The General Classifier in Penang Hokkien using Taiji Romanisation

In our previous lesson, we learn demonstratives such as cit1-leh1 (this) and heh1-leh1 (that). In this lesson, we learn the general classifier leh2 . But before we do that, let's first establish what's a classifier.

A classifier, or penjodoh bilangan in Malay, is a "measure word". It "classifies" a noun based on its type. In English, we encounter it on occasion, for example, "a stack of papers", "two rows of houses", "three heaps of coconuts", etc. In Penang Hokkien, almost everything needs a classifier. Instead of saying "three fish", we have to say "three classifier fish". An appropriate classifier has to be selected based on the noun. In the case of fish (hu2 ), the classifier is boey4 . Thus, "three fish" in Penang Hokkien is "snar3-boey1 hu2" . We will return to this further down in our study.

For now, we learn the general classifier. This is the catch-all classifier. It is leh2.

Compare these two sentences:
"Cit1-leh1 si33 tok1teng4 " and "Cit1 leh2 si33 tok1teng4 ".

The first sentence reads as "this is table" while the second sentence reads as "this one is table". Therefore "cit1 leh2 " translates as "this one". The word leh2 is used here as a "classifier pronoun". It takes the place of a noun.

Cit1-leh1 ka1liau4 si33 kae3si1. Cit1 leh2 si33 tok1teng4. Heh1 leh2 si33 kau3ie4.
All these are furniture. This one is table. That one is chair.

Now compare these two sentences:

Cit1-leh1 tok1teng4 si33 wah1-eh2.
This table is mine.

Cit1 leh2 si33 wah1-eh2.
This one is mine.

In the above example, the classifier pronoun leh2 replaces the noun (tok1teng4) which is assumed to have been understood. The word "cit1-leh1", as we've learned in our previous lesson, is a demonstrative meaning "this". On its own, "cit1" is a short version of "cit1-leh1". It is employed in sentences with "leh2". Take note that "cit1-leh1" and "cit1 leh2" are almost the same in appearance, with only the tone number of "leh" differentiating them.

Now, I need you to pay close attention. The word for "one", as in "one table", is also "cit1". It however sandhis to "cit3" in front of the classifer. Therefore, you write "one table" as "cit3-leh3 tok1teng4 ". Note that cit3-leh3 is linked together by a hyphen. This construction comprises a number (cit1 ), a classifier (leh2 ) and a noun (tok1teng4 ). Compare the following:

one table: cit3-leh3 tok1teng4
this table: cit1-leh1 tok1teng4
this one: cit1 leh2 Now let's look at them in the following examples.

1. Uh33 snar3-leh3 tok1teng4. Cit3-leh3 tok1teng4 si33 wah1-eh2.
   There are three tables. One table is mine.
   
   
2. Uh33 snar3-leh3 tok1teng4. Cit3-leh2 si33 wah1-eh2.
   There are three tables. One is mine.
   
   
3. Uh33 snar3-leh3 tok1teng4. Cit1-leh1 tok1teng4 si33 wah1-eh2.
   There are three tables. This table is mine.
   
   
4. Uh33 snar3-leh3 tok1teng4. Cit1-leh1 si33 wah1-eh2.
   There are three tables. This is mine.
   
   
5. Uh33 snar3-leh3 tok1teng4. Cit1 leh2 si33 wah1-eh2.
   There are three tables. This one is mine.
   
   

(A problem I have with Chinese characters is that leh1 and leh2 are represented by the same character, ?. As a result, sentence 1 and 3 look the same, and sentence 2, 4 and 5 look the same. So if you were to write these sentences using Chinese characters, the subtleties of the tone difference cannot be indicated, and the reader might read the sentence not in the way that the writer intended it to be read. Taiji Romanisation in comparison is exact, so as long as you train yourself to detect the tone difference, you will never go wrong in this romanised system.)

A more specific classifier has to be used for most nouns. For example, if the noun is dog (kao4 ), the classifier is ciak3 . Here are some examples:

1. Uh33 nor33-ciak1 kao4. Cit3-ciak1 kao4 si33 kang1. Cit3-ciak1 kao4 si33 bo4.
   There are two dogs. One dog is male. One dog is female.
   
   
2. Uh33 nor33-ciak1 kao4. Cit3-ciak3 si33 kang1. Cit3-ciak3 si33 bo4.
   There are two dogs. One is male. One is female.
   
   
3. Uh33 nor33-ciak1 kao4. Cit1-ciak1 kao4 si33 kang1. Heh1-ciak1 kao4 si33 bo4.
   There are two dogs. This dog is male. That dog is female.
   
   
4. Uh33 nor33-ciak1 kao4. Cit1-leh1 si33 kang1. Heh1-leh1 si33 bo4.
   There are two dogs. This is male. That is female.
   
   
5. Uh33 nor33-ciak1 kao4. Cit1 ciak3 si33 kang1. Heh1 ciak3 si33 bo4.
   There are two dogs. This one is male. That one is female.
   
   

Please review the examples and get used to the construction. So far, I have introduce to you the general classifier leh2 and the classifiers boey4 (for fish) and ciak3 (for dogs). I will explain these and other classifiers a few lessons down. But before I get to do that, I need to teach you other stuff, which will come on in our next lesson.

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