檳城新報 Penang Sin Poe

[Mark Yong]

腳踏車 kha taq chia. That is very Hokkien. Now I am thinking about the subtle difference between saying 踏 taq and lap (don't know the character for it). E.g. you say 踏腳車 taq kha chia (to ride a bicycle), not lap kha chia.

[Mark Yong]

aokh1979 wrote:
Did you realise there's no address in advertisement ?

There isn't? The first 3-4 advertisements that I read all had 諸君賜顧請到 XXX 路門牌 YYY 號.

E.g. If you refer to Page 2 of the 31st August 1895 issue, the advertisement regarding 機器車雜貨出售 specifically states that their address is at 義興街二十六號門牌 (wherever the heck 義興街 Gi Hin KE is!).

[aokh1979]

義興街 is the one right in front of Penang Chinese Town Hall. The Hokkien name of Church Street, walking distance from court house.

[SimL]

腳踏車 kha taq chia. That is very Hokkien. Now I am thinking about the subtle difference between saying 踏 taq and lap (don't know the character for it). E.g. you say 踏腳車 taq kha chia (to ride a bicycle), not lap kha chia.

I know "lap" only very vaguely. Isn't "tah8" more "tread on", "step on", i.e.: "press downwards with your foot", and "lap8" more "stamp on", i.e.: "move your foot up and down rapidly, several times"?

[Mark Yong]

Am provisionally (but reluctantly ) using 䟜 for lap, as it seems to be the commonly-accepted character.

Back in the 1980's, my mum's friend from Penang (who moved to KL to work) used the term 䟜油 lap iu to step on the car accelerator. Many years later, I discovered that in Penang, most people say 踏油 taq iu instead. Same with stepping on the brakes.

䟜 lap would be used, e.g. in 䟜着屎 lap tioq sai, 䟜着儂之尾 lap tioq lang e boe, i.e. the act of stepping (on something) is either part of the person's natural walking/running motions at the time and/or is not meant to step on that something.

On the other hand, it looks like the use of 踏 taq is directed more towards:
1. A deliberate act of treading on something for a specific purpose
2. Stepping on foot-operated levers or other mechanisms

So, Sim - you are right in that sense, as ‘treading’ in the English sense seems to connote ‘a calculated act of stepping with the foot for a designed purpose’. One runs on a treadmill, but does not stamp on a bicycle!

That's about as best as I can enunciate what is normally sub-conscious usage for me!

[SimL]

Hi Mark,

Excellent! Now that you explained the usage, it sounds very right to me. My provisional rendering of "lap" was way off!

[Mark Yong]

aokh1979 wrote:
義興街 is the one right in front of Penang Chinese Town Hall. The Hokkien name of Church Street, walking distance from court house.

That was very, very bad and lazy of me It's actually listed here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_st ... wn,_Penang

Besides, I know that area. It's right next to Little India, where I used to have my masala thosai and iced cow's milk on Penang Street regularly on weekends.

[SimL]

iced cow's milk on Penang Street regularly on weekends.

You have a different default for milk... ???

[Mark Yong]

... Okay, I should explain...

There are a few Indian stalls around Penang that sell goat's milk, which I actually enjoy drinking (fattening as it may be) with a little sugar and ice cubes thrown in. Many people find the smell totally off-putting, but I went through the better part of my teenage life with severe sinusitis, so that probably numbed my senses somewhat! That said, I do admit that goat's milk, like blue cheese, is an acquired taste...

[AndrewAndrew]

胰皂 î-tsō / íh-tsō is also used to mean soap, in a "Sunlight soap" / 日光胰皂 advert from 1907