HO̍KLÓ, HO̍HLÓ, HŌLÓ

[SimL]

警察局 is kìng-chat-kìk, though the usual word for police is chìng-ping 銃兵! Oh yeah, the more common word for police station is chìng-ping-chù.

Hi niuc,

Good to know this, as I can relate it to the Mandarin I'm learning! In Penang, I think the usual term for "police station" is "ma1_ta3/7_楼", as "unsandhied", the term for "police" is "ma1_ta5" (as most of us know...).

[Mark Yong]

Hi, Sim,

Based on my (limited) experience in Penang, police station was ma1-ta3 寮 lîau, where 寮 lîau means a hut.

[SimL]

If one could go back and edit one's posts without it saying "this post was edited <X> times", I would!

Embarassed look. . I can only plead not having used the word for 40 years. I'll check with my parents, but I dare say you're right.

[siamiwako]

Not sure about Chavacano Zamboanguense, ....

Chavacano from Zamboanga may have preserved the Spanish words however, it's a gramatically incorrect. Everything is in "el" masculine form (e.g. mujer - should be la mujer becomes el mujer) and singular form + maga (local word) (e.g. el mga mujer - should be las mujeres).

Pronounciation-wise, there is no "th" sound (as in cancion (canthion) or something) but pronounced as "s" (as in cansion). All nouns end in "r" are dropped as in manejar (to drive) becomes "maneja".

[amhoanna]

Bienvenido, Siamiwako! Aquí nos hace falta de gente Pin@y!

[siamiwako]

Bienvenido, Siamiwako! Aquí nos hace falta de gente Pin@y!

Gracias.
其實我只能猜上面的西班牙語。。。

[SimL]

其實我只能猜上面的西班牙語。。。

Off topic (even within the context of the rest of the Forum, let alone this thread), so please forgive me, but...

What's the difference between "其實" and "實在"...?

[Yeleixingfeng]

其實我只能猜上面的西班牙語。。。

Off topic (even within the context of the rest of the Forum, let alone this thread), so please forgive me, but...

What's the difference between "其實" and "實在"...?

Assuming they share the same meaning in Hokkien and Mandarin.

其實 means actually - what English would call, an adverb, though it is only used to explain a fact. 實在 is an adjective to mean that something is solidly there; more colloquially, it is used in the sense "really", as in "You are really smart!" - though "眞的很" comparatively is used more.

Analyse them. 其實 means, its(其) truth (實). 實在 is separately solid(實), and exist(在). That explains why 其實 can only be used in that particular sense of "actually" too.

[siamiwako]

其實我只能猜上面的西班牙語。。。

Off topic (even within the context of the rest of the Forum, let alone this thread), so please forgive me, but...

What's the difference between "其實" and "實在"...?

Assuming they share the same meaning in Hokkien and Mandarin.

其實 means actually - what English would call, an adverb, though it is only used to explain a fact. 實在 is an adjective to mean that something is solidly there; more colloquially, it is used in the sense "really", as in "You are really smart!" - though "眞的很" comparatively is used more.

Analyse them. 其實 means, its(其) truth (實). 實在 is separately solid(實), and exist(在). That explains why 其實 can only be used in that particular sense of "actually" too.

just my general observation by how I use it:
其實：用在強調上一句或下一句負面或醒悟的意思
實在：用在強調句子的真實而有帶著一些無奈

[SimL]

Hi Yeleixingfeng and siamiwako,

Thanks for your replies. Your explanation makes sense, Yeleixingfeng, especially helpful was your tip to look at the meaning of the individual characters, and then to think of combining these. siamiwako, I'm afraid my Mandarin is still too limited to get the full details of your explanation, but the two sentences were also good practice for me. By the most amazing of co-incidences, I happened to learn just last week that 強調 means "to emphasize", "to stress".