Useful Words in Chinese -- No, Don't Want, Is It Free?
Aug 17th, 2007, 12:36 PM
#62
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Yes, her sister.
By the way, I have been properly chastised by my brother for posting on a subject I know little about. He takes his Chinese language and culture quite seriously. My apologies to all.
By the way, I have been properly chastised by my brother for posting on a subject I know little about. He takes his Chinese language and culture quite seriously. My apologies to all.
Aug 17th, 2007, 07:05 PM
#63
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Leburta: Sorry I haven't answered earlier, but only have so much time for Fodors! 
I tried to find something online for your dialect but couldn't find anything immediately, so it's not the name of a major group of Cantonese subdialects. Could it be the name of a village? It might help to know approximately which area of Canton province your folks came from. If it's near Canton city, then it's probably Sam Yip, a variant of which is also spoken in Hong Kong.
I'm getting royally confused here, if you are Melissa's sister and PPC is your brother, then is PPC Melissa's brother also? Must be.
Well, PPC can take his Mandarin lessons seriously, but I understood you were just kidding on your previous posts. No apologies necessary!
How many Changs are there on Hawaii? OTOH, maybe I shouldn't ask!
I tried to find something online for your dialect but couldn't find anything immediately, so it's not the name of a major group of Cantonese subdialects. Could it be the name of a village? It might help to know approximately which area of Canton province your folks came from. If it's near Canton city, then it's probably Sam Yip, a variant of which is also spoken in Hong Kong.
I'm getting royally confused here, if you are Melissa's sister and PPC is your brother, then is PPC Melissa's brother also? Must be.
Well, PPC can take his Mandarin lessons seriously, but I understood you were just kidding on your previous posts. No apologies necessary!
How many Changs are there on Hawaii? OTOH, maybe I shouldn't ask!
Aug 17th, 2007, 07:40 PM
#64
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When I google Sam Heong, it mostly returns as a Portugese/Macanese spelling of a village/town in nearby Zhongshan, China. Sam Heong literally means "three villages".
Zhongshan is so close to Macau/Hong Kong/Guangzhou that people there don't have much of an accent. They speak pretty much standard Cantonese.
If it's another Sam Heong elsewhere, I don't know.
Other places with the name "Three Villages" include locations in Taiwan, Japan, and NE China.
Zhongshan is so close to Macau/Hong Kong/Guangzhou that people there don't have much of an accent. They speak pretty much standard Cantonese.
If it's another Sam Heong elsewhere, I don't know.
Other places with the name "Three Villages" include locations in Taiwan, Japan, and NE China.
Aug 17th, 2007, 08:37 PM
#65
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Exactly so. The area is Sam Heong (Three Villages), and our exact village is Oo Syak.
I don't know how many Changs there are in Hawaii, but there area a lot! Wong is the most common name in our telephone book though.
I don't know how many Changs there are in Hawaii, but there area a lot! Wong is the most common name in our telephone book though.
Aug 18th, 2007, 12:19 AM
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rkkwan:
Sam Heong is similar to Cantonese, but there are phrases that are very different. For example, "eat" is giak bui. Grandmother is Ah Bow. But we say um sai for "not necessary", which is like Cantonese, isn't it?
Sam Heong is similar to Cantonese, but there are phrases that are very different. For example, "eat" is giak bui. Grandmother is Ah Bow. But we say um sai for "not necessary", which is like Cantonese, isn't it?
Aug 19th, 2007, 09:37 AM
#70
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Hi, Leburta:
Your information has been most helpful!
Here are a few things I found on the internet.
Apparently, there is a fairly large community of Changs from Oo Syak. You have an entire community center-club dedicated to your village. Here's the link:
http://www.geocities.com/echang55/history.html
Also the some of people in the old villages in China and the peoples in Hawaii got together! Here's the link.
http://www.geocities.com/echang55/sanxiang.html
The name of the village has been "mandarinized" and is now "Sanxiang". So I google-mapped the location and it's close to Macau. You can use the hybrid key on the map and move in closer for a look at your ancestral village. Here's the link:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/vt/gm/1003856
Thanks! This has been a fun internet hunt for me!
Your information has been most helpful!
Here are a few things I found on the internet.
Apparently, there is a fairly large community of Changs from Oo Syak. You have an entire community center-club dedicated to your village. Here's the link:
http://www.geocities.com/echang55/history.html
Also the some of people in the old villages in China and the peoples in Hawaii got together! Here's the link.
http://www.geocities.com/echang55/sanxiang.html
The name of the village has been "mandarinized" and is now "Sanxiang". So I google-mapped the location and it's close to Macau. You can use the hybrid key on the map and move in closer for a look at your ancestral village. Here's the link:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/vt/gm/1003856
Thanks! This has been a fun internet hunt for me!
Aug 19th, 2007, 09:40 AM
#71
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Oh, BTW, the four characters on the Hawaiian site means something like "Black [Crow] Rock Strange {marvellous} Cliff". You'll probably find some kind of mountain feature that overlooks the village.
"San xiang" means "Three Fragrances".
My take: look for fragrance flowers growing out of black rock and you've found your village! Just a tease for you!
"San xiang" means "Three Fragrances".
My take: look for fragrance flowers growing out of black rock and you've found your village! Just a tease for you!
Aug 19th, 2007, 02:20 PM
#72
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Thanks for all the information, easytraveller!
I've actually been to the village. We went into China from Macau some years ago. It was just a brief visit. I would like to go back with my family some day.
I've actually been to the village. We went into China from Macau some years ago. It was just a brief visit. I would like to go back with my family some day.
Oct 2nd, 2007, 02:15 PM
#73
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Aloha, PakePorkChop here!
Yes, indeedie, Leburta and I are MelissaHi's siblings.
Our village dialect is Minnanhua (Southern Min), spoken in Southern Fujian through Putian County, Quanzhou, and Xiamen. Other Chinese places with Southern Min speakers include Taiwan, Shantou, and Hainan Island.
Also know as Hokkien, this dialect is spoken extensively in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, and the Phillipines. As you can see, a maritime people quite well traveled.
Our Chang (Zheng) ancestor was sent to administer Zhongshan County in Guangdong Province almost a thousand years ago. For centuries, our village has spoken Minnanhua, even while surrounded by Guangdonghua-speaking peoples.
But in this modern day, change comes quckly. I recently had to tell a 2001 immigrant from our village how to say "water" in our village dialect. Between 1873, when my great-grandfather came to Hawaii, and 2001, the village (now town)had succumbed to the Cantonese word for water.
Yes, indeedie, Leburta and I are MelissaHi's siblings.
Our village dialect is Minnanhua (Southern Min), spoken in Southern Fujian through Putian County, Quanzhou, and Xiamen. Other Chinese places with Southern Min speakers include Taiwan, Shantou, and Hainan Island.
Also know as Hokkien, this dialect is spoken extensively in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, and the Phillipines. As you can see, a maritime people quite well traveled.
Our Chang (Zheng) ancestor was sent to administer Zhongshan County in Guangdong Province almost a thousand years ago. For centuries, our village has spoken Minnanhua, even while surrounded by Guangdonghua-speaking peoples.
But in this modern day, change comes quckly. I recently had to tell a 2001 immigrant from our village how to say "water" in our village dialect. Between 1873, when my great-grandfather came to Hawaii, and 2001, the village (now town)had succumbed to the Cantonese word for water.
Jun 25th, 2008, 08:39 AM
#75
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Can someone recommend a language book/tape for a first time visitor to Shanghai? I'll only be there for 5 days and unfortunately, not going to any other Chinese city on this trip, just Seoul. TIA
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