Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Why Hokkien... Hokkien ... Hokkien ?
I was born, bred and will probably die in Penang where Hokkien is the predominant spoken Chinese dialet.
Penang Hokkien is quite different from the Hokkien spoken in the rest of Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and China in that it is sing-song in nature and contains quite a number of Malay words.
Being born a Hokkien would probably make you assume that I am very proficient in Hokkien. Believe it or not, English is my native language in that I think, dream and have nightmares in English ! I only realise that I hardly speak any Hokkien when in the early 1980's my "Jee Tneoh" i.e husband to my Mum's 2nd Sister asked why I reply in English when he asks me in Hokkien !
The crunch came somewhere in the mid-1980's where I was involved in assisting Bank Negara in raiding a major deposit-taking co-operative during the "deposit-taking crisis". After the investigations, the Accounting Firm where I was working was appointed the Receivers and one of my task was to go on a road-show to almost all the co-operative's branches in order to return part of the money deposited.
That is when I discovered my handicap in Hokkien :-( I clearly remember trying to tell a depositor that the quantum of the deposit to be returned has yet to be decided as follows :-
Depositor : Lu eh heng wah jua cheh
CCH: Ah boi choo teah (translated as It has not been fated !) What I should have said is "Ah boi kuat teng !
That's when I decided to try to learn and speak better Hokkien !
This blog basically documents what and how I am teaching Hokkien to my 2 daughters living with me i.e Kimberley and Krysle who are both studying in a Chinese School after 3 years in an English Pre-school.
Penang Hokkien is quite different from the Hokkien spoken in the rest of Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and China in that it is sing-song in nature and contains quite a number of Malay words.
Being born a Hokkien would probably make you assume that I am very proficient in Hokkien. Believe it or not, English is my native language in that I think, dream and have nightmares in English ! I only realise that I hardly speak any Hokkien when in the early 1980's my "Jee Tneoh" i.e husband to my Mum's 2nd Sister asked why I reply in English when he asks me in Hokkien !
The crunch came somewhere in the mid-1980's where I was involved in assisting Bank Negara in raiding a major deposit-taking co-operative during the "deposit-taking crisis". After the investigations, the Accounting Firm where I was working was appointed the Receivers and one of my task was to go on a road-show to almost all the co-operative's branches in order to return part of the money deposited.
That is when I discovered my handicap in Hokkien :-( I clearly remember trying to tell a depositor that the quantum of the deposit to be returned has yet to be decided as follows :-
Depositor : Lu eh heng wah jua cheh
CCH: Ah boi choo teah (translated as It has not been fated !) What I should have said is "Ah boi kuat teng !
That's when I decided to try to learn and speak better Hokkien !
This blog basically documents what and how I am teaching Hokkien to my 2 daughters living with me i.e Kimberley and Krysle who are both studying in a Chinese School after 3 years in an English Pre-school.
How to say remember in Hokkien ?
Kister : Dad, how to say remember in Hokkien
CCH:
Remember : Aeh Khee
Forget : Beh Khee
CCH:
Remember : Aeh Khee
Forget : Beh Khee
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Hokkien's connection with Tang Dynasty...
Did you know that Pencil in Hokkien is 'Anpit'... same as in Korean and in Japanese. How is that so ?
According to http://kosongcafe.blogspot.com/2009/01/hokkiens-connection-with-tang-dynasty.htmlHokkien is:
1. The surviving language of the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), China 's Golden Age of Culture.
Note: The Hokkien we hear today may have "evolved" from its original form 2,000 years ago, but it still retains the main elements of the Tang Dynasty Language.
2. Hokkiens are the surviving descendants of the Tang Dynasty -- When the Tang Dynasty collapsed, the people of the Tang Dynasty fled South and sought refuge in the Hokkien ( Fujian ) province. Hence, Hokkien called themselves Tng-lang (Tang Ren or People of the Tang Dynasty) instead of Hua Lang (Hua Ren).
3. Hokkien has 8 tones instead of Mandarin's 4. Linguists claim that ancient languages tend to have more complex tones.
4. Hokkien retains the ancient Chinese pronunciation of "K-sounding" endings (for instance, Hak Seng (student), Tua Ok (university), Thak Chek (read a book/study) -- the "k" sounding ending is not found in Mandarin.
5. The collection of the famous "Three Hundred Tang Dynasty Poems" sound better when recited in Hokkien/Teochew if compared to Mandarin.
6. Consider this for a moment: Today, the Hokkien Nam Yim ochestral performance still has its roots in ancient Tang dynasty music. Here's the proof: The formation of today Nam Yim ensemble is typically seen in ancient Tang dynasty paintings of musicians.
More Astonishingly:
Although not genetically-related, Hokkiens, Koreans and Japanese share many similar words (which are different from Mandarin). That's because Hokkien was the official language of the powerful Tang Dynasty whose influence and language spread to Japan and Korea (just like Latin – where many words were borrowed by the English, French, Italian, etc).
Here are just a few words in Hokkien, Japanese & Korean for your comparison:
Hokkien ...................................Korean .....................Japanese
Sin Boon (news) .....................Sin Mun ..................Shinbun - newspaper
Cheng Hu (government) ......Chong Bu
Pang (room) ............................Pang
Chhia (car/vehicle) ................Ch'a
Mui/M'ng (door) ...................Mun
P'hio (ticket) ...........................P'yo
Eng Wan (eternal) ................Yong Won
Chaek (book) .........................Ch'ae
Ki (flag) ..................................Ki ................................Ki
Kang river) ............................Gang/kang
Poh Hiam (insurance) ..........Poh Ham
Sio Sim (caution) ..................Cho sim
Mo Kui (demon) ..................Ma gui
Cham (attend/join/mix) .......Ch'am sok
Kantan (simple) ...................Gan Dan
Sin Sei Kai (new world) ......Shin Sae Gae
Kok Ka (nation) ....................Kuk Kka
Hya (elder brother) ..............Hyaeng
Choon Pi (prepare) ...............Jun Bi
Si Kan (time) ..........................Si Kan
Kam tong (emotion, feeling) Kam Jong ................Kanjoo
Kamsia (gratitude, thanks) ..Kam Sa .....................Kansha
Keat Hoon (marriage) ..........Kyol Hon ..................Kekkon
Oon Tong (exercise) ............Un Dong ...................Undoo
Tua Ok (university) .............Tae Hak .....................Daigaku
Aun Chuan (safety) ............An Jon .......................An Zen
Mua Chiok(satisfaction) ....Man Jok .....................Manzoku
Ai Lang (lover) ....................Ae In ..........................Aijin
Seng Kong (success) ........Song Kong .................Seikoo
Chhiu Sat (suicide) ............Cha sal ........................Jisatsu
Pu Do (grapes) ...................P'o d'o .........................Budoo
Chin Por (progress) ...........Chin bo .......................Shinpo
To all 49 Million Hokkien Speakers:
Be Proud of Your Ancient Hokkien Heritage & Language! Speak it Loud and Clear. Teach Your Future Generation this Imperial Language, Lest it Fades Away.
Be Proud Children of the Tang Emperors.
To all Mandarin-speaking friends out there -- do not look down on your other Chinese friends who do not speak Mandarin – whom you guys fondly refer to as "Bananas". In fact, they are speaking a language which is much more ancient &; linguistically complicated than Mandarin.
Keep in mind that Mandarin is just:
1. A Northern Chinese dialect (heavily influenced by non Han Chinese) that was elevated to the status of National Language by Sun Yat Sen for the sake of China 's national unity.
2. Mandarin was never spoken by your proud, imperial Tang Dynasty ancestors. It was probably spoken by the Northern (Non-Han) Jurchen, Mongols and Manchu minority. Start speaking the language of your ancestors today.
How to say Fake or Bogus in Hokkien ?
Kister : Dad, I think this thing that my friend gave me is a fake. How to say all this in Hiokkien ?
CCH: Wa seowh che leh mikian wa eh peng yu hor wa see keh eh
Wa : I
Seowh : Think
This : Che Leh
Thing : Mi Kiah
Wah eh : My
Peng Yu : Friend
Hor Wa : Give me
See : is
Fake/Bogus : keh eh
CCH: Wa seowh che leh mikian wa eh peng yu hor wa see keh eh
Wa : I
Seowh : Think
This : Che Leh
Thing : Mi Kiah
Wah eh : My
Peng Yu : Friend
Hor Wa : Give me
See : is
Fake/Bogus : keh eh
How to identify Relatives in Hokkien ?
Kimster : Dad, in English, we simply call maternal and paternal relative 'uncles and aunties' How do you say it in Hokkien ?
CCH: In Hokkien, relatives are precisely identified as follows :
Paternal Uncle (Older) : Ah Pek
Paternal Uncle (Younger) : Ah Chek
Paternal Auntie (Older) : Ah Chim
Paternal Aunties (Younger) : AhKhor
Maternal Uncle (Older) : Ah Koo
Maternal Uncle (Younger) : Ah Koo
Maternal Auntie (Older) : Ah Ee
Maternal Aunties (Younger) : Ah Ee
CCH: In Hokkien, relatives are precisely identified as follows :
Paternal Uncle (Older) : Ah Pek
Paternal Uncle (Younger) : Ah Chek
Paternal Auntie (Older) : Ah Chim
Paternal Aunties (Younger) : AhKhor
Maternal Uncle (Older) : Ah Koo
Maternal Uncle (Younger) : Ah Koo
Maternal Auntie (Older) : Ah Ee
Maternal Aunties (Younger) : Ah Ee
How do you say Today, Yesterday & Tomorrrow in Penang Hokkien ?
Kimster : Dad, how do you say Today, Yesterday & Tomorrow in Penang Hokkien ?
CCH:
Today : Kin Jit
Yesterday : Cha Hooi
Tomorrow : Miah Chai
Morning : Cha Kii
Afternoon : Eh Por
Night : Arm Meh
CCH:
Today : Kin Jit
Yesterday : Cha Hooi
Tomorrow : Miah Chai
Morning : Cha Kii
Afternoon : Eh Por
Night : Arm Meh
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