Chow (third from left) and caretaker Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin (fourth from right) launching the Penang Hokkien Dictionary and ‘Learn Penang Hokkien’ Youtube channel. With them is Tye (red shirt). – CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
ACTIVISTS and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) must help promote Hokkien to the younger generation, said caretaker Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
“The success in promoting Mandarin has left an impact on dialects such as Hokkien in Penang.
“Most of the younger generation in the state are not fluent in Hokkien,” he said.
Chow added that the dialect faced extinction if it is not passed down to the younger generation.
“I am happy to learn there are activists and others in the state who promote the dialect to ensure that it remains an important medium of communication for the people of Penang, especially the young.”
He said that conversing in Penang Hokkien regularly with family and friends was key to preserving the dialect for generations to come.
Chow was speaking at Penang Town Hall in George Town where he took part in the Penang Heritage Forum titled “Penang Hokkien: Our Language, Our Heritage”.
At the forum, Chow launched the Penang Hokkien Dictionary (https://www.penang-traveltips.com/dictionary/index.htm) and the “Learn Penang Hokkien” YouTube channel (https://m. youtube.com/c/learnpenanghokkien).
Both platforms were created by Hokkien dialect activist Timothy Tye.
Tye hoped people would learn Hokkien through both mediums.
He has been working on the dictionary for 10 years.
“I started working on it in 2013 and it is still a work in progress.”
He added that over 18,000 people from the learn Penang Hokkien Facebook group had given input on the pronunciation of words.
“There are over 6,000 words including words that are used daily,” he said.
He added that visitors to the platform could key in words in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, and then listen to the Hokkien translation.
Tye said the YouTube channel was to further help people learn the dialect.
The forum was organised by the Penang Heritage Department and the Penang exco office for tourism and creative economy (Petace).
