Hokkien still rules in Penang

The people of Penang, including those who are not Chinese, speak a distinctive Penang form of Hokkien. But due to the movement of people and also the proliferation of Cantonese drama series on TV, is the island’s lingua franca under threat? TAN SIN CHOW and YENG AI CHUN ask the experts and the ordinary folks.

PENANG-born Loh Nam Hooi makes it his mission to use Hokkien when talking to Chinese community leaders, be it during casual or formal occasions.

"We would greet each other lu ho bo (How are you?) or chiak ba boi (Have you eaten?) each time we converse in Hokkien. When we speak in Hokkien, the camaraderie and kinship is closer and punctuated with warmth and cordiality.

“For me, Hokkien is synonymous with Penang. That sums up everything,” he said in a telephone conversation recently.

He holds firm to this view because Hokkien was the common dialect since earlier Chinese settlers from the southern Fujian province in China populated Penang.

“Therefore, from what I’ve observed, the Hokkien dialect is still very much in command here,” he said.
Loh’s conviction is understandable as he is none other than the Penang Hokkien Association chairman.

But he acknowledged the slow but gradual infusion of Cantonese in the daily lingo of the people here.

"The emergence of Cantonese in Penang could be due to the influx of Cantonese-speaking students from Ipoh or Kuala Lumpur who study here.

“After completing their studies in local institutes of higher learning here, most of these students preferred to settle here after landing jobs.

“That is why, occasionally, we can hear some of them speak in Cantonese when ordering food in hawker centres.

“But in order to adapt themselves in a Hokkien-dominant population like Penang, they have to pick up Hokkien.

“That's why I say Hokkien would continue to be widely spoken here,” he said.

Echoing his sentiment was Penang Kwangtong and Tengchew Association chairman Datuk Lye Siew Weng.

A Cantonese himself, Lye, who is also the Deputy State Legislative Assembly Speaker, claimed that his mother tongue would never “uproot” the popularity of Hokkien in Penang.

“Hokkien, as far as I am concerned, will not diminish, especially in Penang,” he said.

“Although many seem to be drawn to Hong Kong Cantonese drama series, they are also well-versed in Hokkien.”

Lye said Penangites were always well known for their versatility in languages or dialects.

“At first, they can speak to you in English, Chinese, and Hokkien. And the next thing you know, they have switched to speaking in either Teochew or Hainan.

“And they have no problems doing that and they actually enjoy it! That's the distinctness of Penangites,” he said.

Lye, however, was quick to point out a breeze of change, which saw many switching their attention to the popular Taiwanese series Yi nan wang in Minnan (Hokkien) dialect.

“Besides, some of the foul words in Cantonese could be quite interesting,” quipped Lye, who added that both dialects would be on par as far as picking them up is concerned.

Picking up both languages is considered “a piece of cake” by many, he said.

For Johorean Chai Hui Choon, 27, who came to Penang to work, the inability to converse in Hokkien can be a handicap.

She had hawkers charging her a higher price for food because she did not speak Hokkien.


“Hokkien is very important in Penang because it is used by everyone. Though I do sometimes have problems communicating with certain people, it's not that hard to live in a predominantly Hokkien society,” she said.


“Penangnites are versatile in English and Mandarin. I just switch to those languages when I need to communicate with them.”

Chai, however, admitted that she’s slowly picking up the dialect and she understands some of the Hokkien words being spoken although she is not able to pronounce them.


Sherene Cheah, 25, who has been living in New York for more than six years, can’t help but stress that Hokkien is very much a part of a Penangnite’s life.

“We were raised to speak the dialect regardless of what dialectal group we were from. I spoke Hokkien every day at home and when I moved to New York, I still speak Hokkien with my housemate and sister,” she said.


And when she meets other Penangnites in New York, it's natural for her to revert to Hokkien, she said.

“Obviously, when you meet, you go back to your Penang roots. It might be a subconscious or conscious habit to just converse in Hokkien.

“Maybe speaking Hokkien in a foreign land gives you a sense of belonging and being home.”


Cheah attributed Penang's strong Hokkien identity to the community being rooted to the Hokkien cultural practices, which are part of the Taoist religion.

“Hokkien is here to stay. Look at the festive celebrations. It's part of the Penang-ness of Penang. Penang is Hokkien as much as Penang is famous for its hawker food,” she said.

”BOY, tolong chut khi chai tiam ma bei sabun ka timba. Mang bei ki bei
roti,” a mother said to her young son. Translation: Boy, can you
please go to the grocery shop and get some soap and a pail? Don’t
forget to buy the bread too.)

Sounds familiar?

This is Penang Hokkien, a dialect peppered with a little bit of Bahasa
Malaysia and English.

Though Hokkien remains the undisputed lingua franca of most
Penangnites, the dialect, which is a form of Min Nan (Southern Min)
dialect, has been creolised ever since the early Chinese settlers
arrived.

The language has become diluted but Penangites still hold strongly to
it.

It is something all Penangites identify with and a badge they proudly
wear.

This pride remains in place despite having Mandarin taught in schools
and Cantonese being heard on television.

Universiti Sains Malaysia Centre for Languages and Translation Chinese
Language lecturer Loo Hooi Huck said Hokkien was dominant in Penang
because the early Chinese settlers here were mainly from Fujian.

“There were early Chinese settlers from other parts of China too.
Cantonese is quite predominant in Penang and nearly 30% of Penangites
speak Cantonese.

“The early Cantonese-speaking Chinese from Canton settled at the Beach
Street area and Chulia Street market area,” he said.

Even though Cantonese is widely spoken and accepted elsewhere, Loo
does not see it taking over Hokkien in Penang.

“Though Hokkien is used daily and widely in Penang, Penang Hokkien has
very much evolved and can be said to have degenerated quite a bit,” he
said.

“When my father and mother came from China, the dialect was still
quite pure in form. As they settled here, they too learnt other
languages. Though they could speak Bahasa Malaysia well, they did not
let other languages influence their Hokkien. The language they
inherited was so strong that it was never polluted nor distorted.”

But as years passed by, the Hokkien spoken in Penang has become quite
distorted from the original.

For example, it is common to hear Penangites use the word “stone” for
“batu”, but in Johor, it’s still known as “chiu tau”.

What would you call a towel in Hokkien? I won’t be surprised if you
say tuala, when the right word is mo kin.

“I would say that Penang Hokkien has been mixed with words from other
languages and is quite limited in its vocabulary. It’s not that the
Hokkien dialect does not have these words but it’s our Hokkien that
doesn’t have the necessary words,” Loo said.

“Let’s say we ask a Penangite to take a newspaper and read it out in
Hokkien. He wouldn’t be able to do it. Our usage of Hokkien is limited
to daily transactions and confined to certain situations only.

“As it’s only used to converse casually among relatives and friends or
to buy something from the hawkers at the market, we don’t need a wide
range of vocabulary,

“If I had a problem concerning education and I would like to discuss
formal issues such as this, I’ll find myself short of words to
describe the issue in Hokkien. I would need to use words from another
language to make up for these loopholes. You don’t really use Hokkien
to discuss serious or formal issues.”

Loo said the country’s economic development also had a role to play in
the usage of the dialect.

“Back in the old Penang days, we had markets and shops. Now, we have
supermarkets and English and Bahasa Malaysia are most used there. It’s
no surprise that these two languages have become a bit more dominant
compared to Hokkien in that environment.

“Our hawkers are used to people not speaking Hokkien. Even our trishaw
pullers can speak English. While Hokkien is used widely in Penang, so
are other languages. Penang is very much a cosmopolitan place,” he
said.

With such low usage of the dialect, Loo said, he expected Hokkien to
be forgotten in 40 to 50 years' time.

“The newer generations are not used to using dialects and only use it
to communicate with their grandparents. At school, it’s Mandarin or
English and at home with their parents, it could be Mandarin or
English again.

“And when their grandparents are not around, they don’t usually use
it. That is a trend we cannot reverse. But this aside, it is good for
the new generation, as they have a few language tools to choose from,”
he said.

Raymond Kwok, 62, a former history teacher, local historian and
cultural researcher who wrote the book, Malay Echoes From The Past:
The Penang Hokkien Baba Language, said that the Hokkien dialect will
always remain dominant in Penang.

“Eventually, all dialectal groups will have to learn Hokkien.
Regardless of whether you're a Teow Chiew, Kek, Hakka or a Hok Chiew
there is no way you can escape. It is inevitable,” said Kwok who has
written four books on the dialect.

This is because the main communication tool in Penang is Hokkien. A
person who wants to do business in Penang needs to have a grasp of the
dialect. In order to haggle for better prices at the market, you need
Hokkien too.

Kwok said even though Hokkien is actually a dialect per se, he
believes it would evolve into a “language” in view of its dominance
among Penangites.