This trip home to Penang allowed me to chat with many of you. All of you Penangites. But most of you are still trying to grasp the idea of what Penang Hokkien is and should be. Here’s a great interview from Lindsay. A podcast dedicated to languages. It will give you a better sense of why we are facing such an uphill battle in preserving our own language.
I have also met many of you who sensed the urgency of how close Penang Hokkien is to death. However,I also met a few of you who think that to preserve Penang Hokkien means we have to replace how we say “buaya”, “batu”, “baru”, “tapi”, etc. I want to be clear that what we want to preserve here is Penang Hokkien. Not tracing back to the purest form of Hokkien. Let’s leave that to the Hokkiens in China. I want us to preserve our dear Penang Hokkien. The one that you used to use as you’re growing up. Your parents and grandparents used to speak day in and day out.
To me, the biggest obstacle that we are facing is the lack of pride for Penang Hokkien. We are still facing the same misconception that it is only spoken by the uneducated. The unrefined. The uncultured. But all that is false. Being educated means you’re able to handle more than one language. Being refined and cultured is in your mindset. Not what languages you choose to converse in.
Let’s work harder. The solution is simple. Just use it. Use it as much or as little as you know. The more we use it, the more likely Penang Hokkien will remain alive.
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