Vocabulary Investigation and Comparative Studies on the Hakka in Sungai Tapang, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

• Main Authors: Tan Su Chiew, 陳素秋
• Other Authors: Wu Chong Chieh
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/08791667603237271107

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 客家文化研究所 === 103 === Abstract Malaysia is a multiracial country, including the three major ethnic groups--Malays, Chinese and Indians--as well as dozens of indigenous peoples. According to their ancestral homeland, Chinese community can be further divided into dialects groups Fujian (Zhang Quan), Chaozhou, Hakka, Guangdong, Fuzhou, Xinghua, Hainan, and others. Chinese community in Kuching Sarawak is largely composed of Fujian, Chaozhou, and Hakka. The common language in urban areas is Hokkien or Teochew. While a significant number of people speaking Hakka in Kuching area, especially in the rural, such as Batu Kawa district, Bau and Serian. The major ancestral homelands of Hakka in Kuching are Da Po, Huiyang, Jiexi, Haifeng and Lufeng in Guangdong and many other places. According to legends said by their ancestors, the ones who came to Kuching from the same ancestral homeland always engaged in similar livings. They might also stay in the same locality with their folks who speak the same language. The lifestyle essentially retains their common mother tongue. Hopo, a dialect of Hakka, spoken in Batu kawa is always mingled with different tribes and different Chinese dialects due to geographical relationship. After a long period of time, its dialect lexicons are influenced by ethnic integration and borrowing foreign vocabulary. This essay aims to analyze interesting vocabulary Batu Kawa, Sungai Tapang generates when being influenced by Malay, English, Chaozhou, and Cantonese. Meanwhile, I analyze similar Hakka spoken by other countries for comparative studies, for example, that in Singkawang, Indonesia and Lin Tsai, Taiwan. We find that Hakka used in these two places is pretty similar to Hakka in Sungai Tapang. No one speaks Cantonese in my hometown Sungai Tapang. Surprisingly, my analysis reveals that the daily vocabulary of Hakka also borrows some words from Cantonese. In this way, it can be assumed that the linguistic changes are affected by immigration and daily language contacts. Furthermore, the Cantonese drama is popular in 1970s to 1990s. Cantonese words are borrowed to Hakka unconsciously and became pervasive usages. If the mother language cannot be learned completely, its tone and phonology can be interfered and new vocabulary is generated as a result. The language in Malaysia is unique. Its innovation and meaning in dialects is worth further exploring and understanding. keyword Sarawak Hakka language language contact loan words