The Hokkien Vernacular

In lieu of a normal editorial, and in keeping with this month’s cover story being about Penang Hokkien, I am providing here in a somewhat truncated form, the Introductory from The Hokkien Vernacular (edited by George Thompson Hare and published in KL in 1904). I hope this stimulates readers’ interest in this Chinese dialect, and in learning/mastering the special version of it that we consider the folk tongue of Penang. For regular readers of Penang Monthly, consider this a “Window into History” episode.