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Learning Hinghua
Preserving Hinghua: A Language at the Crossroads
The once-revered Hinghua language is steadily fading, eroded by mass migration and rapid societal changes.
Many members of the Hinghua community I’ve met in Singapore, Nanyang, including those from the language’s heartland in Putian, are no longer fluent, and some have lost the ability to speak it.
The threat of Hinghua language becoming a relic of the past is real and urgent. Yet, there is a glimmer of hope. In recent years, passionate individuals and dedicated groups have started creating music videos to help revive and teach the language.
Their efforts have been both encouraging and inspiring. Motivated by this movement, I’ve decided to contribute in my own way.
My approach differs slightly because it is presented in English for accessibility, incorporating Chinese in future versions. This is just the beginning, and I invite you to join me on this journey of rediscovery.
I hope you enjoy my first episode of Learning Hinghua, located at the end of this section, and the subsequent episodes now in production.
Common Words in Hinghua.
Source: 芽油 (Ya You). The Xinghua Pinyin was contributed by several sources, all of them had declined to give their names for citation because of personal reason. I'm nevertheless grateful for their contributions.
It may sound complicated and complex, but with a little practice and regular use of the language, difficulties can be overcome -- just like learning English grammar. It takes time, but it's not impossible. After all, Africans working in Putian can speak fluent Hinghua. American missionaries, such as Rev. W. N. Brewster, were able to translate the Bible into Hinghua, and American Methodist missionary Ms. Suffern was able to speak Hinghua (Hang, 1970b, p. 17).
Please turn on the audio and increase the volume, if necessary.
More videos coming soon.
Akan Datang!
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