Saturday, 30 April 2022

Professor Lim talks about errors in speaking Teochew

 Errors in speaking Teochew and not using traditional Teochew words and phrases

poin7 huag4 辦法|办法

method of doing something, means of doing something

ban4fa3 辦法|办法

Not said as bain7huag4 and Professor Lim said this bain7 may come from error in translating ban4 from Mandarin.

buê1lêng5 菠薐

spinach

bo1cai4 菠菜

Spinach is often said incorrectly as bo1cai3 菠菜

mang5guên2 芒果

mango

mang2guo3 芒果

suain7 檨

mango

mang2guo3 芒果

The word for mango in Teochew is suain7 and many children say it incorrectly as mang’guo.

There are other words which have been mispronounced as well. For example:

bhuang6tao5 饅頭|馒头

plain steamed bun

man2tou5 饅頭|馒头

so1lo1bao1 梭羅包|梭罗包

round steamed bun

 

gan3bao1 酵包

steamed bread buns without filling

man2tou5 饅頭|馒头

gan3guê2 酵粿

steamed bread buns without filling

man2tou5 饅頭|馒头

And there are people who have not picked up their Teochew dictionaries and say the plain steamed buns as mang’tao!

I also think they should have discussed the incorrect use of Teochew characters, especially in drama and song subtitles. It is really 丟臉 for Teochew people not to be able to write in their own mother tongue and spell incorrectly.  In Teochew, we say 丟臉 as sia3suê1nang5瀉衰人

sia3suê1nang5 瀉衰人|泻衰人

to lose face: to bring shame on oneself or somebody; be humiliated or come to be less highly respected

diu1lian3 丟臉|丢脸

diu1ren2 丟人|丢人

Steam Boat

huê2uê1火鍋|火锅

hotpot, steam boat

huo3guo1 火鍋|火锅

ruang2lou5 煖爐|暖爐|暖炉

hotpot, steam boat

huo3guo1 火鍋|火锅

People in our homeland do not call steamboat as ruang2lou5 anymore and use the Mandarin word huê2uê1.


Professor Lim uses our Teochew words and expressions V

 Professor Lim continues to talk about our Teochew words and expressions.

There are a couple of expressions / words which Professor Lim did not explain and I have never heard of these before, and I have therefore left them blank.  If anybody knows their meanings, please comment and share. 

gi3dioh8記著|记着

remember

記得|记得

deng5nang5 唐人

Chinese people

 

huang1uê7番話∣番话

foreign languages

外國話∣外国话

huang1gian2番囝

foreigners – non Chinese

wai4guo2ren2  外國人∣外国人

 

gi3dioh8 deng5nang5 dan3 huang1uê7,

記著唐人呾番話|记着唐人呾番话

Remember Chinese speaking foreign languages.

gi3dioh8 huang1gian2 cui3 huên7huên7

記著番囝嘴横横|记着番囝嘴横横    

 remember foreigners' mouths wide open! [Sorry I forgot to translate this line!] 

muê5 糜

congee, rice gruel, rice porridge

粥

bêh8 muê5 白糜

congee, rice gruel, rice porridge

白粥

pang1 muê5芳糜

 

 

hai2cin1 muê5 海鮮糜∣海鲜糜

seafood congee

海鮮粥∣海鲜粥

hê5 muê5 蝦糜∣虾糜

prawn congee

蝦粥∣虾粥

hoi6 muê5 蟹糜

crab congee

螃蟹粥

he5 muê5 魚糜∣鱼糜

fish congee

魚粥∣鱼粥

diam5 muê5 甜糜

sweet congee

甜粥

bhi2 米

rice

米

dê5 bhi2茶米

tea leaves

茶葉∣茶叶

hê5bhi2 蝦米∣虾米

dried small prawns

蝦米∣虾米

boh8 kag4 bhi2 薄殼米∣薄壳米

Is a special quality type of Teochew famous dish.

薄殼米是一種廣東潮汕地區的潮菜的特色名菜。

gang3 bhi2 𧒄米

 

 

tang5 gang3 蟲𧒄

 

 

boh8 kag4 薄殼∣薄壳

musculus senhousia a type of mussel

 

guê2 餜∣馃 A粿

The correct guê2 character is 餜

ang5 to5 guê2 紅桃餜∣红桃馃

red peach savoury cake filled with pang1 bung7

ce2 kag4 guê2 鼠麴餜∣鼠曲馃A kag4 麯

A type of sweet cake in which the wrapper is made from ce2 kag4 cao2

ce2 kag4 cao2 鼠麹草|鼠曲草

Pseudognaphalium affine: a plant used for making a Teochew steamed cake

shu3qu4cao3

鼠麹草|鼠曲草

diam5 guê2 甜餜|甜馃

A steamed sweet cake made from ground gluttonous rice

dian2 鼎

a cooking pot, called wok nowadays

炒鍋|炒锅

dua7 dian2 大鼎

a large wok

大炒鍋|大炒锅

dian2 gian2 鼎仔

a small frying pan

小炒鍋|小炒锅

dian2 zao3 鼎竈|鼎灶

 

 

buah4 缽|钵

an earthenware bowl

 

bung7buah4 飯缽|饭钵

an earthenware bowl for cooked rice

ka1buah4 骹缽|骹钵

A stand for an earthenware bowl like a trivet

lou2buah4 滷缽|卤钵

an earthenware bowl for stewed meat

cu3 厝

house, apartment, flat

房子

ki2cu3 起厝

to build a house

蓋房子|盖房子

dua7 cu3 大厝

a big house, apartment, flat

大房子

cu3 gian2 厝仔

a small house, apartment, flat, room

小房子

cong5 Siam5lo5 puêh8 gao3 de1zo5

de1zo5 is a pig’s trough is where home is; Siam’lo is Thailand which is very far away; and the chats will last a long time, chatting about irrelevant stuff, talking about everything under the sun.

從暹羅詖到豬槽|从暹罗诐到猪槽

zêg8 pin3 pang5 ke3 gao3 Sig8lag8bou1

When one does not know where a person has gone, one can use the phrase “zêg8 pin3 pang5 ke3 gao3 Sig8lag8bou1”

Gai2 muêh8 m6zai1 zao2 gao3 di7go3 ke3

一片帆去到實叻埠|一片帆去到实叻埠

個物唔知走去底塊去|个物唔知走去底块去

Sig8lag8bou1 實叻埠|实叻埠

Singapore

Xin1jia1po1 新加坡

bho5 kou2 nai6ho5 zêng1 diam5 guê2

to go overseas

guê3huang1 過番|过番

無苦奈何舂甜餜|无苦奈何舂甜馃

gang1nion5 乾糧|干粮

dried rations taken on an expedition

gan1liang2 乾糧|干粮

 

huang1boin5 zin5 ngeng5 Deng5suan1 hog4

番畔錢銀唐山福

Money earned overseas is the family’s in China blessing.

海外掙的錢財是家裏人的福氣

dang5zin5 cug4 kou2 kên1

銅錢出苦坑|铜钱出苦坑

It is not that easy to earn money.

gang1kou2 tang3 kuan3uah8 ziah8

艱苦賺快活食|艰苦赚快活食

Difficult to earn money, easy to eat

sên1 gian2 m6 tag8ze1 bug4ru5 ci7 dua7 de1

生囝唔讀書不如飼大豬|生囝唔读书不如饲大猪

It would be better to rear a large pig, then to give birth to a child who do not want to study.