Malaysian Cantonese () is a local variety of
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
spoken in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
. It is the ''
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
'' among
Chinese throughout much of the central portion of
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
, being spoken in the capital
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
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, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
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,
Perak
Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand' ...
(
Kinta Valley
The Kinta Valley is a conurbation in central Perak, Malaysia, surrounding and including the state capital Ipoh. Historically the Kinta Valley was very rich in tin, and their mines have been among the most productive in the world.
The valley is f ...
,
Batang Padang
The Batang Padang District ( ms, Daerah Batang Padang) is a district in Perak, Malaysia. This district is administered by a local council, namely, the Tapah District Council, based in Tapah. The major towns of Batang Padang are Bidor, Tapah and S ...
,
Muallim,
Hulu Perak,
Kuala Kangsar,
Bagan Datoh,
Hilir Perak and
Perak Tengah),
Pahang
Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...
,
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sem ...
and
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...
, it is also widely understood to varying degrees by many Chinese throughout the country, regardless of their ancestral
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
.
Malaysian Cantonese is not uniform throughout the country, with variation between individuals and areas. It is mutually intelligible with Cantonese spoken in both
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
and
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...
in Mainland China but has distinct differences in vocabulary and pronunciation which make it unique.
Geographic spread
Cantonese is widely spoken amongst
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese (; Malay: ''Orang Cina Malaysia''), alternatively Chinese Malaysians, are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese descent. They form the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority constituting 22.4% of the Malaysian p ...
in the capital
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
and throughout much of the surrounding
Klang Valley
Klang Valley ( ms, Lembah Klang; zh, 巴生谷; ) is an urban conglomeration in Malaysia that is centered in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and includes its adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. It is co ...
(
Petaling Jaya
)
, website =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = ''From top, left to right:Skyline of Petaling Jaya, the 1 Utama Mall integrated with Bandar Utama Station, the Kota Darul Ehsan arch, the Petaling ...
,
Ampang,
Cheras,
Selayang
Selayang is a town in Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia.
Location
Selayang is located on the main route to Rawang through Jalan Ipoh, and this route is connected to Jalan Kuching as main Rawang-Kuala Lumpur route. It is also an option ...
,
Sungai Buloh,
Puchong
Puchong is a major town and a parliamentary constituency in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia.
It is bordered by Subang Jaya in the north, Sepang and Putrajaya in the south, Serdang in the east and Putra Heights in the west.
Histor ...
,
Shah Alam
Shah Alam () is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia and situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selango ...
,
Kajang
Kajang is a town in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Kajang, along with much of Hulu Langat District, is governed by the Kajang Municipal Council. Kajang town is located on the eastern banks of the Langat River. It is surrounded ...
,
Bangi and
Subang Jaya
Subang Jaya is a city in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises the southern third district of Petaling. It consists of the neighbourhoods from SS12 to SS19, UEP Subang Jaya (USJ), Putra Heights, Batu Tiga as well as PJS7, PJS ...
) excluding
Klang itself where
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
predominates. It is also widely spoken in the town of
Sekinchan
Sekinchan is a small town located in Sabak Bernam District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located along the coastal Federal Route 5.
Apart from being a lively fishing village, Sekinchan is one of the major rice producing areas of Malaysia. The ...
in the
Sabak Bernam district of northern
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sem ...
. It is also used or widely spoken in northeast and central areas as well as parts of southern
Perak
Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand' ...
, especially in the state capital
Ipoh
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak
, pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth
, pushpin_mapsize = 275px
, pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia
, coordinates ...
and the surrounding towns of the
Kinta Valley
The Kinta Valley is a conurbation in central Perak, Malaysia, surrounding and including the state capital Ipoh. Historically the Kinta Valley was very rich in tin, and their mines have been among the most productive in the world.
The valley is f ...
region (
Gopeng
Gopeng is a town located in Mukim Teja, Kampar District, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated approximately south of Ipoh, the state capital.
History
Gopeng was the most important town in the Kinta Valley until 1890, when Ipoh became more prom ...
,
Batu Gajah
Batu Gajah (population 133,422) is a municipality in Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. It is the capital of Kinta District.
Etymology
The name ''Batu Gajah'' in Malay means "elephant rock", it is presumably derived from two large boulders (' ...
and
Kampar) as well as the towns of
Tapah and
Bidor in the
Batang Padang
The Batang Padang District ( ms, Daerah Batang Padang) is a district in Perak, Malaysia. This district is administered by a local council, namely, the Tapah District Council, based in Tapah. The major towns of Batang Padang are Bidor, Tapah and S ...
district of southern
Perak
Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand' ...
and to a lesser extent in the districts of
Kuala Kangsar,
Perak Tengah,
Hilir Perak,
Bagan Datoh,
Muallim and
Hulu Perak (Cantonese of
Kwongsai origins). In
Pahang
Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...
, it is spoken in the state capital town of
Kuantan
Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Peni ...
and also widely found or spoken amongst the local Chinese populace in other districts such as
Raub,
Maran,
Jerantut,
Bentong
Bentong ( Jawi: ﺑﻨﺘﻮڠ), the seat of Bentong District, is a town located in western Pahang, Malaysia, at the border with the state of Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity" ...
,
Rompin
The Rompin District is a district located in the southeastern corner of Pahang, Malaysia. Rompin is currently under the Rompin District Council.
The district covers an area of 5,296 km and located 130 kilometres from Kuantan, the capital ci ...
,
Kuala Lipis
Kuala Lipis ( ms, كوالا ليڤيس, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000.
History
Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British arrived in ...
,
Bera,
Pekan
Pekan Town is a town in Pekan District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is also the royal capital of the state. Its name comes from a flower, the '' Bunga Pekan''. Pekan is also the name of the district the town is situated in, and a parliamentary cons ...
,
Temerloh
Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Temerloh has been proven to be the "centre of Peninsular Malaysia" (Malay: ) 3TS, which is situated at Kampung Paya Siput, Lanchang.
Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Kuantan–K ...
and
Cameron Highlands. Cantonese is also spoken throughout most of
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...
, particularly in the state capital
Seremban
Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghomban'', ''Somban''; Jawi: ) is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban City Council. Se ...
. It is widely spoken in
Sandakan
Sandakan (, Jawi: , ) formerly known at various times as Elopura, is the capital of the Sandakan District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the second largest city in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu. It is located on the Sandakan Peninsula and east coast ...
,
Sabah
Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...
and Cantonese speakers can also be found in other areas such as
Segamat
Segamat ( Jawi: سڬامت Chinese: 昔加末) is a town located in the Segamat District, Johor, Malaysia. It is 95 km travel distance via North–South Expressway from Johor Bahru to Yong Peng, and another 77 km from Federal Route 1.
Strat ...
,
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares mariti ...
,
Keningau,
Sabah
Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...
,
Sarikei,
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
,
Batu Pahat
The Batu Pahat District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It lies southeast of Muar, southwest of Kluang, northwest of Pontian, south of Segamat and Tangkak District. The capital of the district is Bandar Penggaram.
Geography
...
,
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares mariti ...
,
Miri,
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
and
Mersing,
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares mariti ...
.
Due to its predominance in the capital city, Cantonese is highly influential in local Chinese-language media and is used in commerce by Malaysian Chinese. As a result, Cantonese is widely understood and spoken with varying fluency by Chinese throughout Malaysia, regardless of their language group. This is in spite of
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
being the most widely spoken variety and
Mandarin being the medium of education at
Chinese-language schools. The widespread influence of Cantonese is also due in large part to the popularity of
Hong Kong media, particularly
TVB dramas.
Phonological Differences
A sizeable portion of Malaysian Cantonese speakers, including native speakers, are not of
Cantonese ancestry, with many belonging to different ancestral language groups such as
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
,
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
and
Teochew. The historical and continued influence of their original language has produced variation and change in the pronunciation of particular sounds in Malaysian Cantonese when compared to "standard" Cantonese.
Depending on their
ancestral origin and
educational background, some speakers may not exhibit the unique characteristics described below.
*Many Malaysians have difficulty with the sound and will substitute it with other sounds where it occurs. Often these changes brings the pronunciation of most words in line with their Hakka pronunciation, and for many words their Hokkien pronunciations as well.
**Words that end with & (pronounced
�ːŋ&
�ːk̚in ''standard'' Cantonese) such as 香 ''hēung'', 兩 ''léuhng'', 想 ''séung'' and 著 ''jeuk'', 腳 ''geuk'', 約 ''yeuk'' may be pronounced as
ɔŋ&
ɔk̚ which by local spelling conventions may be written as & respectively, e.g. 香 ''hīong'', 兩 ''líohng'', 想 ''síong'' and 著 ', 腳 ''giok'', 約 ''yok''.
This change brings the pronunciation of most words in line with their Hakka pronunciation, and for many words their Hokkien pronunciations as well.
**Words with final & (pronounced
�n&
�t̚in "Standard" Cantonese) such as 春 ''chēun'' and 出 ''chēut'' may be pronounced as
ːn&
ːt̚respectively.
**Words with final (pronounced
�yin "Standard" Cantonese) such as 水 ''séui'' and 去 ''heui'' may be pronounced as
�ːy ːyor even
idepending on the word.
*Many Malaysians also have difficulty with the sound (pronounced as
ːin "Standard" Cantonese) which occurs in words such as 豬 ''jyū'', 算 ''syun'', 血 ''hyut''. This sound may be substituted with
ːwhich in the case of some words may involve
palatalisation of the preceding initial
��ʲiː
*Some speakers, particularly non-native speakers may not differentiate the long and short vowels, such as
ːand
�
*Due to the influence of Hong Kong media, Malaysian Cantonese is also affected by so-called "
Lazy Sounds" (懶音 ''láahn yām'') though to a much lesser degree than Hong Kong Cantonese.
**Many younger and middle-aged speakers pronounce some initial words with an initial. For many, this process is not complete, with the initial distinction maintained for other words. e.g. 你 ''néih'' → ''léih''.
**Generally, the ⟨ng-⟩ initial has been maintained, unlike in Hong Kong where it is being increasingly dropped and replaced with the null initial. Instead, among some speakers, Malaysian Cantonese exhibits the addition of the initial for some words that originally have a null initial. This also occurs in Hong Kong Cantonese as a form of
hypercorrection
In sociolinguistics, hypercorrection is non-standard use of language that results from the over-application of a perceived rule of language-usage prescription. A speaker or writer who produces a hypercorrection generally believes through a mis ...
of "Lazy Sounds", e.g. 亞 ''a'' → ''nga''.
**Some speakers have lost labialisation of the & initials, instead pronouncing them as & , e.g. 國 ''kwok'' → ''kok''.
Vocabulary Differences
Malaysian Cantonese is in contact with many other Chinese languages such as
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
,
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
and
Teochew as well other languages such as Malay and English.
As a result, it has absorbed many loanwords and expressions that may not be found in Cantonese spoken elsewhere. Malaysian Cantonese also preserves some vocabulary that would be considered old-fashioned or unusual in Hong Kong but may be preserved in other Cantonese speaking areas such as
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...
. Not all of the examples below are used throughout Malaysia, with differences in vocabulary between different Cantonese speaking areas such as Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan. There may also be differences based on the speaker's educational background and native dialect.
*Use of 愛/唔愛 ''oi/mh oi'' instead of 要/唔要 ''yiu/mh yiu'' to refer to "want/don't want", also meaning "love/like". Also used in Guangzhou and is similar to the character's usage in Hakka.
*More common use of 曉 ''híu'' to mean "to be able to/to know how to", whereas 會 ''wúi''/識 ''sīk'' would be more commonly used in Hong Kong. Also used in Guangzhou and is similar to the character's usage to Hakka.
*Use of 冇 ''móuh'' at the end of sentences to create questions, e.g. 你愛食飯冇? ', "Do you want to eat?"
*Some expressions have under gone a change in meaning such as 仆街 ''pūk gāai'', literally "fall on the street" which is commonly used in Malaysia to mean "broke/bankrupt" and is not considered a profanity unlike in Hong Kong where it is used to mean "drop dead/go to hell".
*Some English educated speakers may use 十千 ''sahp chīn'' instead of 萬 ''maahn'' to express 10,000, e.g. 14,000 might be expressed as 十四千 ''sahp sei chīn'' instead of 一萬四 ''yāt maahn sei''.
*Use of expressions which would sound outdated to speakers in Hong Kong, e.g. 冇相干 ''móuh sēung gōn'' to mean "never mind/it doesn't matter", whereas 冇所謂 ''móuh só waih''/唔緊要 ''mh gān yiu'' would be more commonly used in Hong Kong. Some of these expressions are still in current use in Guangzhou.
*Word order, particularly the placement of certain grammatical particles may differ, e.g. 食飯咗 ' instead of 食咗飯 ' for "have eaten."
*Unique expression's such as 我幫你講 ''ngóh bōng néih góng'' to mean "I'm telling you" where 我同你講 ''ngóh tùhng néih góng''/我話你知 ''ngóh wah néih jī'' would be used in Hong Kong.
*Malaysian Cantonese is also characterised by the extensive use of sentence ending particles, to an even greater extent than occurs in Hong Kong Cantonese.
See also
*
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese (; Malay: ''Orang Cina Malaysia''), alternatively Chinese Malaysians, are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese descent. They form the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority constituting 22.4% of the Malaysian p ...
*
Cantonese people
The Cantonese people () or Yue people (), are a Yue-speaking Han Chinese subgroup originating from or residing in the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi (collectively known as Liangguang), in Southern Mainland China. Although more accurat ...
*
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
References
{{Languages of Malaysia
Cantonese language
Languages of Malaysia