GEORGE TOWN – For Penangites, Hokkien is more than just a means of communication—it is a cornerstone of the state’s cultural identity. Alongside Malay and Tamil, it serves as one of the key lingua franca of the region. Widely spoken by the Chinese community in Penang and across the west coast of the peninsula, Hokkien carries deep historical roots and remains a vital part of the state’s heritage.
Hokkien traces its origins to the southeastern part of China, particularly southern Fujian province. Beyond Penang, it is spoken by Chinese communities across Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, southern Thailand, and Brunei. In Taiwan, Taiwanese Hokkien is even recognised as a national language.
However, despite its prominence in Penang, Hokkien is facing an alarming decline. Linguist Sim Tze Wei attributes this to the spread of “nationalistic ideas” from China, which promote Beijing Mandarin at the expense of other Chinese languages.
“Han Chinese nationalism spread to Malaysia during the pre-independence period,” Sim explained to Scoop. “Its influence over the decades has resulted in younger Malaysian Chinese rarely speaking Hokkien. Non-Mandarin languages have also been dismissed as mere ‘dialects’ by nationalists.”
Sim highlighted how the terms “Mandarin” and “Chinese” have been conflated, misleading the community into believing that Mandarin is synonymous with Chinese, while regional languages, like Hokkien, are seen as subservient.
“Many Mandarin schools claim to offer ‘mother tongue education’, yet they actively ban southern Chinese languages. Students speaking their mother tongues are punished,” he said.
He also noted the class-based stigma surrounding Hokkien. “There’s this perception that Hokkien is the language of the working class, while Mandarin is seen as the language of the educated. This division emerged when the educated class abandoned Hokkien for Mandarin, pressuring society to follow suit.”
Preserving Hokkien through the Record Hokkien project
To combat this decline, Sim, who leads the Hokkien Language Association of Penang, launched the Record Hokkien project. The initiative, which has been running for a year, aims to document Hokkien through recorded conversations between fluent speakers.
Under the programme, the association visits participants in their homes or public spaces, recording their conversations for at least 30 minutes. Participants receive RM60 for their time, with additional payments of RM2 per minute for longer contributions.
The topics of discussion vary widely, from holiday experiences and favourite dishes to untold stories or specialised skills, such as carpentry. The vocabulary collected is then added to an online Hokkien dictionary at tshueji.speakhokkien.org.
Surprising responses from the community
Sim admitted that community responses have been surprising. “People think Hokkien cannot be written because they were never taught to write it,” he said, pointing to the rich history of written Hokkien.
He cited examples such as The Tale of the Lychee Mirror, a 16th-century Ming dynasty play, as well as Hokkien songbooks and dictionaries created by Spanish explorers in Southeast Asia in the early 1500s.
“But our schools never tell us about that. They only tell us about Mandarin,” Sim added.
Expanding the project to Melaka and beyond
The project’s goal is to record 600 hours of conversations. To date, over 100 hours have been documented, mostly from participants in Penang and Klang. Sim hopes to expand the initiative to other states, including Perak, Sarawak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor, and Melaka, as well as neighbouring Singapore.
Melaka, in particular, is a priority due to the rapid decline of Hokkien in the historic state. “In Melaka, many switched to Mandarin as early as the first half of the 20th century. Today, it’s hard to find young fluent Hokkien speakers there,” Sim lamented.
Schools hold the key to Hokkien’s future
Sim believes schools play a pivotal role in preserving the language. The Record Hokkien project aims to create educational materials for Chinese vernacular schools, as well as technologies like AI transcription platforms to support written Hokkien.
He argued that the decline of southern Chinese languages is linked to schools prioritising Mandarin, much like how English gained dominance in Singapore after non-English schools were phased out.
“Schools that claim to provide ‘mother tongue education’ have a responsibility to teach real mother tongues,” Sim said. “They can start using Hokkien as the medium of instruction for simpler subjects. We are ready to collaborate and provide language materials and support.”
Sim stressed that parents alone cannot bear the burden of passing down Hokkien. “Parents often switch their family language to prepare their children for school. If they are to be blamed, policymakers and educators must also be held accountable for creating conditions that leave parents with no choice.”
Calling for immediate action, Sim added, “We urge schools to act now. Hokkien cannot be saved if they keep shifting the responsibility to families.”
How to participate
Those interested in participating in the Record Hokkien project can register at https://bit.ly/Record-Hokkien. More information is available on the Speak Hokkien Campaign Facebook page or at www.speakhokkien.org. – January 28, 2025
Hokkien preservation, endangered languages, Penang culture, linguistic heritage, language revival