Kimster : Dad, how do you say far in Penang Hokkien ?
CCH:
Far - Houi
Near - Kin
Very Far - Chin Chiah Houi
Ver Near - Chin Chiah Kin
One Mile : Chit Ki Thui
Showing posts with label CCH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CCH. Show all posts
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Khee Choo Teng
One day in 1960, I found myself on a Hin Bus and half an hour later I was in front of a house in Georgetown. It had a large hall and going to the second hall, I notice some steps that seems to be going up the roof. As far as I can recall, I asked my mum whether I can "Khee Choo Teng" as I have never been inside a double-story house before and was amazed that one can go up the roof :-)
Khee - Go Up
Choo Teng - Roof
Khee - Go Up
Choo Teng - Roof
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Why Hokkien... Hokkien... Hokkien ?
I was born, bred and probably die in Penang where Hokkien is the predominant Chinese dialet spoken. Penang Hokkien is quite different from the Hokkien spoken in the rest of Malaysia, Singapore 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 Saint Christopher Pre-school.
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 Saint Christopher Pre-school.
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