish that is not an actual Tamil word). Sometimes, it is abbreviated to ‘ABNN’.
As this Reddit user points out, this is a term which is insensitive and a microaggression.
As this user eloquently points out, language has power and our choice of words can have consequences on those around us, whether we see them or not.
Reactions to the Video
A TikTok user suggested that some Tamils are afraid to speak Tamil in public spaces as they fear that their accent and language may be ridiculed.
It is not that big of a deal, and it costs us nothing as a society, to collectively accept that such ethnic slurs should not be used. This isn’t about the intentions of the user, but the history of the phrase and the impact it has had on members of the Indian community for generations.
Let us all stop using phrase like ‘Yennapunahnah’, regardless of context. If you see or hear someone using it, let them know that it is not acceptable.
Together, we can, and we will, put an end to the use of such derogatory terms and phrases.
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