Medan Hokkien

Last updated
Medan Hokkien
棉蘭福建話
Mî-lân Hok-kiàn-oā(POJ)
Native to Indonesia
Region Medan, Pematangsiantar, Kisaran, Rantau Prapat, Tebing Tinggi, Tanjungbalai, Binjai, Jakarta and other cities in North Sumatra, Java and other regions of Indonesia with significant Chinese community.
Native speakers
800.000~1.000.000 (2010)[ citation needed ]
Early forms
Latin (Indonesian orthography)
Language codes
ISO 639-3 nan for Southern Min / Min Nan which encompasses a variety of languages and dialects including "Penang-Medan Hokkien"/"Medan Hokkien". [4]
Glottolog None
Linguasphere 79-AAA-jek

Medan Hokkien is a local variety of Hokkien spoken amongst Chinese Indonesians in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. It is the lingua franca in Medan as well as the surrounding cities in the state of North Sumatra. It is also spoken in some Medan Chinese migrant communities such as in Jakarta. Medan Hokkien is a subdialect of the Zhangzhou (漳州) Hokkien, particularly of Haicheng (海澄) subdialect. It borrows heavily from Teochew, Deli Malay and Indonesian.

Contents

It is predominantly a spoken dialect: Vernacular Hokkien, including Medan Hokkien, is traditionally passed down orally and is rarely transcribed in written Hokkien. Moreover, Indonesia's New Order Era imposed martial laws to suppress and ban display of Chinese characters and Chinese tradition in public. [5] However, with the rise of social media, Medan Hokkien is often transcribed in EYD, ignoring tone markings altogether. [6]

When comparing Medan Hokkien to other Hokkien dialects spoken in countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, Medan Hokkien can be relatively intelligible. It is, however, most similar to Penang Hokkien. Both are strikingly similar that it could be difficult to tell the difference between the two if a Medan Hokkien speaker does not heavily mix Deli Malay and Indonesian borrowings in their conversation.

History

Medan Hokkien’s origin could be linguistically traced back to Penang Hokkien [7] and its Kedahan roots. [8] Early presence of Chinese in Medan could be found in Pulau Kampai [9] and Kota China, [10] with archaeological discoveries pointing out the presence of Chinese traders as far back as 12th century CE. When John Anderson was sent for a diplomatic mission to eastern coasts of Sumatra in 1823, he recounted the presence very few Chinese in what was known as Deli, [11] and around 50 to 100 Chinese in Asahan. [12] Trade between eastern coasts of Sumatra and Penang and Malacca was already very much established by then.

The rise of Deli as a major exporter of Tobacco brought in great influx of Chinese Coolies (indentured labourers) from Penang. By 1890, Chinese Coolies in East Sumatra rose up to 53,806. [13] The significance of Penang's role in Deli's economy and the influence of Penang's elite Babanyonya and the Five Big Kongsi cannot be denied. Cheah Choo Yew (1841-1931) was one of the founding fathers of Cheah Kongsi was native to Langkat, East Sumatra. Khoo Cheow Teong (1840-1916) was the great grandson of Koh Lay Huan (Penang's first Kapitan China) and grandson of Khoo Wat Seng (founding father of Khoo Kongsi). He was the Kapitan Cina of Asahan for 26 years. Penang's famous Cheong Fatt Tze was also related to Medan's Kapitan Cina Tjong A Fie and Tjong Yong Hian, and the three of them monopolised major commodities in East Sumatra. The cultural link between Penang and Medan was beyond mere proximity. One could even find strong similarities in rituals such as worship of Datuk and in mutually shared Peranakan dishes.

Russell Jones, in his article 'The Chiangchew Hokkiens, the true pioneers in Nanyang' took the effort to confirm the early presence of Zhangzhou Hokkiens, not only in Penang, but also in Malacca, Batavia and the rest of the archipelago. [14] In addition, the uncanny similarity of the Malay loanwords (batu, mana, binatang, tapi), 'Hokkien-ised' Malay terms (lokun, sukak) and as well as Kedahan dialect (gatai) in Penang Hokkien that has become canonic to Medan Hokkien vocabularies is evident of its lineage.

Medan Hokkien also had substantial influence from Teochew dialect, due to the dominant presence of Teochew coolies during the Tobacco boom. The events of Japanese invasion, East Sumatra revolution and New Order regime sundered the cross-strait cultural kinship between the two cities. The two dialects ever since diverged and evolved separately, where Penang Hokkien became more Anglicised and Mandarinised, while Medan Hokkien became more Indonesianised.

See also

Notes

  1. Min is believed to have split from Old Chinese, rather than Middle Chinese like other varieties of Chinese. [1] [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peranakan Chinese</span> Chinese-descended ethnic group of Southeast Asia

The Peranakan Chinese are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang, namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian Archipelago, as well as Singapore. Peranakan culture, especially in the dominant Peranakan centres of Malacca, Singapore, Penang, Phuket and Tangerang, is characterized by its unique hybridization of ancient Chinese culture with the local cultures of the Nusantara region, the result of a centuries-long history of transculturation and interracial marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Min</span> Branch of the Min Chinese languages

Southern Min, Minnan or Banlam, is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Chinese languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian, most of Taiwan, Eastern Guangdong, Hainan, and Southern Zhejiang. Southern Min dialects are also spoken by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora, most notably in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Southern Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Southern and Central Vietnam, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. Minnan is the most widely-spoken branch of Min, with approximately 48 million speakers as of 2017–2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medan</span> City and capital of North Sumatra, Indonesia

Medan is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multicultural metropolis, acting as a financial centre for Sumatra and a gateway to the western part of Indonesia. About 60% of the economy in North Sumatra is backed by trading, agriculture, and processing industries, including exports from its 4 million acres of palm oil plantations. The National Development Planning Agency listed Medan as one of the four main central cities in Indonesia, alongside Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar. In terms of population, it is the most populous city in Indonesia outside of the island of Java. Its population as of 2023 is approximately equal to the country of Moldova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Sumatra</span> Province of Indonesia

North Sumatra, also called North Sumatra Province, is a province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra, just south of Aceh. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It is bordered by Aceh on the northwest and Riau and West Sumatra on the southeast, by coastlines located on the Indian Ocean to the west, and by the Strait of Malacca to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penang Hokkien</span> Dialect of Hokkien spoken in parts of Malaysia

Penang Hokkien is a local variant of Hokkien spoken in Penang, Malaysia. It is spoken natively by 63.9% of Penang's Chinese community, and also by some Penangite Indians and Penangite Malays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hokkien mee</span> Southeast Asian noodle dish

Hokkien mee, literally "Fujian noodles", is a series of related Southeast Asian dishes that have their origins in the cuisine of China's Fujian (Hokkien) province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khoo Kongsi</span> Hokkien clan temple in Penang, Malaysia

The Leong San TongKhoo Kongsi or "Khoo Kongsi" for short, is the largest Hokkien clanhouse in Malaysia with elaborate and highly ornamented architecture, a mark of the dominant presence of the Chinese in Penang, Malaysia. The famous Khoo Kongsi is the grandest clan temple in the country. It is also one of the city's major historic attractions. The clan temple has retained its authentic historic setting, which includes an association building, a traditional theatre and the late 19th century rowhouses for clan members, all clustered around a granite-paved square. It is located in Cannon Square in the heart of the oldest part of the city of George Town, in the midst of narrow, winding lanes and quaint-looking pre-War houses exuding a palpable old world charm.

Keling or Kling is an exonym to denote a Tamilian or someone deemed to have originated from South India. Originally a neutral term, since the mid-20th century it has been considered derogatory and an ethnic slur, and it is sometimes euphemistically referred to as the K-word. The term is used in parts of Southeast Asia, particularly the Malay Archipelago where there are a significant Tamil diaspora – specifically Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei – but cognates exist in neighbouring countries as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kangchu system</span> Socio-economic system developed by Chinese agricultural settlers in Johor

The Kangchu system was a socio-economic system of organisation and administration developed by Chinese agricultural settlers in Johor during the 19th century. The settlers organised themselves into informal associations, and chose a leader from among themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malay Indonesians</span> Ethnic group in Indonesia

Malay Indonesians are ethnic Malays living throughout Indonesia. They are one of the indigenous peoples of the country. Indonesian, the national language of Indonesia, is a standardized form of Riau Malay. There were numerous kingdoms associated with the Indonesian Malays along with other ethnicities in what is now Indonesia, mainly on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. These included Srivijaya, the Melayu Kingdom, Dharmasraya, the Sultanate of Deli, the Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura, the Riau-Lingga Sultanate, the Sultanate of Bulungan, Pontianak Sultanate, and the Sultanate of Sambas. The 2010 census states that there are 8 million Malays in Indonesia; this number comes from the classification of Malays in East Sumatra and the coast of Kalimantan which is recognized by the Indonesian government. This classification is different from the Malaysia and Singapore census which includes all ethnic Muslims from the Indonesian archipelago as Malays.

The Deli Bank; was the first Chinese bank in Indonesia. It was founded in Medan, Indonesia, in 1907 by the Tjong brothers, Tjong A Fie, (1860-1921) and Tjong Yong Hian (1850-1911), Mandarin capitalists from Mei Hsien, Guangdong, China, who had come over originally to recruit and supply Chinese coolies for plantation workers. Also involved at this time were Cheong Fatt Tze who had entered the region from China, through Indonesia where he built his fortune but who was by that time, Vice-Consul for China, in Penang. Hsieh Yung-kuan was the fourth founding director of the bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hokkien</span> Sinitic language spoken in East Asia

Hokkien is a variety of the Southern Min languages, native to and originating from the Minnan region, in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is also referred to as Quanzhang, from the first characters of the urban centers of Quanzhou and Zhangzhou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khoo Thean Teik</span>

Khoo Thean Teik was one of the most powerful and notorious Hokkien leaders of 19th-century Penang. His name, "Thean Teik", means "Heavenly Virtue". He was the leader of the Tokong or Khian Teik society that was involved in the Penang Riots of 1867 and through its connection with the Hai San, the internecine Larut Wars of 1861 to 1874. He traded through the companies Khoon Ho and Chin Bee. He was a towkay, trading in immigrant labour and had interests in the Opium Farms in Penang and Hong Kong. Thean Teik Estate, a residential neighbourhood in Penang, and Jalan Thean Teik are named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haklau Min</span> Variety of Southern Min

Haklau, or Hai Lok Hong, is a variety of Southern Min spoken in Shanwei, Guangdong province, China. While it is related to Teochew and Hokkien, its exact classification in relation to them is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapitan Cina</span> High-ranking government position in the civil administration

Kapitan Cina, also spelled Kapitan China or Capitan China or Capitan Chino, was a high-ranking government position in the civil administration of colonial Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, and the Philippines. Office holders exercised varying degrees of power and influence: from near-sovereign political and legal jurisdiction over local Chinese communities, to ceremonial precedence for community leaders. Corresponding posts existed for other ethnic groups, such as Kapitan Arab and Kapitan Keling for the local Arab and Indian communities respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tjong A Fie</span>

Tjong A Fie, Majoor der Chinezen (1860–1921), or Tjong Yiauw Hian, birth name Zhang Hongnan, was a Hakka Chinese businessman, banker and kapitan who built a large plantation business in Sumatra, Indonesia. Tjong A Fie built his business that employed more than 10,000 labor workers. Because of his great success, he maintained a good relationship with the ruler of Deli, including the ninth Sultan of Deli, Sultan Ma'mun Al Rashid Perkasa Alamyah and Dutch authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Peninsular Malaysian Hokkien</span> Dialect of Hokkien spoken in parts of Malaysia

Southern Malaysian Hokkien is a local variant of the Min Nan Chinese variety spoken in Central and Southern Peninsular Malaysia. Due to geographical proximity, it is heavily influenced by Singaporean Hokkien.

The usage of Chinese by the Chinese diaspora and their descendants has been determined by a large number of factors, including their ancestry, their migrant ancestors' "regime of origin", assimilation through generational changes, and official policies of their country of residence. The general trend is that more established Chinese populations in the Western world and in many regions of Asia have Cantonese as either the dominant variety or as a common community vernacular, while Mandarin is much more prevalent among new arrivals, making it increasingly common in many Chinatowns, though still not dominant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tjong Yong Hian</span>

Tjong Yong Hian (1850–1911) was a Hakka Chinese businessman and kapitan who had a great contribution to the development of society in the city of Medan around the early 1900s, he is also brother of Tjong A Fie, the successor kapitan after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gang Bengkok Old Mosque</span> Mosque in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Gang Bengkok Old Mosque, is a mosque located in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The Gang Bengkok Old Mosque is precisely located on Jalan Mesjid, Kesawan, West Medan Districy, Medan. Gang Bengkok Old Mosque was built by a merchant and Kapitan from Guangdong, China, named Tjong A Fie. This mosque was first built in 1885, but the renovation was completed in 1889. This mosque was then handed over by Tjong A Fie to the Deli Sultanate, namely during the reign of Sultan Deli Sultan Ma'mun Al Rashid.

References

  1. Mei, Tsu-lin (1970), "Tones and prosody in Middle Chinese and the origin of the rising tone", Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 30: 86–110, doi:10.2307/2718766, JSTOR   2718766
  2. Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (1984), Middle Chinese: A study in Historical Phonology, Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, p. 3, ISBN   978-0-7748-0192-8
  3. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian (2023-07-10). "Glottolog 4.8 - Min". Glottolog . Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7398962 . Archived from the original on 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  4. "Reclassifying ISO 639-3 [nan]" (PDF). GitHub . 31 August 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  5. Suryadinata, L. (1976). Indonesian Policies toward the Chinese Minority under the New Order. Asian Survey, 16(8), 770–787. doi : 10.2307/2643578
  6. "KUMPULAN KALIMAT DENGAN BAHASA HOKKIEN" . Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  7. "2. Penang and the Big Five in Regional Context", Penang Chinese Commerce in the 19th Century, ISEAS Publishing, pp. 14–46, 2015-12-31, doi:10.1355/9789814515030-008, ISBN   978-981-4515-03-0 , retrieved 2023-10-13
  8. Wilson, H. E.; Khoo, Gilbert; Lo, Dorothy (1980). "Asian Transformation. A History of South-East, South and East Asia". Pacific Affairs. 53 (2): 306. doi:10.2307/2757476. ISSN   0030-851X. JSTOR   2757476.
  9. Dussubieux, Laure; Soedewo, Ery (2018). "The glass beads of Kampai Island, Sumatra". Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 10 (5): 1129–1139. Bibcode:2018ArAnS..10.1129D. doi:10.1007/s12520-016-0438-5. ISSN   1866-9557.
  10. McKinnon, E. E. (1977). "Research at Kota Cina, a Sung-Yüan period trading site in East Sumatra". Archipel. 14 (1): 19–32. doi:10.3406/arch.1977.1355.
  11. Anderson, John (1826). Mission to the east coast of Sumatra, in 1823, under the direction of the Government of Prince of Wales Island. United Kingdom: Edinburgh : Blackwood ; London : Cadell. p. 296.
  12. Anderson, John (1826). Mission to the east coast of Sumatra, in 1823, under the direction of the Government of Prince of Wales Island. United Kingdom: Edinburgh : Blackwood ; London : Cadell. p. 318
  13. Anthony Reid, An Indonesian Frontier: Acehnese & Other Histories of Sumatra (Singapore: Singapore University Press, 2005), p. 223.
  14. Jones, R. (2009). The Chiangchew Hokkiens, the True Pioneers in the Nanyang. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 82(2 (297)), 46. JSTOR   41493748