Protests in Diosua:

As of late there's been two major protests that made it to Western media channels...  check out this video from CNN HK/Beijing.

1) Wukan (near Sua:bhuè 汕尾) - Townspeople claim that a protest leader died of torture. Government officials claim he died of a heart attack. I'm not clear on why the original protest happened.

2) Haimen (near Dio:'iō: 潮陽) - Townspeople (30,000!) gathered to protest a current AND a new planned coal powerplant. Apparently the gov't has backed down on this second one. Go Haimen people!

I'm glad that Diosua: people are fighting against corruption and attacks on the local environment. Protest in Teochew is kàngngì 抗議。

What is so good about Teochew Food?

What's so good about Teochew food? Well I actually don't know. That's why these videos (2 parts) are great for helping to enlighten us Teochew-food-ignorants. This quick video is in Mandarin but with English subtitles. It leaves off where the other video that I posted, takes off. A nice little slice of Teochew food knowledge. What did I get from the video? Teochew food is all about subtle flavors. I haven't had some good Teochew food in months! Anyone have any suggestions (worldwide) for the best Teochew restaurants?

We are Gik-io:nang!

CHECK OUT THE MANGA HERE

Small snippet of the comic, go HERE for the full thing

Found this internet manga called "Uàng si Gīk-ionāng" (We are Gik-io: People). For those who don't know, Gik-io: is a city in the Diosua: region. The comic focuses on anthropomorphized tea kettles (very Teochew!) and  is light-hearted and quite funny. I really like the art and facial expressions. The linked episode is called "Gaginang". I think there's about a dozen of them. seems like they were created for that website "Chaoshanren.net" One interesting thing to note is that the whole thing is in Chinese characters and yet is in Teochew. Those Chinese readers who don't know know Teochew will probably be quite confused reading it.  For some a good percentage of words it uses Mandarin characters that approximate the sound of Teochew... for example:

- uà would normally be written 我 but is written as 瓦 in the comic. 
- măi would normally be written 勿 but is written 邁 in the comic.

I'll do a translation:


1A Jájai mài duà hiot jọi muetgiá:! / If I'd known, I wouldn't have brought so many things!
1B Mmm? / Hmm..
2B Hẹnglì kēt uà! / Give me the luggage!
2A Pāt kiot? Chàm liạo! / Oh no! Is he planning to steal stealing my stuff?

3A Nguánglại A Hia: sị hósim. Siohụ uà bua muetgiá, jọisiạ, jọisiạ!  / Turned out that you're a pretty nice guy. Helping me move my stuff, thanks a lot man!
3B Uàng lóngsị Gēk-iọ:nāng, dọ káo giā: diot siohú gagināng! / We're all Gek-io people! You have to help your own people!

3A Hia: a! Mó-ìseu, uà singdèng gại ngīng ṃ lạ hāi... / Hey man! So sorry, but I'm don't have enough to pay...
3B ...

Teochew Words That are Hard to Translate into English

For a change, I thought I'd make an original (wow!) post, so I wanted to throw in some fun words that I think are relatively hard to translate into English (or require many words to describe). Now, some of these may have easy translations into other languages, but it's takes some creativity to say it in Engbhūng.

Gáogoit
Rubbed off dead skin. This is my favorite, because I don't know of any other languages that have a word for this. Perhaps someone can enlighten me. All good Teochew parents teach their children how to clean themselves, and it takes a daily regimen of rubbing away gáogoit.

Mimi
Something shut closed but with a slit or small crack of showing. Mākmimi is someone's eye's that are closed so tight you can only see the slits. Perhaps "chink" would work.


 


Bhọlẹng-ūi
There's nothing you can do about it, there's no satisfactory way to do anything about this.

Lōng
To slide an object into a relatively small opening. Something like sliding a chopstick into a hole, or reach in with one's hand into a bag.

Tīktō
This one doesn't describe anything unique, but encompasses vacations, play, leisure, and doing anything for fun or enjoyment.

Have any more? Share them in comments!

Teochew Accents!

Time to hear some accents from around the Teochew world, we'll start with Vietnam and Cambodia. I'm gonna analyze how these individuals speak Teochew and perhaps we can understand some "typical" characteristics of regional Teochew speech (keep in mind some of it may be individual aberrations):

1. Vietnam - Thuan Loi's Gang-hu Dē Demonstration (quite good actually to see a hạose:nāng doing this)

- Any tone 5 (such as 個 gāi) becomes more of a tone 6 (so, 個 gái)
- 杯 bue, sounds more like bui
- 沖茶 chongdē, becomes songdē (this is a very typical change CH -> S for Vietnamese TC speakers)

2. Cambodia - Teochew People Celebrating New Year's Eve (aka Sa:japmē) in Phnom Penh

- (.48) 好就 hòjiụ is a very common connector between sentences, means "and then"
- (4.55) 零顆 lạnglò, meaning "some", very common
- (6.35) 每 mué is pronounced múi
- ang-he meaning "this way"


 

Mué oi!

Yes, I've been searching videos like crazy on Youku 尤酷 a Chinese internet video website. Found this hilarious video ... the guy is pretty funny, though a little old for high school! This video is about finding love in unexpected places... ha ha ha. Plus the Teochew is quite easy to understand. Enjoy this video from the artist Dio: Chiụ Tōng 張樹桐 It's from an album called "Che:-I" or "Green Shirt". He has some other videos that poke fun.

Teochew Artist: Ku Họng Ù 邱洪宇

Next Teochew artist is Ku Họng Ù 邱洪宇 (his family name might be pronounced "kiu"). This video probably has the highest production value I've ever seen from a Teochew music video (Produced by Dongo Music 東音社 - website seems out of commission) Plus, his voice is pretty damn good - it reminds me of Richie and he even looks a bit like him too. I think its great that this guy wrote a song about his momma and she's even in the video too! Schweeeeeet - Teochew people coming UP in the modern music world!

Teochew Artist: Dio: Mạng Hōng 張夢虹

*NEWS FLASH*: This just in: a singer who sings in Teochew, and the music is MODERN. Don't believe me? Take a listen. This song is called  《Chiù Kang Chiù Giā: 手牽手行》Yeah, its a bit cutesy and sounds kind of like a lot of Mandarin/Cantonese music out there, but freak man, it's modern! Apparently she is from 普寧 Pouleng (and you can tell by the way she says 汝 lèu as lù). Enjoy! I've included a direct video for her song Chiù Kang Chiù Giā:. Also here is a link to another of her songs 《Hue Mịng Ngiao 花面貓》

Teochew Cartoons

Dạigehò! I know I have been slow to post in the last couple of months, so I've decided to step it up a notch and post THREE times today - because I love you so much (but mostly because I found a bunch of awesome things). For this first one: Cartoons!

Who doesn't reminisce about Saturday morning cartoons? Let's check out some real Teochew cartoons from China! The first one is about 出花園 Chuk Hue Hēung - anTeochew coming of age ceremony for both boys and girls (like a Sweet 16, Bar mitzvah, or Quicenera). If you have never heard of it this is a perfect introduction on what it entails. The second is 柴房会外传 Chàibāng Hué Ghuạ Juang or Firewood House Story. The Teochew in both is quite understandable. Enjoy!

Old Swatow

Suatāo gai Lạochịku

Interior that's seen better days...

Sue Ann Tay: Check out her Shanghai Street Stories

Just found a nice little photography article on old Swatow (of course nowadays is known as Shantou) or in pengim "Sua:tāo". Singaporean photographer Sue Ann Tay is known for her work on Shanghai, but also paid a visit to this "largest city" of the Diọsua: region. I've personally been to the old quarter of Sua:tāo and I thought it had a lot of character - the mix of East and West, and just a nice change of pace from typical modern architecture that you can find throughout China nowadays. The old quarter is officially know as the 汕頭老市區 (Sua:tāo Lạochị-ku) and it is unfortunately not being maintained. Tay also visits Teochew City. I can't recommend enough that overseas Teochew folks, especially young ones take a trip to China to see these places. It helps to speak good Teochew, but if you have relatives or friends who can translate you'll have a richer experience.

Article:
China Through My Lens: Exploring Shantou's vanishing treaty port architecture with Sue Anne Tay

Teochew Medicinal Herbs in Tàigok

Fellow Gaginanger and staff member Du gave me a heads up on an article in the Bangkok Times about Teochew folks in Yaowarat (Bangkok's Chinatown) selling medicinal greens/herbs. The article is great because they specifically mention Teochew language, have the names of the herbs in Teochew, and have pictures of the Teochew woman who sells them. I've never heard of these in Teochew, but I've probably seen some of these before... like the Jui Dek Chao (probably 水竹草) looks awfully like Wandering Jew (Purple Heart). Also seems like a lot of these are just edibles that happen to have medicinal properties... awesomeness! If you ever wind up in Bangkok, you really have to go to Yaowarat - its huge, sprawling, and filled with Teochew people - you'll hear it being spoken especially amongst the older folks... me thinks the writer for this article must be Teochew heh heh.

I've tried to provide characters and English for the list they have at the end, can anyone help me finish it?

• JUI TEK CHAO (水竹草?)  - lit. Water bamboo grass
• JING JU CHAI (真珠菜)  - lit. Pearl greens
• EAH MOR CHAO (羊毛菜)  - lit. Wool greens
• KAO KI CHAI (枸杞菜) - Wolfberry/Gojiberry Plant  
• SAI EAH CHAI (西洋菜) - Watercress  - lit. Western ocean greens
• HUA SIA TAO CHAO (?)  - Pennywort, rau ma
• HUE CHAI CHAO (?)  
• POW TI KIM (?)  
• TAO CHI CHAO (?)  
• POR EAH (?)  
• JIA TAE CHAO (?)

A Teochew Version of "The View"

 
Ah yes, "The View" - an American talk and variety show featuring the opinions of four women, including Barbara Walters, Whoopi, and Joy Behar, and others... well, Teochew people gots their own show with opinionated women! Check out 美女觀天下 múi nèung guang ti: é (literally: Beautiful Women Viewing Everything Under the Sky). One of the most interesting things I notice is how different their accents are. I like the host's accent the best - well, at least its easiest for me to understand, and also the one in red. Some of the others have weird tones, or pronounce things weird. Also I can tell one or two of them are making mistakes on some words, and also fill in their missing TC with Mandarin or even Cantonese occasionally. Anyhow, one interesting show is about "Growing Up With Teochew Parents" and "Teochew Guys and Male Chauvinism"... click on the picture then scroll down on the left to the top rated shows "嫁人要嫁潮汕男？" or "潮汕男人與大男子主義".

Teochew Hip Hop

A while back I posted some songs from some Sua:tao hip-hop artists, now here is a short clip of an interview with some more - with English subtitles (its in Mandarin, but the music is in Teochew)! Enjoy! I honestly can't say the music sounds great, but then again, I'm not much of a hip-hop fan. I wonder where all the Teochew indie music is though... I guess that's just more searching to do!

Learning Teochew in Hong Kong

And from Hong Kong is a documentary about dying regional Chinese languages and cultures. Featured prominently is Teochew (aka: Chiu Chow). Check out the video about 50 seconds in and you'll see some gang-hude as well as a class learning Teochew. Awesome no? The whole thing is in Cantonese, but the subtitles are in Mandarin (or is it just Mandarin-style Cantonese?). Credit goes to Gaginang poster NG for posting this on Gaginang's messageboard first.

Gaginang Conference 2011 in Oakland, CA, USA

Check out an awesome event for anyone interested in Teochew-ness: Gaginang's biennial conference, and not just because I co-founded this organization (and am a current staff member), but because its really an awesome event where you get to meet other Teochew nang who are into their Teochew-ness. And to anyone who doesn't happen to live in California: imagine 100+ young Teochews happily learning, talking, and thoroughly enjoying their Teochew heritage. Make the journey - how many conferences do you know like this? eh???? What do you say? "Uabe jing AWESOME" is what I say! Cool speakers, awesome workshops, fun games, and more stuff I don't even know.. =)

Learn more and register OFFICIAL 2011 CONFERENCE

• August 13-14, 2011 (Saturday 9am - 9pm and Sunday 9am - 3pm)
• Oakland, CA, USA
• Register early to get a discounted registration price (c'mon, if you're Teochew you want to save some money, Let's be real!)

Top 5 Myths about Learning Teochew

Here are some myths I'd like to debunk... 

5. 8 TONES IS TOO MANY
Technically, two of those eight only occur with words that end with "-p", "-k", or the glottal stop "-t". Three more are flat (one low pitch, one medium pitch, one high pitch). One falls, one rises, and the last dips. That's all! Maybe I'll create a video for this...

4. TEOCHEW IS VERY SIMILAR TO MANDARIN
Teochew is in the Minnan group of languages, which, when considering all other Chinese dialects, is the least related to Mandarin.

3. SINCE ALL CHINESE DIALECTS SHARE THE SAME SCRIPT, WE CAN JUST USE ANY WRITTEN CHINESE AND READ IT OUT AND LEARN FROM IT IN TEOCHEW.
That first part is true, BUT, the translation would sound horrible, and unnatural. A little history: Before the 1920s all of China wrote this obscure ancient written language known as Classical Chinese. It's like the Latin of Chinese. So imagine, that every time you have any news, official decrees, or learning of any kind, you'd have to do it in Latin (rather than the language you speak on a day-to-day basis). Well, that sucked, so champions of the people decided to go au-natural... so since  the 1920s China has officially written the vernacular, or writing that reflects what people speak. The only problem is that China had all these dialects... so they decided to create an artificial language called "Putonghua" BUT, eventually this created language was lik 98% based on Mandarin anyway, so the other dialects got shafted. Fast forward to the modern day and practically any time you see Chinese writing, you will see Mandarin writing. That's as if English readers had to write their language in German.... well not exactly like that, but you get my point.

So what his all means is that when you see Mandarin writing and try to read it out in Teochew, the basic jist will probably eke through but it will sound ridiculous. For example...

他们不要学中文  

Mandarin: Tamen bu yao xue zhongwen. 

Mandarin-style Teochew: Tameung buk iao ot dongbhung. 

Colloquial Teochew: inang mai ot dongbhung.

Different huh? I propose using Teochew characters (which there are), and Teochew peng-im to learn Teochew. Makes sense doesn't it? I will create a list of common Teochew words that are different from Mandarin. A side note that Cantonese does the same exact thing - they use different characters to write those parts that aren't in Mandarin.

2. I CAN'T EXPRESS MYSELF IN TEOCHEW
That's why you have to learn all the little nuances, phrases, idioms, to do so.

1. TEOCHEW IS A LOST CAUSE/MANDARIN IS WAY MORE USEFUL

If we follow that logic then why don't we tell everyone in the world to stop learning their languages and say keep three around... English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Cool? NOT COOL! The only way Teochew will become useful is when we decide to use it in our daily lives, and to make it important enough for children/adults/non-Teochew people to learn it!

Thanks for reading this diatr... I mean listicle!

-Ty

Teochew Speech at Singapore Worker's Party Rally (April 28, 2011)

Found this speech by Low Thia Khiang at a Singapore Worker's Party Rally. I don't know much about Singaporean politics, but it speaks volumes that people are still holding speeches in Teochew - that means that there are still people (at least in Hougang - an area of Singapore with lots of Teochew) who can understand it, and that probably want to hear it. One might think that the Singaporean gov't might ban speeches in dialect - and force them speakers to use one of the four official languages (English, Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil... particularly English and Mandarin nowadays)... but no... interesting. On the speech itself, I rather like his Gek-io: accent... very agreeable to my ears. =)

Teochew Music Video from Khuntien Indonesia: "I'll Be Back To You"

Is this the Teochew Richie Ren? No, but good nonetheless - It's another song from Khuntien Indonesia. This is a sappy romantic ballad - usually not my cup of tea, but I couldn't help but post it because it's just awesome hearing Teochew, from Indonesia, no less. Plus, I can understand the lyrics - always a good sign! This really tells you about how many Teochew people there must be in Pontianak. Another reason to visit!

Teochew Food & Culture: A Visit From Singapore to China!

Food Nation: Teochew from Mak CK on Vimeo.
Food Nation is a TV show (web or broadcast?) that covers, yes, food. This 45 min episode is all about Teochew food. They compare all the Teochew foods that Singaporeans are used to eating with the versions in the Teochew homeland. On the way, they also get to experience other aspects of Teochew culture. It's a great primer on Teochew culture actually, particularly for anyone who doesn't know what to say Teochew culture is about... my only qualm about this otherwise awesome find is that everyone speaks Mandarin except for two or three people (The kid in the beginning, the oyster fisherman, an the Singapore blogger who says "Sua:" and "Hài") [that was pretty cool by the way - his explanation about the muē, heh heh) Here's what you'll get a taste of.

Oyster Omelette Ọluat
Yam Paste Ọunī
Braised Goose Lọghō
Teochew Woodcarving
Kungfu Tea Gang-hudē
Bamboo Dumplings Sungguè
"Mouse Shell Gue" Chéukākguè?
Kaiyuan Temple and Xihu
Teochew Opera Diọgiāt
B-boy dancing
Rice Porridge Muē

Guiyu, E-waste Epicenter is near Sua:tāo!

Have you heard of Guiyu 貴嶼, e-waste epicenter of the world? Back in 2008 there were lots of reports of this electronic graveyard and environmental disaster site located somewhere in Guangdong, and at the time I found out, to my dismay, that, guess what, it's in Diọjiu (Chaoshan). It's in Sua:tao County, halfway between Póulēng and Diọ-iō: I was aghast! You hear about all sorts of environmental disasters and problems around the world, but you never REALLY think about them until it's in your backyard or affecting people you know.

Does anyone have any information on what is going on in Guiyu in 2011? Has anyone ever been there? I also wonder if the people doing the dismantling are all local Diọsua: people or are there folks from other provinces who come here just to do the work. Questions, questions, questions. Also, what can we do to help? For me, I'm going to try to limit my technology purchases to what I absolutely need, not buying anything just because I want the latest and greatest. Also, the stuff I already have I will try to find a responsible e-waste recycler. Thinking back I have dumped the following: a Compaq Presario (it was a monster), a CRT monitor or two, a flatscreen monitor, 3 or 4 keyboards, 3 or 4 mouses, wires and cables plenty, a NES, SNES (or maybe I sold them), and countless other electronic devices... it's kind scary that I'm typing on a little flat box of poison. 

Check out the stories done of Guiyu back in 2008 from CBS's 60 Minutes and Greenpeace. The one from Greenpeace even has a picture of gang-hudē made from the local Guiyu water which is black. UGH. It was so black I thought it was a teacup cover.

Teochew Opera in Thailand

I have to be honest. I don't like Teochew Opera, and among younger Teochew people, I don't think I'm alone. I've seen a couple of performances, but it just seems so not-real-to-life, like of a different age. Perhaps if they took the same stories but put modern twists to them it would be more appealing. Also, there is certainly a language barrier - the Teochew used is quite chim (deep), not colloquial at all. A couple of years back Gaginangers volunteered with the local Teochew Opera Association down in Southern California, and it was great to get exposure to it. I was even asked if I wanted to train in it - alas, it's not my cup of dē.

This video report is from CCTV (China), and done in English. It's a nice little encapsulation of the dying art in Bangkok. I hear that many of the actors aren't even Teochew anymore, but Thais or others from rural areas - I guess they just memorize the Teochew. Perhaps some of the operas are put in Thai as well. Also, I posted a Thai serial drama that has Teochew Opera as one if its main devices, you can find that here.

Old School: Uà sị Diọjiunāng

Ah Niu and his buddy created a whole album (the name escapes me.. but i think the album name might be the name of this song too) of Teochew and Hokkien songs back in the 90s. They're both from Malaysia, and the name of this song is 我們一家都是人 We are all one family of people. It's particularly interesting to me because it uses both Hokkien and Teochew in the same song, and yet I can understand both. In Malaysia and Singapore, Teochew and Hokkien is very very similar. Enjoy this blast from the past. I like the kiddy illustrations.

* Is that a dress that they are calling "mua:"? I'd call it gūng.

Teochew Rap Anyone?

Okay people, are you ready for it? Teochew rap.... YES. I'm sure if you go to Diosua: there is actually a pretty big hip-hop/rap scene, with a quite a bit of interest in making music in Teochew. I've included three artists that I found on the internet. The latest two (that I found) is from MC BLS and 貓貓 CAT. 西社金牛, I found back in 2007. His song is ridiculously fast (Cat's rap part is fast too) - I think I can only attempt the choruses of both songs. I honestly don't understand most of the songs - it would require me to do some translation. In any case, it's just great to see (hear!) what can be done with our language.

尚浪險 (Siạng Lạng Hiàm) by MC BLS


汕尾女孩 (Sua: Bhuè Néung Hai) by 貓貓 CAT


酒肉茶話 (Jiụ Nēk Dẹ Uẹ) by 西社金牛(Sai Siạ Gim Ghū)

Khuntien (Pontianak)

View Larger Map

Khuntien (Kungdiang) is the local Teochew name for the Indonesian city of Pontianak which is located on Borneo (Kalimantan is the Indonesian part). From meeting Gaginangers in the past, I've learned that the city's Chinese population is predominately Teochew, with a Hakka presence as well. Apparently all Chinese in Khuntien speak Teochew, even some non-Chinese. The Teochew accent there is slightly different from what I'm used to, for example some words actually have -n endings (which is not typical in other Teochew dialects). Also, the vocabulary probably takes from Indonesian as well. In any case, it would be great to visit one day. Here are some songs from an artist who wrote some folk songs in Teochew. I wonder who the original artist is and where the original artist is now? I would love to learn the songs and give them a more modern/poppy/emo twist. Enjoy!

2 Minutes in Sua:tao

Never been to Sua:tao? Or maybe you have, but only have two minutes to spare? Well, I have the thing just for you: A techno/game music-infused two minute tour of Sua:tao. Truly, the video doesn't do it justice at all - I wish someone would do a full HD video sharing all the awesomeness that is Diosua:, but I've yet to find any online. Maybe that's my next project? In any event, the video brings your from old town in Sua:tao to the waterfront, then to a small town (probably in nearby Pouleng or Dio-io:), then on a boat ride, puppet viewing, temple visit, grave visit, Teochew food all along the journey, and then back to the old city and waterfront. Also, I want to note that Diojiuchi (Teochew City) itself is in my opinion much awesomer than Sua:tao. With that said, enjoy!

UC Berkeley got Teochew

It's been a while since I was an undergrad (but only a year since I was a grad student), but college is often the perfect time to explore your TC-ness. Meeting new people who you might just be able to relate with (or even discover that you are related with) is awesome. In my neck of the woods, there's the UC Berkeley Teochew Association (TCA for short), a student-run group for Cal students who are Teochew or interested in Teochew culture and more. The group has been going strong for quite a few years now and I personally know many of the current and ex officers. They put on a lot of fun activities on campus and off. Check out this awesome music video they created: "Teochew People are Everywhere". Also their UCB-TCA YouTube channel with tons of other videos from their events.

Go UCB-TCA!

Note: There might be a Teochew organization on your campus or perhaps you'd like to start one? Go to the Facebook Teo-Chew College Coalition (TCCC)

Multilingual and Multigender in Singapore

 

 

 

There is something hilarious, familiar, and ingenious about the way Singaporeans speak, no? It's like the best of all the Singaporean languages, wrapped up in the perfect package. It's awesome, it combines the Mandarin that I learned in school, with the Teochew that I grew up with, the Hokkien and Cantonese that I listened to/watched in songs and movies, and the English that I use everyday. That just leaves the Malay, Tamil (and other Indian languages), and of course the Hainanese. It's like a multilingual treat every time I watch a Singaporean film. So here is another one:

From Singaporean Director Han Yew Kwang is an interesting gender-bender film, 《当海南遇上潮州》 "When Hainan Meets Teochew ". Released in December of last year (a whole three months ago), the stars are a 'manly woman' and a 'womanly man' who fall in love. Yes, the movie is a comedy, and no, its not boring. I admit that I haven't seen it yet, but c'mon, check out the teasers/trailers. Has to be funny. My favorite trailer is no. 2. (the middle one). Oh and apparently there's a good deal of Teochew (and Hainanese) spoken in the movie.

Teochew Map

View Place of Interests in a larger map

Just in case you thought that this blog would only be about other people's stuff, I thought I would share something that I created for Gaginang. It's a Google Map of Teochew owned businesses, Teochew Associations, and other important Teochew community places - all over the world! Most of the information there is about places in the US, but you can help change that. The one place which would get a bit crowded is in Diosua: We'd have to list every business! So all you have to do is log into your google account then you can go to "collaborate" and start editing. Try to include more information than just the name and location. As with any wiki-type tools, the map is freely editable by anyone, but can also get messed up by spammers, so please help maintain the map as well.

Jọisiạ!

The Last Peony Petal (Thai Drama about the Teochew Experience)

Botan is a famous author from Thailand who wrote the wonderful "Letters From Thailand" (1969) a novel about the Teochew-Thai experience. I discovered this book by chance at my local library back in 2005 and after reading the book (more than 3 times now), I've always wanted to find the movie adaptation of it. Thai people love their lakorn (ละคร) or serial dramas, so I thought I would search for it online. Low and behold I just found, "The Last Peony Petal", which, according to online sources, is based on another novel by Botan (perhaps originally a book?). Amazingly the gracious Wishboniko has provided not only the whole series on YouTube, but also with English subtitles! Awesome stuff. It's all in Thai, but with a good smattering of Teochew (people's names, pronouns, occasional phrases). Enjoy! Here is the playlist so you don't go crazy looking for all the different episodes and parts of episodes. There are 13 episodes in total.

Note: The video shows the opening theme, with the beginning of episode 1 at the end. Oh and I realized of course that Botan's name is actually 牡丹 Bhóudang, or Peony.

Update (3/2/11): I have finished watching the first episode, and the story seems to be moving along quickly and focusing on the young adults. It's pretty funny - and even more Teochew spoken than I thought.

孙燕姿 Stefanie Sun Speaks Teochew!! (just a bit)

"Geme: jiat bẹung" oops, I mean "Gingme: jiat bẹung"

Stefanie Sun, or in Teochew 孙燕姿 Sung Ĭ: Jeu, is a somewhat popular Chinese pop star based mainly out of Taiwan, but originally from Singapore. The first song I heard from her was 我要的幸福 (My Desired Happiness) back in 2000. It was alright. The main reason I listened to her songs was... yes, because she is Teochew. For the longest time I was annoyed that she only sings in Mandarin, and one, yes, one freakin' song in Hokkien (just one line of the chorus in 天烏烏 Ti: Ou Ou). So finally I find this video where she says a little bit. The funniest part of the video is when the host says that phrase that people use to make fun of Teochew people (I believe he is actually speaking in Taiwanese/Hokkien):

Teochew lang ming ang ang (Teochew people, faces so red)
bangpui dua: chui gagi ang (Done a big fart, ???)

What does the last part mean? Can any commenters enlighten me? The other one I've heard is shorter:

Teochew nāng kacheung ạng āng

Does anyone now if this nasty little phrase is longer, or if there are different versions?

Loki from Belgium

Loki is a multilingual YouTuber who fancies learning languages and helping others learn them. Apparently he can speak Italian, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Indonesian, Dutch, German, AND his native tongue, Teochew. His accent makes me think his family is definitely from Cambodia. I can tell because he uses the word "肖 siạo" to mean "like" as in "he looks like him". He has a couple of vlogs in Teochew, and this is one of them.

A couple of comments on things he says in the video:

• dạigehòbhō [Ty: I've always said hòmò]
• lok-ià: [Ty: So that's what he uses for "video"]
• múiyīk [Ty: "Everyday", I pronounce it mué, and always say mué jek yīk]
• bhūng, ghèu, uẹ [Ty: I never got the subtleties of the differences between these words, except that bhūng seems to emcompass both the written and spoken languages while the other two are spoken.]

Also, apparently this guy has more than a passing resemblance to me. It's always weird when you discover people who share the same interests and happen to look like you too. =)

Happy Year of the Rabbit Music Video in Teochew

ECSTV 2011 New Year's Video
(Dà: gù hó uẹ họ sing nī)

First post! I created this blog to share all the different Teochew and Teochew-language media that I come across on the web (and off). I will also occasionally rant about Teochew language and perhaps post up some stuff on Teochew language learning. Hope you enjoy! The first thing I'd like to share is this New Year's video from ECSTV.com, the online part of a new Teochew cable network based from HK. Happy Year of the Rabbit Everyone!

Dọi-īk gại post! Uà jáosēng jì gại blog uịliạo họu dạige tói: guang-hị Diọjiu bhụng-huĕ gat Diọjiu-uẹ gai chailiạo. Uà iạ ú lạngsī puet ot Diọjiu-ue gại muetgiá:! Hiángsiụ dọi-īk gại video, ECSTV. Jōk dạige Tòunī Kuàilāk!

Bonus: Lyrics (with English translation, sans tones.) 

nang jojek-e laikeu tia: (we'll go together to hear...)

tia: mitgai (hear what?)

goi-tao hangbhue gai biangbao sia: (the sound of fireworks in the streets and alleys)

sua (kua:?) gia: li (please go ahead?)

biangbao sia: hiangki (the sound of the firecrackers)

jia si jek ni sing kaisi (only then does a year start)

e … (???)

nang jojek-e laikeu tia: (we'll go together to hear...)

tia: mitgai? (hear what?)

dua goilou (chi?) logou sia: (the sound of the big drums)

logou (drumming drums)

o? gia: gia: gia: (oh? go go go)

logou sia: hiangki (the sound of drumming the drums)

keng(?)dia: (definitely)

hogeng jiu do diosua:daidi (good scenery in the lands of Diosua)

hua:hi hua:hi (happy happy)

bholung leu gai chengnang do nali (no matter where your relatives are)

sang gu ho-ue lai bung i (bring good tidings to them)

diosia: hiangki (the sound of Teochew)

tuang keu jok hok biao sim i (passed down to wish and show kindness)

a gu ho ue pua leu lai gueni (... to celebrate new year)

bholung leu gai kabou do nali (no matter where your footsteps have been)

sang gu ho ue luang sim li (bring good tidings and warm thoughts)

diosia: hiangki (the sound of Teochew)

diamyiang haocheng jangki (???)

hio:im hio:cheng uiyiao leu simbi: (Home .......)

(refrain)

ngoujiu dioying lai hua:hi (Teochew people are happy across the five continents)

diosia: sing ni u hohi: (A Teochew new year with... ?)

gaginang do jek-e be: tuang tuang i: i: (Gaginang together, united)

da: gu ho-ue ho sing ni (say a good word to wish a new year)

1x

deung keu diosua: lao ge, gue gai sing ni (return to my hometown to celebrate new years)

gai ni gue lai gue chubhi (this year it'll be really interesting)

huahai diosua (?? Diosua)

na di jek piang yu ki (???)

choi:ge bhuang-hou nihue chuk muebhi 1000 families, 10,000 ???)

anggue, haogue, cheu-kakgue (all TC traditional new year's foods)

he-i:, heu-i:, ghunek-i: (shrimp balls, fish balls, beef balls!)

chingjia: peng-iu, jojek-e uilao kue gueji (???) (friends and family, together ??? melon seeds)

laikeu yu i (?) guege tia: hohi: (????)

Pat gai chiangtu (??? promising future)

Lai bai gai singni (come pray for the new year)

Lai gat haighua chingjia: biao sim-i (Show overseas relatives some love)

bigok tahio:, dang-hio: gue diot singni
(other nations and towns, same villages celebrating new years)

diosua: chingcheng, (????) gakdi (Diosuan.... everywhere)

diojiu sua:tao sing bhe tai (Teochew Swatow Singapore Malaysia Thailand)

huakgok ojiu gianadai (France Australia Canada)

jek gu ho-ue lai tuang biang si-hng (good tidings to the four corners of the world)

ing-ui nang si gaginang (Because we're Gaginang!)

2x