Creating a truly Penangite Language

One Home One Language: creating a truly Penangite Language (6 February 2013)

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

When I set forth to create an online course to teach Penang Hokkien, my initial intention was just to make learning Penang Hokkien easy for visitors and expatriates. Since then, I find that my ambition has expanded by a quantum leap. I began to realise the importance of not only creating greater exposure for Penang Hokkien, but also in establishing its sovereignty as a truly Penang language, a language that every ethnic group in Penang can learn and use.

Three hundred and fifty years have passed since the forefathers of Penang Hokkien arrived and settled along the coast of Kedah. These largely illiterate people developed the language which was passed to Penang when it opened in 1786. Our forefathers' oral form of communication generously embraced loanwords from their neighbours. Refugees of war, they were a peace-loving people, and they brought with them a beautiful, courteous language. Until the 19th century, when the Sinkhehs arrived, our forefathers lived in peace amongst their Malay and Indian brethren. There was not a single record of them fighting one another, or envying one another, or hating one another.

But now the world has changed, and not for the better. Now it is the Establishment that is determined to divide us, to judge us by the color of our skin and the choice of our faith. We should resist this by celebrating common denominators that unite us.

Many of us were born in Penang. We grew up in Penang. We know Penang as our one and only homeland. Fujian Province is as foreign as the moon. Now, just as we consider ourselves Malaysian first, and Malay/Chinese/Indian second, so too, we should consider Penang Hokkien as a truly Made-in-Penang language, and open the gates for everybody to learn it.

While we appreciate the ties Penang Hokkien had with its land of origin, the language has come a long way in establishing its own identity. Penang Hokkien is not a language of Fujian Province - we can't use it to speak to people there. This is a Penang language, our language. We, the people who speak Penang Hokkien, have to be willing to sever the links it had with standard Hokkien, so that Penang Hokkien can stand on its own right. Barriers that prevent other races from learning it should be torn down.

The first step towards tearing down the barriers and establishing a truly Penangite Hokkien is in creating its own written form. For this purpose, I base it on the Roman alphabet. It is the common denominator that is familiar with all races in Penang, whether he is a Malay, Chinese or Indian. Just as the Malay language moved from jawi to rumi, and in so doing became easier for all races to accept, so too should Penang Hokkien transition from Chinese ideograms to the Roman alphabet, and from romanisations developed elsewhere to romanisation developed locally in Penang. The way I write Penang Hokkien is the same as how a Malay, Chinese or Indian would transcribe it phonetically, based on his knowledge of English and Malay. The message I'm bringing to all is, you don't need to know Chinese to know Penang Hokkien.

Apart from the four base tones that are added to ensure the syllables are pronounced correctly, the written form of Penang Hokkien that I've developed is the same as how Penangites would spell the names of their favourite dishes (char koay teow, wan tan mee, lor mee, etc.), the names of roads in George Town (Tiong Lor, Larm Chhan Na, etc.) and even how they spell their own names (Ong Seng Huat, Tan Cheng Bee, Leong Chee Keong, etc.)

While purists of standard Hokkien will condemn this effort as popularizing a corrupted form of creolised, pidgin Hokkien, I hope the people of Penang themselves will accept it as their language, their own language, one they can use to communicate warmly and intimately among themselves.

It is my aspiration that what I have developed will eventually be accepted by all, and those who have previously adhered to standard Hokkien romanisation will accept it as the way forward in creating a language that unites us all.

If you like to learn Penang Hokkien, go to:
https://www.penang-traveltips.com/penang-hokkien.htm and join the Learn Penang Hokkien Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/learnpenanghokkien/

Private Guided Tours of Penang
If you are seeking private guided tours of Penang, message Penang Tour Guides at penangtourguides@gmail.com and enquire with them.
Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang
Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.

Adakah anda mempunyai hartanah untuk dijual atau disewakan? Adakah anda ingin membeli atau menyewa hartanah? Hubungi saya. WhatsApp saya (Timothy Tye) di 012 429 9844, dan saya akan menugaskan salah seorang ejen hartanah saya untuk berkhidmat kepada anda. Saya akan pilih ejen untuk anda, mengikut keperluan hartanah anda. Oleh itu, apabila anda menghantar mesej kepada saya, berikan saya beberapa butiran tentang apa yang anda perlukan, sama ada untuk menjual, untuk membeli, untuk disewakan atau untuk disewakan, dan jenis hartanah apakah itu kondo, pangsapuri, rumah, kedai, pejabat atau tanah.

您有待出售或出租的房产吗？您想购买或租赁房产吗？与我联系。 WhatsApp 我 (Timothy Tye) 012 429 9844，我将指派一名房地产经纪人为您服务。我会根据您的房产需求，为您选择代理。因此，当您给我发消息时，请向我提供一些您需要的详细信息，无论是出售、购买、出租还是出租，以及房产类型，是公寓、公寓、房屋、商店、办公室还是土地。
New Properties in Penang
Looking to buy property in Penang? Get the e-brochures right here without having to visit or contact individual developers.

Anggun Residences E-Brochure, Batu Kawan

Aston Acacia E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam

Beacon Executive Suites E-Brochure, George Town

Beverly Heights @ Bukit Gambir E-Brochure, Gelugor

BM Highland E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam

Cypress Villa E-Brochure, Sungai Ara

D'Zone Condominium E-Brochure, Teluk Kumbar

Elements Garden E-Brochure, Butterworth

Ferringhi Residence 2 E-Brochure, Batu Ferringhi

GEM Residences E-Brochure, Prai

Golden Triangle 2 E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau

Grace Residence E-Brochure, Jelutong

Granito @ Permai E-Brochure, Tanjong Bungah

Green City Residence E-Brochure, Jelutong

Havana Beach Residences E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas

Imperial Residences E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau

Imperial Grande E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau

Lucerne Residence E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas

Mezzo @ The Light City E-Brochure, Gelugor

Middleton E-Brochure, Gelugor

Orchard Villa 3 E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat

Primero Heights E-Brochure, Permatang Pauh

Queens Waterfront Q2 E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas

Royale Heights @ Tambun Royale City E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat

Royale Infinity @ Tambun Royale City E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat

Rubica @ Harbour Place E-Brochure, Butterworth

Sensasi Commercial Suites E-Brochure, Batu Kawan

Setia Sky Ville E-Brochure, Jelutong

Setia Sky Vista E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau

Setia V Residence E-Brochure, Gurney Drive

Sinaran Residence E-Brochure, Batu Kawan

Sky @ TriPark E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam

Skyridge Garden E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong

Starhill Luxury Residences E-Brochure, Gelugor

Straits Residences E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong

Taman Nuri Emas E-Brochure, Nibong Tebal

The Light Collection IV E-Brochure, Gelugor

The Loft @ Southbay E-Brochure, Batu Maung

The Terraces Condominium E-Brochure, Bukit Jambul

Trehaus Condo Villas E-Brochure, Bukit Jambul

Triuni Residences E-Brochure, Batu Uban

Urban Suites E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong

Valencia Residence E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas

Vertu Resort E-Brochure, Batu Kawan

Vivo Executive Apartment E-Brochure, Batu Kawan

Viluxe E-Brochure, Batu Kawan

Waterside Residence E-Brochure, Gelugor

Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question
Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.
Map of Roads in Penang
Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy
Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer
Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.
Songs about Penang

Penang You Are So Beautiful

Penang, You're My Paradise

Penang You Are So Beautiful (Queens Waterfront Version)

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Copyright © 2003-2024 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.
Terms & Condition of Use | Privacy Policy