Chinglish?

Apologies in advance for any comprehension difficulties.

My 同学们 and I have been analyzing recently our selective use of the Chinese language and have identified some peculiarities.  Very often in the course of an English conversation, particular words and phrases will be substituted with the Chinese "equivalent," in quotes, of course, because it is exactly the lack of equivalency that leads us ultimately to use it as a substitute.  How could that be?

Well, in some cases, it is as simple as our not being accustomed to using the English equivalent in a particular situation, and doing so would seem forced and awkward.  For example, we often buy steamed stuffed buns on the way to school, and even though 在路上 we usually speak English, we would never say, "Hey, let's stop for some steamed buns," but would rather say, "Let's grab some 包子 (bao-zuh)."  To us, "steamed buns" are just not a real thing, and 包子 is the only appropriate term.

In other cases, there is a readily available English equivalent, but it somehow doesn't quite capture the meaning we wish to express. Or, better yet, we've somehow been able to assimilate a Chinese word into English grammatical structure, bastardizing the meaning in both languages.  The best example I can think of is 请假 (ching-jia), which literally means "ask (for) leave," usually from school or work.  However, we most often use 请假 in place of "skip class," which is actually 逃课 (tao-kuh), literally "dodge class."  So, if I were to ask an unidentified roommate of mine, "Are you going to class?" he might very well (and often does) respond, "Not today, I'm 请ing 假."  This response seems most natural to us since all of the alternatives present two related problems.  First, either "I'm asking for leave" or "我请假" would express that he was indeed asking for leave, whereas in reality is he not "asking" but "telling."  And therein lies the second problem, that "I'm skipping class" and "我要逃课" would neglect that he will indeed notify the teachers of his impending absence, the custom here.  Perhaps you've though of a final possibility, "我要skip class."  If so, good thinking!  But I bring it up only for for good measure; I assure you it means nothing. 

Most peculiar though is when Chinese is used simply out of awkwardness.  For whatever reason, switching to Chinese at the most critical moment in a conversation can swiftly take the bite out of whatever you're trying to say.  Feeling frustrated with the progress in a budding relationship, a friend of mine once said to a girl, "You're a little bit 保守, aren't you?" 保守 means "conservative," but in Chinese is not quite as 敏感, or sensitive.  Replacing the sentence's critical word allowed the conversation to continue.  Otherwise, he might not have said anything at all.  In even more extreme cases, entire sentences (mostly questions fearing rejection or refusal) will wind up translated directly into Chinese, creating a sentence that is incoherent in standard Chinese but makes perfect sense in Chinglish.  Someone once said to me, "你想是我的男朋友吗?"  "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"  Somehow, it was just so much easier to say, and to hear, in Chinglish.  I know for a fact that a Chinese person would not say it this way, since, if you recall, I have been told: "我想我们之间成为男女朋友的关系," in other words, "I would like between us to become a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship."  And in case you were wondering, my response in the case number one was, "I'll think about it," and, well, we all know what happened in case number two.