thumb|Flag of Penang, of where Penang Hokkien is native to
thumb|A man who speaks Penang Hokkien
Penang Hokkien (; IPA: ) is a local variant of Hokkien spoken in Penang, Malaysia. It is spoken natively by 63.9% of Penang's Chinese community, and also by some Penangite Indians and Penangite Malays.
It was once the lingua franca among the majority Chinese population in Penang, Kedah, Perlis and northern Perak. However, since the 1980s, many younger speakers have shifted towards Malaysian Mandarin under the Speak Mandarin Campaign in Chinese-medium schools in Malaysia, even though Mandarin was not previously spoken in these regions. Mandarin has been adopted as the only language of instruction in Chinese schools and, from the 1980s to mid-2010s, these schools penalised students and teachers for using non-Mandarin varieties of Chinese. A 2021 study found that Penang Hokkien was a 'threatened' language in the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale, due to the encroachment of Mandarin.
Penang Hokkien is a subdialect of Zhangzhou (漳州; Tsiang-tsiu) Hokkien, with extensive use of Malay and English loanwords. Compared to dialects in Fujian (福建; Hok-kiàn) province, it most closely resembles the variety spoken in the district of Haicang (海滄; Hái-tshng) in Longhai (龍海; Liông-hái) county and in the districts of Jiaomei (角美; Kak-bí) and Xinglin (杏林; Hēng-lîm) in neighbouring Xiamen (廈門; Ēe-muî) prefecture. In Southeast Asia, similar dialects are spoken in the states bordering Penang (Kedah, Perlis and northern Perak), as well as in Medan and North Sumatra, Indonesia. It is markedly distinct from Southern Peninsular Malaysian Hokkien, Singaporean Hokkien and Taiwanese Hokkien.
Orthography
Penang Hokkien is largely a spoken language, however it can be written in Chinese characters (唐人字; Tn̂g-lâng-jī), or romanised in the Latin script (紅毛字; Âng-môo-jī). Penang Hokkien has a growing body of written, particularly romanised material, thanks largely in part to its increasing online presence on social media. Many topics focus on the language itself such as dictionaries and learning materials. This is linked to efforts to preserve, revitalise and promote the language as part of Penang's cultural heritage, due to increasing awareness of the loss of Penang Hokkien usage among younger generations in favour of Mandarin and English. The standard romanisation systems commonly used in these materials are based on Tâi-lô and Pe̍͘h-ōa-jī, with varying modifications to suit Penang Hokkien phonology.thumb|A Char Koay Teow stall. An example of how a Penangite writes Penang Hokkien using ad hoc methods.
The Hokkien Language Association of Penang (Persatuan Bahasa Hokkien Pulau Pinang; 庇能福建話協會) is one such organisation which promotes the language's usage and revitalisation. Through their Speak Hokkien Campaign they promote a Tâi-lô based system modified to suit the phonology of Penang Hokkien and its loanwords. This system is used throughout this article and its features are detailed below.
The Speak Hokkien Campaign also promotes the use of traditional Chinese characters derived from recommended character lists for written Hokkien published by Taiwan's Ministry of Education.
Most native-speakers are not aware of these standardised systems and resort to ad hoc methods of romanisation based on English, Malay and Pinyin spelling rules. These methods are in common use for many proper names and food items, e.g. Char Kway Teow (炒粿條; tshá-kúe-tiâu). These spellings are often inconsistent and highly variable with several alternate spellings being well established, e.g. Char Koay Teow. These methods, which are more intuitive to the average native-speaker, are the basis of non-standard romanisation systems used in some written material.
Phonology
Consonants
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|+Initials
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" | Labial
! colspan="2" | Alveolar
! rowspan="2" | Palatal
! rowspan="2" | Velar
! rowspan="2" | Glottal
|-
!
!
|-
! colspan="2" | Nasal
| m <br />名 (miâ)
| n <br />爛 (nuā)
|
|
| ng <br />硬 (ngēe)
|
|-
! rowspan="3" | Plosive/<br />Affricate
!
| p <br />比 (pí)
| t <br />大 (tuā)
| ts <br />姊 (tsí)
|
| k <br />教 (kàu)
| <br />影 (iánn)
|-
!
| ph <br />脾 (phî)
| th <br />拖 (thua)
| tsh <br />飼 (tshī)
|
| kh <br />扣 (khàu)
|
|-
!
| b <br />米 (bí)
| d <br />tsian-doi (煎蕊)
| j <br />字 (jī)
|
| g <br />牛 (gû)
|
|-
! colspan="2" | Fricative
| f <br />sóo-fá (沙發)
|
| s <br />時 (sî)
| sh <br />kú-shérn (古申)
|
| h <br />喜 (hí)
|-
! colspan="2" | Lateral
|
| l <br />賴 (luā)
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | Approximant
|
| r <br />ríng-gi̋t (令吉)
|
| y <br />sa-yang (捎央)
| w <br />我 (wá)
|
|}
- Unlike other dialects of Hokkien, alveolar affricates and fricatives remain the same and do not undergo palatalisation to become alveolo-palatal before /i/, e.g. 時 [si] instead of [ɕi].
- Words that begin with a null initial, i.e. begin with a vowel without a preceding consonant may feature an initial glottal stop /ʔ/, this is not indicated in writing.
- The consonants and are only used in the spelling of loanwords. They may be analysed in terms of native Hokkien phonology as beginning with a null initial and may instead be spelled with and respectively, e.g. 我 wá/uá and 捎央 sa-yang/sa-iang.
- The consonants , , and are only used in loanwords.
{|
|valign=top|
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|+Finals
!
! Bilabial
! Alveolar
! Velar
! Glottal
|-
! Nasal
| -m <br>暗 (àm)
| -n <br>安 (an)
| -ng <br>紅 (âng)||
|-
! Plosive
| -p <br>答 (tap)
| -t <br>殺 (sat)
| -k <br>角 (kak)
| -h <br>鴨 (ah)
|}
|valign=top|
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|+Syllabic consonant
!
! Bilabial
! Velar
|-
! Nasal
| m <br>毋 (m̄)
| ng <br>霜 (sng)
|}
|}
Vowels
{|
|valign=top|
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|+Monophthongs
!rowspan=2|
!colspan=2|Front
!colspan=2|Back
|-
!Simple
!Nasal
!Simple
!Nasal
|-
!Close
|i <br>伊 (i)
|inn <br>圓 (înn)
|u <br>有 (ū)
|
|-
!Close-Mid
|e <br>會 (ē)
|
|o <br>蠔 (ô)
|
|-
!Open-Mid
|ee <br>下 (ēe)
|enn <br>嬰 (enn)
|oo <br>烏 (oo)
|onn <br>嗚 (onn)
|-
!Open
|a <br>亞 (a)
|ann <br>餡 (ānn)
|
|
|}
|valign=top|
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|+Diphthongs & Triphthongs
!colspan=5|Diphthong
!colspan=1|Triphthong
|-
|ai [ai]<br>愛 (ài)
|ia [ia]<br>椰 (iâ)
|io [io]<br>腰 (io)
|iu [iu]<br>油 (iû)
|ue [ue]<br>鍋 (ue)
|iau [iau]<br>枵 (iau)
|-
|au [au]<br>後 (āu)
|ia [iɛ]<br>燕 (iàn)*
|ioo [iɔ]<br>娘 (niôo)*
|ua [ua]<br>話 (uā)
|ui [ui]<br>為 (uī)
|uai [uai]<br>歪 (uai)
|}
|}
- In the Tâi-lô system for Penang Hokkien, nasal vowels are indicated using final , while Pe̍͘h-ōa-jī uses superscript . Vowel nasalisation occurs in words that have nasal initials (, , ), however, this is not explicitly indicated in writing with either or , e.g. 卵 nūi (/nuĩ/) instead of nūinn/nūiⁿ.<br>For most speakers who are not familiar with Tâi-lô or Pe̍͘h-ōa-jī, nasalisation is commonly indicated by putting an after the initial consonant of a word. This is commonly seen for the popular Penang delicacy Tau Sar Pneah (豆沙餅; tāu-sa-piánn). In other instances, nasalisation may not be indicated at all, such as in Popiah (薄餅; po̍h-piánn), or as in the common last name Ooi (黃; Uînn).
- The final is only written in conjunction with words that have an initial , e.g. 娘 niôo. In this instance it is pronounced /iɔ̃/ and is a variant of , with nasalisation instead indicated by the nasal initial.
- The rime is a variant pronunciation of . The two may be used interchangeably in Penang Hokkien, e.g. 張 tiaunn/tionn, 羊 iâunn/iônn.
- When is followed by final or , it is pronounced [iɛ], with and being pronounced as [iɛn] and [iɛt̚] respectively.<br>In speech, these sounds are often reduced to [ɛn] and [ɛt̚], e.g. 免 mián/mén.
- The diphthong /ua/ may be spelled in loanwords, e.g. 我 wá/uá.
- The diphthong /ia/ may be spelled in loanwords, e.g. sa-yang/sa-iang 捎央.
- There are clear distinction between /e/ and /ɛ/ vowel in Penang Hokkien. For example, the term 家 (home) is pronounced as /kɛ/ (Tâi-lô: ⟨kee⟩, Pe̍͘h-ōa-jī: ⟨ke͘⟩), while 雞 (chicken) is pronounced as /ke/, which is transcribed as ⟨ke⟩ in both Tâi-lô and Pe̍͘h-ōa-jī. However, a lot of Penang Hokkien Tâi-lô or Pe̍͘h-ōa-jī users were prone to ignore the difference. Reasons being the absence of formal letter on /ɛ/ from the orthodox Pe̍h-ōe-jī which is based on Amoy accent, and there are lack of support from most mainstream POJ input methods for the letter ⟨e͘⟩. Despite the existence of formal notation of /ɛ/ in Tâi-lô as ⟨ee⟩, some Tâi-lô users were seems to neglect it too, possibly due to the influence from Taiwanese online resources which don't include letter /ee/ and not aware of it.
{| class="wikitable defaultcenter col4left"
|+Non-native vowels (used in loanwords)
!Tâi-lô!!IPA!!Example!!Note
|-
|er||||||Occurs in Quanzhou accented varieties of Hokkien such as those spoken in Southern Malaysia and Singapore.<br>Used in Malay and English loanwords.
|-
|y||||<br>||Used in Cantonese loanwords, may be pronounced as .
|-
|ei||[ei]||<br>||Used in Cantonese loanwords.
|-
|eoi||[ɵy]||<br>||An alternate pronunciation of due to Cantonese influence.<br>Used in Cantonese loanwords, may be pronounced as .
|-
|oi||[ɔi]||<br>||Used in Malay, English, Cantonese and Teochew loanwords.<br>Replaces in Malay loanwords, e.g. (), ().<br>Note: The change from final in Standard Malay to is a general feature of Penang Malay, the local variety from which Penang Hokkien borrows.<br>This phonological change can be seen in other loanwords from Penang Malay, e.g. ().
|-
|ou||[ou]||<br>||Used in Cantonese and Teochew loanwords.
|}
Rhymes
{|
|valign=top|
{|class=wikitable
!rowspan=2|Vowel(s)!!colspan=2|Open!!colspan=3|Nasal!!colspan=4|Plosive
|-align=center
![-]!![◌̃]!![m]!![n]!![ŋ]!![p̚]!![t̚]!![k̚]!![ʔ]
|-align=center
![a]
|a||ann||am||an||ang||ap||at||ak||ah
|-align=center
![ai]
|ai||ainn|| || || || || || ||aih
|-align=center
![au]
|au|| || || || || || || ||auh
|-align=center
![e]
|e|| || || || |eng|| || ||ek||eh
|-align=center
![ɛ]
|ee||enn||em*||en*||eeng*|| ||et*||eek*||eeh
|-align=center
![ə]
|er*|| || ||ern*|| || ||ert*|| ||erh*
|-align=center
![ei]
|ei*|| || || || || || || ||
|-align=center
![i]
|i||inn||im||in||ing*||ip||it||ik*||ih
|-align=center
![ia]
|ia||iann||iam|| ||iang||iap|| ||iak||iah
|-align=center
![iɛ]
| || || ||ian|| || ||iat|| ||
|-align=center
![iau]
|iau||iaunn|| || || || || || ||
|-align=center
![io]
|io|| || || || || || || ||ioh
|-align=center
![iɔ]
|ioo*||ionn|| || ||iong|| || ||iok||
|-align=center
![iu]
|iu|| || || || || || || ||
|}
|valign=top|
{|class=wikitable
!rowspan=2|Vowel(s)!!colspan=2|Open !!colspan=3|Nasal!!colspan=4|Plosive
|-align=center
![-]!![◌̃]!![m]!![n]!![ŋ]!![p̚]!![t̚]!![k̚]!![ʔ]
|-align=center
![o]
|o|| ||um*|| ||ung*|| || ||uk*||oh
|-align=center
![ɔ]
|oo||onn||om||on*||ong|| ||ot*||ok||ooh
|-align=center
![ɔi]
|oi*|| || || || || || || ||
|-align=center
![ou]
|ou*|| || || || || || || ||
|-align=center
![u]
|u|| || ||un|| || ||ut|| ||uh
|-align=center
![ua]
|ua||uann|| ||uan||uang*|| ||uat|| ||uah
|-align=center
![uai]
|uai||uainn|| || || || || || ||
|-align=center
![ue]
|ue|| || || || || || || ||ueh
|-align=center
![ui]
|ui||uinn|| || || || || || ||
|-align=center
![y]
|y*|| || ||yn*|| || || || ||
|-align=center
![ɵy]
|eoi*|| || || || || || || ||
|-align=center
![m̩]
|colspan=2|m||colspan=7|－
|-align=center
![ŋ̍]
|colspan=2|ng||colspan=7|－
|}
|}
- * Used in loanwords, variants and onomatopoeia
Tones
In Penang Hokkien, the two Departing tones (3rd & 7th) are virtually identical, and may not be distinguished except in their sandhi forms. Most native speakers of Penang Hokkien are therefore only aware of four tones in unchecked syllables (high, low, rising, high falling), and two Entering tones (high and low) in checked syllables. In most systems of romanisation, this is accounted as seven tones altogether. The tones are:
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+Penang Hokkien tones
|-
!rowspan=2| ||colspan=5|Upper/Dark ||colspan=5|Lower/Light
|-
!No.||Name||TL||Contour||Sandhied||No.||Name||TL||Contour||Sandhied
|-
!Level
|1||陰平<br>im-piânn||||[˦˦] (44)||[˨˩] (21)||5||陽平<br>iông-piânn||||[˨˧] (23)||[˨˩] (21)
|-
!rowspan=2|Rising
|rowspan=2|2||rowspan=2|上聲<br>sióng-siann||rowspan=2|||[˥˧] (53)||rowspan=2|[˦˦] (44)||colspan="5" rowspan="2" style="background-color: lightgray"|－
|-
|[˦˦˥] (445)
|-
!rowspan=2|Departing
|rowspan=2|3||rowspan=2|陰去<br>im-khì||rowspan=2|||rowspan=2|[˨˩] (21)||[˥˧] (53)||rowspan=2|7||rowspan=2|陽去<br>iông-khì||rowspan=2|||rowspan=2|[˨˩] (21)||rowspan=2|[˨˩] (21)
|-
|[˦˦] (44)
|-
!Entering
|4||陰入<br>im-ji̍p||||[ʔ˧] (3)||[ʔ˦] (4)||8||陽入<br>iông-ji̍p||||[ʔ˦] (4)||[ʔ˧] (3)
|-
!Note
|colspan="10"|Entering tones (4 & 8) only occur in closed syllables where ◌ represents either -p, -t, -k, or -h.
|}
The names of the tones no longer bear any relation to the tone contours. The (upper) Rising (2nd) tone has two variants in Penang Hokkien, a high falling tone [˥˧] (53) and a high rising tone [˦˦˥] (445). The high falling tone [˥˧] (53) is more common among the older generations while in the younger generations there has been a shift towards the use of the high rising tone [˦˦˥] (445). When the 3rd tone is sandhied to the 2nd tone, the high falling variant [˥˧] (53) is used, however some speakers may sandhi the 3rd tone to the 1st tone [˦] (44). These include Malay, Teochew, Cantonese and English.
Malay
Like other dialects in Malaysia and Singapore, Penang Hokkien borrows heavily from Malay, but sometimes to a greater extent than other Hokkien dialects, e.g.:
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;"
|+
!Penang Hokkien!!Malay!!Other Hokkien!!Definition!!Note
|-
|align=center|ān-ting||anting||align=center|耳鉤<br>hīnn-kau||earring||
|-
|align=center|bā-lái||balai polis||align=center|警察局<br>kíng-tshat-kio̍k||police station||
|-
|align=center|bā-lú<br>峇屢||baru||align=center|拄才<br>tú-tsiah||new(ly), just now||
|-
|align=center|bān-san<br>萬山||bangsal||align=center|菜市仔<br>tshài-tshī-á||market||see also: pá-sat (巴剎)
|-
|align=center|báng-kû||bangku||align=center|椅條<br>í-liâu||stool||
|-
|align=center|bá-tû<br>礣砥||batu||align=center|石頭<br>tsio̍h-thâu||stone||
|-
|align=center|bēr-liân||berlian||align=center|璇石<br>suān-tsio̍h||diamond||
|-
|align=center|bī-nā-tang||binatang||align=center|動物<br>tōng-bu̍t||animal||禽獸 (khîm-siù) is also frequently used.
|-
|align=center|gâ-tái<br>疨㾂||gatal||align=center|癢<br>tsiūnn||itchy||
|-
|align=center|gēr-lí / gî-lí<br>疑理||geli||align=center|噁<br>ònn||creepy; hair-raising||
|-
|align=center|jiám-bân<br>染蠻||jamban||align=center|便所<br>piān-sóo||toilet||
|-
|align=center|kan-nang-tsû / kan-lang-tsû<br>蕳砃薯||kentang||align=center|馬鈴薯<br>má-lîng-tsû||potato||
|-
|align=center|kau-în / kau-îng<br>交寅||kahwin||align=center|結婚<br>kiat-hun||marry||
|-
|align=center|khit-siàn<br>乞善||kesian||align=center|可憐<br>khó-liân||pity||
|-
|align=center|lām-peng||lampin||align=center|尿帕仔<br>jiō-phè-á||diaper||
|-
|align=center|lô-ti<br>羅知||roti||align=center|麵包<br>mī-pau||bread||
|-
|align=center|ló-kun<br>老君||dukun||align=center|醫生<br>i-seng||doctor||
|-
|align=center|lui<br>鐳||duit||align=center|錢<br>tsînn||money||
|-
|align=center|má-ná<br>嗎哪||mana||align=center|當時<br>tang-sî<br>啥物時陣<br>siánn-mih-sî-tsūn||as if; since when?||
|-
|align=center|mā-nek||manik||align=center|珠仔<br>tsu-á||bead||
|-
|align=center|má-tâ<br>馬打||mata-mata||align=center|警察<br>kíng-tshat||police||
|-
|align=center|pá-sat<br>巴剎||pasar||align=center|菜市仔<br>tshài-tshī-á||market||see also: bān-san (萬山)
|-
|align=center|pīng-gang||pinggang||align=center|腰<br>io||waist||
|-
|align=center|pún<br>呠 / 僨||pun||align=center|也<br>iā||also||
|-
|align=center|lā-sa||rasa||align=center|感覺<br>kám-kak||to feel||
|-
|align=center|sá-bûn<br>雪文||sabun||align=center|茶箍<br>tê-khoo||soap||Other varieties of Hokkien including some Taiwanese varieties also use 雪文 (sá-bûn)
|-
|align=center|sâm-pá<br>儳㞎||sampah||align=center|糞埽<br>pùn-sò||garbage||
|-
|align=center|sa-yang<br>捎央||sayang||align=center|愛<br>ài||to love; what a pity||
|-
|align=center|som-bóng<br>森妄||sombong||align=center|勢利<br>sè-lī||snobbish||
|-
|align=center|soo-tong<br>蘇東||sotong||align=center|鰇魚<br>jiû-hû||squid/cuttlefish||
|-
|align=center|su-kā / su-kah<br>私合||suka||align=center|愛<br>ài||to like||
|-
|align=center|tá-hān<br>扙捍||tahan||align=center|忍耐<br>lím-nāi||endure||
|-
|align=center|ta-pí<br>焦比 / 逐比||tapi||align=center|但是 / 毋過<br>tān-sī / m̄-koh||but||
|-
|align=center|to-lóng<br>多琅||tolong||align=center|鬥相共<br>tàu-sann-kāng||help||鬥相共 (tàu-sann-kāng) is also frequently used.
|-
|align=center|tong-kat<br>杖楬||tongkat||align=center|枴仔<br>kuái-á||walking stick||
|-
|align=center|tser-la-kà||celaka||align=center|該死<br>kai-sí||damn it||
|-
|align=center|tsiám-pó||campur||align=center|摻<br>tsham||to mix||
|-
|align=center|tua-la<br>大帤||tuala||align=center|面巾<br>bīn-kin||towel||
|}
There are also many Hokkien words which have been borrowed into Malay, sometimes with slightly different meanings, e.g.:
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;"
|+
!Malay!!Penang Hokkien!!Definition!!Notes
|-
|beca||align=center|馬車<br>bée-tshia||horse-cart||
|-
|bihun||align=center|米粉<br>bí-hún||rice vermicelli||
|-
|Jepun||align=center|日本<br>Ji̍t-pún||Japan||
|-
|loteng||align=center|樓頂<br>lâu-téng||upstairs||Originally means "attic" in Hokkien.
|-
|kicap||align=center|鮭汁<br>kê-tsiap||fish sauce||Originally means "sauce" in Hokkien.
|-
|kongsi||align=center|公司<br>kong-si||to share||Originally means "company/firm/clan association" in Hokkien.
|-
|kuaci||align=center|瓜子<br>kua-tsí||edible watermelon seeds||
|-
|kuetiau||align=center|粿條<br>kué-tiâu||flat rice noodle||
|-
|kuih||align=center|粿<br>kué||rice-flour cake||
|-
|mi||align=center|麵<br>mī||noodles||
|-
|sinseh||align=center|先生<br>sin-senn||traditional Chinese doctor||
|-
|tauhu||align=center|豆腐<br>taū-hū||tofu||
|-
|tauke||align=center|頭家<br>thâu-kee||boss||
|-
|teh||align=center|茶<br>têe||tea||
|-
|teko||align=center|茶鈷<br>têe-kóo||teapot||
|-
|Tionghua / Tionghoa||align=center|中華<br>Tiong-huâ||Chinese (of/relating to China)||
|-
|Tiongkok||align=center|中國<br>Tiong-kok||China||
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|tukang||align=center|廚工<br>tû-kang||craftsman||
|}
Other Chinese varieties
There are words in Penang Hokkien that originated from other varieties of Chinese spoken in and around Malaysia. e.g.:
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;"
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!Penang Hokkien!!Originated from!!Definition!!Note
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|align=center|愛<br>ài||align=center|Teochew||want||Other varieties of Hokkien use 欲 beh.
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|align=center|我<br>wá||align=center|Teochew||I; me||Originally pronounced as guá in Hokkien, however Penang Hokkien has adopted the Teochew pronunciation.
|-
|align=center|我儂<br>wá-lâng||align=center|Teochew||we; us||May be shortened to wang/uang (卬).<br>Other varieties of Hokkien use 阮 gún/guán.
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|align=center|汝儂<br>lú-lâng||align=center|Teochew||you guys||May be shortened to luang (戎).<br>Other varieties of Hokkien use 恁 lín.
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|align=center|伊儂<br>i-lâng||align=center|Teochew||they; theirs||May be shortened to yang/iang (傇).<br>Other varieties of Hokkien use 𪜶 (亻因) in.
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|align=center|無變<br>bô-piàn||align=center|Teochew||nothing can be done||
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|align=center|豬母酸 / 豬母霜<br>tu-bó-suinn / tu-bó-sng||align=center|Teochew||octopus (particularly as food)||From local Teochew 豬母酸 tṳ-bó-sṳng.
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|align=center|啱<br>ngam||align=center|Cantonese||fit; suitable||
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|align=center|大佬<br>tāi-lôu||align=center|Cantonese||bro; boss||Penang Hokkien uses pronunciation from Cantonese.
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|align=center|緊張<br>kán-tsiong / kín-tsiong||align=center|Cantonese||nervous||From the Cantonese pronunciation 緊張 gán jēung, or a compound of Hokkien 緊 (kín) + Cantonese 張 (jēung).<br>The original Hokkien pronunciation would be kín-tiaunn/kín-tionn.
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|align=center|無釐頭<br>môu-lêi-thāu||align=center|Cantonese||makes no sense||From Cantonese 無厘頭 mòuh lèih tàuh.
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|align=center|豬腸粉<br>tsý-tshiông-fân||align=center|Cantonese||chee cheong fun||Penang Hokkien uses pronunciation from Cantonese.
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|align=center|雲吞<br>uān-than||align=center|Cantonese||wantan||Penang Hokkien uses pronunciation from Cantonese.
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|align=center|濕濕碎<br>sa̋p-sa̋p-sêoi||align=center|Cantonese||easy; "a piece of cake"||Penang Hokkien uses pronunciation from Cantonese.
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|align=center|死父<br>sí-pēe||align=center|Singaporean Hokkien||very||Originated from Teochew 死父 sí-pĕ and adopted from Singaporean Hokkien 死爸 sí-pē.
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|align=center|我老兮<br>wá-lāu-ê||align=center|Singaporean Hokkien||oh my god; oh no||
|}
English
Penang Hokkien has also borrowed some words from English, some of which may have been borrowed via Malay. Often, these words tend to be more technical and less well embedded than the Malay words, e.g. brake, park, pipe, pump, etc. However some are used in common everyday language, e.g.:
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;"
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!Penang Hokkien!!English!!Other Hokkien!!Note
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|align=center|a-bôi<br>阿bôi||Boy||align=center|囝<br>kiánn||Familiar term of address for one's own son.<br>Also used generally to refer to someone else's son or younger male around one's son's age.
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|align=center|a-gêr<br>阿gêr||Girl||align=center|查某囝<br>tsa-bóo-kiánn||Familiar term of address for one's own daughter.<br>Also used generally to refer to someone else's daughter or younger female around one's daughter's age.
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|align=center|áng-kér<br>安哥||Uncle||align=center|阿叔<br>a-tsek||Familiar term of address for a man around one's father's age.<br>Also used generally to refer to any middle-aged or older man.
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|align=center|án-tí<br>安娣||Aunty||align=center|阿姨<br>a-î||Familiar term of address for a woman around one's mother's age.<br>Also used generally to refer to any middle-aged or older woman.
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|align=center|kú-shérn<br>古申||cushion||align=center|墊<br>tiām||
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|align=center|lée-liô<br>黎撩||radio||align=center|收音機<br>siu-im-ki||
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|align=center|móo-tó<br>摩哆||motorcycle||align=center|摩托車<br>môo-thok-tshia||Derives from 'motor' in 'motorcycle'.
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|align=center|sée-le̋rt<br>沙律||salad||align=center|沙拉<br>sa-la||
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|align=center|sóo-fá<br>沙發||sofa||align=center|膨椅<br>phòng-í||
|}
Thai
Penang Hokkien also contains words which are thought to come from Thai, e.g.:
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;"
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!Penang Hokkien!!Definition!!Other Hokkien!!Note
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|align=center|pua̍t<br>鈸 / 鏺||1/10 of a unit of currency<br>i.e. 10 sen / cents<br>e.g. 50 sen 五鈸 gōo-pua̍t||align=center|角<br>kak||Etymology ultimately unknown but thought to come from Thai baht.
|}
Entertainment
In recent years, a number of movies that incorporate the use of Penang Hokkien have been filmed, as part of wider efforts to preserve the language's relevance. Among the more recent movies are The Journey, which became the highest-grossing Malaysian film in 2014, and You Mean the World to Me, the first movie to be filmed entirely in Penang Hokkien.
Another significant contribution to the entertainment landscape is the Penang Hokkien Podcast. Founded in 2005 by John Ong, a Penangite residing in Kansas City, US - this podcast stands as the pioneering platform dedicated entirely to Penang-style Hokkien. The podcast offers a fun and engaging show for Penangites and individuals who understand the language. With its inception predating the recent wave of Penang Hokkien-focused films, the podcast provides a unique space for lighthearted and casual conversations with no topic restrictions. Listeners can enjoy funny and relatable discussions reminiscent of sharing secrets and stories with close friends.
As an initiative in the realm of Penang Hokkien entertainment, the Penang Hokkien Podcast complements the efforts to preserve the language's relevance. It serves as an audio medium that celebrates the culture, and humour associated with Penang Hokkien, offering a valuable resource for those seeking an immersive experience.
In the Doctor Who series, the first language to be used other than English was Hokkien. This occurred in a dialogue translated by the Penang-born actress Pik-Sen Lim, in The Mind of Evil serial (1971). Lim also used Penang Hokkien in the British sitcom Mind Your Language (1977–79), when portraying the character Chung Su-Lee, a Chinese national.
Speak Hokkien Campaign
The Speak Hokkien Campaign is a social movement aimed at the revitalisation and promotion of the Hokkien language, with a particular focus on preserving its use among Hokkien-speaking communities worldwide. Launched online on 12 Jul 2015, the campaign began as a grassroots initiative on Facebook by Hokkien speakers from Penang, Malaysia, and has since grown into an active platform for spreading awareness and fostering pride in the language.
While its roots lie in Penang Hokkien, the campaign also shares information about other variants of Hokkien spoken in regions such as Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and beyond, emphasising the language’s diversity and cultural richness.
The campaign contrasts with Singapore’s government-led Speak Mandarin Campaign, advocating instead for the preservation and use of Hokkien. The Facebook page is operated by members of the Persatuan Bahasa Hokkien Pulau Pinang (Hokkien Language Association of Penang), a non-governmental organisation officially established in 2014 to safeguard the linguistic and cultural heritage of Penang Hokkien. Through its online presence, the Speak Hokkien Campaign plays a crucial role in uniting Hokkien-speaking communities globally and inspiring a renewed appreciation for the language.
See also
- Hokkien architecture
- Hokkien culture
- Hokkien media
- Hoklo people
- Lan-nang-oe (Philippine Hokkien)
- Medan Hokkien
- Place and street names of Penang
- Singaporean Hokkien
- Southern Malaysia Hokkien
- Taiwanese Hokkien
- Written Hokkien
Notes
References
Further reading
- , bound with
External links
- Learn Penang Hokkien in hokkien poj
- Memes and Movie quotes in Penang Hokkien
- Penang Hokkien Podcast