Lunguage 006
Lunguage 006.1 Did you know that a lot of Canto words were actually English? No more excuses English speakers, you already know a good amount of Canto words without even realizing. Hong Kong had been a British colony for over 150 years, and this significant period of time had brought a lot of changes politically, socially, and even linguistically. The increase of locals' interaction with Westerners over the years encouraged this unique evolution of Cantonese. When new culture comes in, it often brings along new food, objects, ideologies and terminologies - things that did not exist, or was not as common in Hong Kong, were referred to in their original form as a foreign term, because there simply wasn't a term for it in Cantonese. Over time, the locals have made these foreign terms their own, either because they unintentionally butchered the pronunciation, or decided to find the closest sounding Cantonese characters to represent the idea, it doesn't matter anymore. The once foreign terms, transliterations and loan words are now written in Chinese characters, they have integrated into the language of Cantonese and become inseparable parts of it. Loan words appear in Mandarin Chinese as well, and most likely other branches too (which I cannot testify unfortunately), but because of the difference in phonetic systems, the transliterations of Mandarin and Cantonese often differ. Although loan words is not exclusively a Canto thing, Hong Kong Cantonese has adopted a much larger amount of foreign loan words than other branches of Cantonese, Taiwanese Mandarin and Mainland Mandarin. Most of these loan words are from English, some from French and other European Languages, as well as Japanese. One of the reasons being Hong Kong's status as an Open Society for many years. For the same reason, however, there isn't as strong of a sense of "Standardized Chinese". As time passes Hong Kong Cantonese has become uniquely diversified and flexible - hence the many alternatives of transliteration / translation / phonetic transcription systems / ways of writing the characters / mix of languages. Let's see just how many everyday words were actually English. You'd be surprised. :) (note that the pronunciation of some characters may deviate from normal in loan words transliterations) 衣 CLOTHING Bikini 比堅尼 Bei2 Geen1 Nei4 Bowtai 煲呔 Bo1 Taai1 Cashmere 茄士咩 Keh1 See6 Meh1 Chiffon 雪紡 Suet3 Fong2 Ball Boot 波鉢 Baw1 Boot1 Fashion 花臣 Fah1 Sun2 Fashion Show 花生騷 Fah1 Sung1 So1 Khaki 卡其 Ka1 Kei4 Lace 厘士 Lei1 See2 Laine [French] 冷(衫) Laang1 Saam1 Salon 沙龍 Sah1 Lohng4 Set 恤(髮) Seut1 Faat3 (to cut and set hair) Shirt 恤(衫) Seut1 Saam1 Tai 呔 Taai1 Tuxedo 踢死兔 Tek3 Sei2 To3 食 FOOD Beer 啤(酒) Beh1 Dzau2 Black currants 黑加侖子 Haak1 Gah1 Leun4 Dzee2 Brandy 白蘭地 Baak6 Laan1 Dei2 Cheese 芝士 Dzee1 See2 Cherry 車厘 Tseh1 Lei4 Chocolate 朱古力 Dzue1 Goo1 Lik1 Coffee 咖啡 Gah3 Feh1 Cookie 曲奇 Kook1 Kei4 Cream 忌廉 Gei6 Leem1 Cutlet 吉列 Gut1 Leet6 (specifically fried cutlet) Doughnut 冬甩 Dohng1 Lut1 Horlicks 好立克 Ho2 Lup6 Hak1 Jam 占 Dzeem1 Jelly 啫喱 Dzeh1 Lei2 Kiwi Fruit 奇異果 Kei4 Yee6 Gwaw2 Milk Shake 奶昔 Naai5 Sik1 Mince 免治 Meen5 Dzee6 Omelette 奄列 Um1 Leet6 Ovaltine 柯華田 Aw1 Wah4 Teen4 Pancake 班戟 Baan1 Kik1 Pie 批 Pai1 Plum 布冧 Bo3 Lum1 Pudding 布甸 Bo3 Deen1 Puff 泡芙 Paau3 Foo4 Punch 賓治 Bun1 Dzee6 Salad 沙律 Sah1 Leut2 Salmon 三文 Saam1 Mun4 Sardine 沙甸 Sah1 Deen1 Soda 梳打 Saw1 Dah2 Sirloin 西冷 Sai1 Laang1 Strawberry 士多啤梨 See6 Daw1 Beh1 Lei2 Sundae 新地 Sun1 Dei2 Tart 撻 Taat1 Toast 多士 Daw1 See2 Toffee 拖肥 Taw1 Fei2 Tuna 吞拿 Tun1 Nah4 Vanilla 雲呢拿 Wun6 Nei1 Lah2 Wafer 威化 Wai1 Fah3 Waffle 窩夫 Waw1 Foo1 Food terms from other languages: Mango芒果 Mong1 Gwaw2 Mousse 慕絲 Moo1 See2 Parfait 芭菲 Bah1 Fei1 Satay 沙嗲 Sah3 Deh1 Soufflé 梳乎厘 Saw1 Foo4 Lei5 住 HOUSING Brother 巴打 Bah1 Dah2 Card 卡/咭 Kaat1 Cushion 咕辰 Koo1 Seun2 Keep/Cap 喼 Geep1 (suitcase) Lift "車立" Leep1 Number 冧巴 Lum1 Bah2 Sink 星(盆) Sing1 Poon2 Sister 絲打 See1 Dah2 Sofa 梳化 Saw1 Fah2 Spanner 士巴拿 See6 Bah1 Nah2 Stall/Store 士多 See6 Daw1 Thinner 天拿(水) Teen1 Nah4 Seui2 Wire 威吔 Wai1 Yah2 行 TRANSPORTATION Benz 賓士 Ben1 See2 Brake 迫力 Bik6 Lik1 Bus 巴士 Bah1 See2 Jeep 吉甫 Gut1 Po2 Mini 迷你 Mai4 Nei5 Motor 摩打 Maw1 Dah2 Park 泊(車) Paak3 Tseh1 Porsche 波子 Baw1 Dzee2 Spare 士啤 See6 Beh1 Taxi 的士 Dik1 See2 Tire/Tyre 胎 Taai1 其他 OTHER CATEGORIES Ball 波 Baw1 Bar 吧 Bah1 Beat 咇 Beet1 Boss 波士 Baw1 See2 Bowling 保齡 Bo2 Ling4 Boycott 杯葛 Booi1 Got3 Bungee Jump 笨豬跳 Bun6 Dzue1 Tiu3 Carnival 嘉年華 Gah1 Neen4 Wah4 Case 畸士 Kei1 See2 Cent 仙 Seen1 Certificate 沙(紙) Sah1 Dzee2 Charge 叉電 Tsah1 Deen6 Cigar 雪卡 Suet3 Kah1 Class 卡士 Kah1 See2 Coolie 咕哩 Goo1 Lei1 Court 溝 Kau1 (as in "溝女" Kau1 Neui2 - flirt with girls) Cyanide 山埃 Saan1 Ngaai1 Darling 打令 Dah1 Ling2 Deuce 刁時 Diu1 See4 Disco 的士高 Dik1 See6 Go1 Dozen 打 Dah1 Encore 安哥 On1 Gaw1 Face 飛士 Fei1 See2 Fail 肥佬 Fei4 Lo2 Fans 粉絲 Fun2 See1 Fare 飛 Fei1 Fight 揮 Fai1 (as in "冇得揮" Mo5 Duck1 Fai1 - Can't Fight) File 快佬/快勞 Faai1 Lo2 Film 菲林 Fei1 Lum2 Fluke 符碌 Foo4 Look1 Foul 否 Fau1 Gay 基 Gei1 Giga 激 Gik1 Golf 哥爾夫 Gaw1 Yee5 Foo1 Guitar 結他 Geet3 Tah1 Guts 吉士 Gut1 See2 Hippie 嬉皮士 Hei1 Pei4 See6 Laser 鐳射 Leui4 Seh6 Last 啦士 Lah1 See2 Live 拉闊 Laai1 Foot3 Malade [French] 麻甩 Mah4 Lut1 Margin 孖展 Mah1 Dzeen2 Mark 嘜 Muk1 Mic/Microphone 咪/咪高峰 Mai1 /Mai1 Go1 Fohng1 Money 蚊 Mun1 (dollar) Oral 柯佬 Aw1 Lo2 Order 柯打 Aw1 Dah2 Ounce 安士 Ngawn1 See2 Pair 啤 Peh1 Party 派對 Paai3 Deui3 Phone-in 烽煙 Fohng1 Yeen1 Pop 啪 Paak1 (as in "啪丸" Paak1 Yuen2 - pop a pill) Pose 甫士 Po1 See2 Pound 磅 Bong6 Ransom 參 Sum1 Rob 笠 Lup1 Sauna 桑拿 Song1 Nah4 Saxophone 色士風 Sik1 See6 Fohng1 Sergeant 沙展 Sah1 Dzeen2 Show 騷 So1 Size 嘥士 Saai1 See2 Snooker 士碌架 See6 Look1 Gah2 Stick 士的 See6 Dik1 Tick 剔 Tik1 Tips 貼士 Teep1 See2 Trouble 茶煲 Tsah4 Bo1 Volley 窩利 Waw1 Lei2 Warrant 窩輪 Waw1 Leun2 It is a challenge to trace back the etymology of some words, while they sound pretty similar, there are some debates whether they were actually derived from English. (There might be more...) 來源有待考究 ORIGIN UNCONFIRMED: Argue 拗撬 Aau3 Giu6 Change 唱(錢) Tseung3 Tseen2 Hard Luck 蝦碌 Hah1 Look1 Ketchup 茄汁 Keh2 Dzup1 Scared 蛇gweh Seh4 Gweh1 Transliterations/Translation can look quite different from Cantonese to Mandarin, but they do share some common ones. A clever transliteration does not only give you an idea of how the word is pronounced, but also provides you a hint of the meaning of the word, what it implies, or even the visualization of it. MORE THAN JUST TRANSLITERATION: Humor 幽默 - Yau1 Muck6 - Literally: hidden silence Engine 引擎 - Yun5 King4 - Literally: lead and hold up Neon 霓虹 - Ngai4 Hohng4 - Literally: rainbow rainbow Totem 圖騰 - To4 Tung4 - Literally: picture soar Bandage 繃帶 - Bung1 Daai2 - Literally: stretch tight/binding band Rock'n Roll 樂與怒 - Lok6 Yue5 No6 - Literally: joy and anger Vitamin 維他命 - Wai4 Tah1 Ming6 - Literally: maintain his life Coca Cola 可口可樂 - Haw2 Hau2 Haw2 Lok6 - Literally: tasty and can be happy Pizza Hut 必勝客 - Beet1 Sing3 Haak3 - Literally: bound to win customers Mc Donald's 麥當勞 - Muck6 Dong1 Lo4 - Originally 麥當奴 Muck6 Dong1 No4, a bit more accurate but "奴" means slave in Cantonese so it was replaced by the most similar sounding character "勞" lo4. Actually doesn't have a clever meaning, simply a transliteration. HK locals call it "M記"、"麥記"或"老麥" (The good old Mac) Loan words also exist in English, of course! Here are some examples that you probably have already come across. LOAN WORDS IN ENGLISH: Wok 鑊 ([Cantonese] a versatile round-bottomed cooking pot) Bok Choy 白菜 ([Cantonese] a type of Chinese cabbage) Dim Sum 點心 ([Cantonese] a style of Chinese cuisine) Cheong Sam 長衫 ([Cantonese], AKA Qipao [Mandarin], a type of feminine body-hugging dress with distinctive Chinese features of Manchu origin) Chow Mein 炒麵 ([Taishanese] Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu) Wonton 雲吞 ([Cantonese] a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine) Longan 龍眼 ([Cantonese] a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit, literal meaning in Cantonese: Dragon Eye) Tofu 豆腐 ([Japanese] bean curd. The term "tofu" comes from Japanese tōfu 豆腐. The Japanese word is itself borrowed from the original Chinese equivalent 豆腐 dòufu, literally "bean" + "curdled" or "fermented") Next time we'll take a look at common loan words that have remained in its original form, English, mixing in with Cantonese. Some of these terms are so widely used that even HK locals wouldn't remember what the Cantonese equivalent is. Further reads about transliterations and loan words in Cantonese: 粵語與現代外來詞 https://kknews.cc/education/6k8mz6m.html 廣東人說話夾英語,真不是為了顯擺!https://kknews.cc/news/zegzr5g.html 香港人的外來詞 http://bbs.cantonese.asia/thread-4310-1-1.html 《正識中文》. 作者, 梁慧敏. 出版社, 三聯書店(香港)有限公司 https://www.amazon.com/%E6%AD%A3%E8%AD%98%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87-Traditional-Chinese-%E6%A2%81%E6%85%A7%E6%95%8F-ebook/dp/B07KXXS1B7 P.S. Japanese loan words in Cantonese: 人気 - 人氣 - 人或事物受歡迎的程度 寫真 - 寫真 - 明星藝人等的個人特寫照片集 料理 - 料理 - 菜餚 賣場 - 賣場 - 指比較大的出售商品的場所 物語 - 物語 - 日語指語言類的書籍,專著 新銳 - 新銳 - 在某一領域新出現的有實力的人或物 新人類 - 新人類 - 日語中指新人、新出現的人;漢語中新人類指 1980 年以後出生的年輕人 親子 - 親子 - 父母和孩子 量販 - 量販 - 大量銷售商品
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