Another project of the Hinghwa Heritage Centre
Learning Hinghwa
Preserving Hinghwa: A Language at the Crossroads
The once-revered Hinghwa language is steadily fading, eroded by mass migration and rapid societal changes.
Many members of the Hinghwa community I’ve met in Singapore and 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 Hinghwa 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 way.
My approach differs slightly because it is presented in English for accessibility, to incorporate 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 Hinghwa, located at the end of this section, as well as the subsequent episodes now in production.
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Common Words in Hinghwa.
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 Hinghwa. American missionaries, such as Rev. W. N. Brewster, were able to translate the Bible into Hinghwa, and American Methodist missionary Ms. Suffern was able to speak Hinghwa (Hang, 1970b, p. 17).
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