1
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1958.
PIDGIN LANGUAGES A Hongkong Short Story
Robert Wallace
Thompson
Benzoin
the
An Incense derived from resin of Styrax benzols, former ly an important trade item nt Canton. (See Description of Canton, page 137). The word by probably coine into English way of Indo-Portuguese but it To have been aerins ultimately #term used by Arab traders in the East Indles: Tuban-Jawl or
the 10 Jayan incense,
being taken in India is the Arable artiele. Folk etymology provides the English variant banjanin.
Bezoař
This is a camerelon found in the stomach of certain animals, goals in particular. It was form- rly much used in China na un antidote against certain polsons.
Trade in this commodity at Canton is discussed in Descrip- top of Canton, page 141. The word was well-known in Anglo- Indian and is derived from the Persian padzuhr, "prßens vene num. The eighteenth endury Ao Men Chi Luch prists pa sa erb, a loan-word from the Pur-
lale!
Bocca Tigris
1 do nal
intend
to publish
as
proper names in this colam
a rule, but here is one which I
1o the estuary of the Pearl River
•
By Jean Gordon
AN AMAH'S FAREWELL
A"
knitting Missy didn't even take the time to
Sol's needles clicked
monotonously .09 she see little Jeremy before the infant squatted in a shady corner of the garden.
Her sleek black head and
went to sleep, Ah Soi noticed
with
flat brown face, with its pro- quiel scorn. How could the silly
truding simian mouth, wero bent over her work. mind's eye and slim brown
Her woman expect to take care of her
fingers were intent upon the own baby in England when she was
intricate pattern of a email boy's pullover which she had
"I wish I could take you, Ah
Sol The gay voice was wist-
по ful for once. "But Matter 'can catchee money for ΕΠΟΣΟ
co
So the matter was closed. The remaining days hurried by,
with Jeremy's toothache little
better and Ah Sol's eyes getting redder and redder as the parsed
night after alpless night. Zi
was during these, wakeful hours.
tending the small, hot, beloved
carried in her head since practically a stranger to him...? and double row
fingering the expensive one in the foreign baby shop Now that morning,
Her visual eye was ever walchful of the movements of her charge. Jeremy was happily behind the garden pottering coolle and his watering-can. His chubby limbs were as tanned as they could safely be allowed to get under the Eastern sun, which was too ferce for his tender fair shin. Ah Sol's eyes rested lov- ingly for A moment On the and she happy sturdy baby, sighed gustly.
"Dar-ling" she called, and when he ran to her gladly, laid her hand softly on lus damp forehead to see if he were get Ung overheated.
"You velly biz baby" she said fondly: "Jelemy no makee work too hard."
so
The voice that could be loud and resonant
when
add- ressing the other servants, was soft and caressing for the baby, Ten years before Ai Sol had leh her own two babies with her mother in Lh Canton country and had come, a young widow of twenty-two, to seek her fortune in the great city of Hongkong, reputed to be so full of foreign devils that dollars flowed like water; and money. anah, Was as a baby even cusily made.
Al Sol had not found it easy
can't resist. It is the naine given 1.1. first. Without experience, which is Fu Mun in Cantonese she led and written Hu Men in charac-work for lers.
0
she was an established high-grade baby ameh, with slcadily growing bank balance except for the holes periodleally made in it by the claims of her lazy
good-for-nothing relations.
באום
A
body, that gradually her resolve was made. No one policed the unfamular sternness of her usually amiting brown face, with its twinkling black eyes of gold-filled teeth,
The day of sating arrived. and soothed him in a moment. Al Sol Anished Jeremy's pack- and washed She had had her reward in his lng mechanically joyful crooning "Amah!" as he and dressed herself and the still welcomed her buck, and lovingly frettul child. They were to be patted her flashing gold teeth on board at eleven o'clock, and all was turmoil until they were with his fat little fingers.
Since then there had been no safely packed into the taxi with for Al Sol, not Missy and the final oddments of Her crowning joy, her charge. more days cul
her money in the luggage. was one of the loveliest baby even to put
bank or to allot her monthly At the Jelly there was
mesa of coolica, boys in the Colony. She enjoy
ahe gained when portion to the institution which seething
when she passengers and friends 10 say ed the "face"
he took Jeremy out in his would care for her
sunsult, with was too old to work- her un- Goodbye. Someone shepherded freshly tubbed
not be able Ah Soi and the child or to the golden curls immaculately worthy son should brushed, fair skin sult as satin, to do his hare in that respect. passenger deck of the great, buby face alight with laughter. She kept the money now in her ferritying white liner, and for a And no amáh could compare pockets by day and at night a few minutes the restless Jeremy her china pillow on which she
was made much of by the crowd for smartness, in with Ah. Sol
crisply laundered white still rested" her head in the of gay acquaintances drinking her
her shiningly braided old-fashioned
their farewells to his parents. way. Now cant,
bair and green soup- only went out to market to buy One more faven
her chow, leaving Jeremy in rest remarked: stone earrings.
rather than Years of
for other wash-ambit's care
"Your amah looks terribly i caring people's children had not lessen- Missy's. He was quite happy if Fay, but at least the
Throwing
05 hysterics she promised him coaxingly! ed the agony of giving them up when the time came. Al Soi
usually do."
"Poor thing, she's devoted to now faced the univelcome fact: I
Jeremy and God knows I shall Jeremy was going home to Eng-
miss her, but we'll manage tand. Well, she could bear it if .
somehow" was the cheerful re- only she could feet sure of file Tong well-being on that lang,
Amah joinder, with barely a glance at
Ah Sul'a stern, unsmiling face. jour. But all too clear wa9 the memory of her last day's holiday, when by sundown the house-boy had been sent to bring her back from her make jong same because Jeremy scorn. could not be comforted,
A
she
"Amah go market, catcher some lice, for her chow. come back chop-chop."
the
There was a party at house that night. Missy had no time to see Jeremy before he step!, Ah So sliced with quiet
She helped the house amah receive the women quests, relieving them of their coats with amtling politeness, tripping to and fro on her naturally amall fect,
observant than
*
was
the
Isn't they
10
Soon she quietly deloched herself and Jeremy from the crush of people, and climbed the gangway to the boat deck. From there the baby could see the winches working and, 105- cinated, listen to their creaking and whining as the final cargoes "All"day" he hi-erled, while in
Returning to the nursery, she were loaded. Ali Sol drew Missy's charge, and when bed-
sleeping Jeremy from inside her bodice a square ime came he had sobbed for Al inspected the
She then removed her stiff of eretonne with Jour long Sol until his mother had been
white cont, carefully folded her
Jeremy strings. distracted.
her black engrossed with the unaccustom- had to be content to Ilow could the
slily trousers, unbuttoned poor
felt strap shoes, and, in her
ed sights and rounds that he anyone who would woman
else? expect anything amall wage She took little notice of her little cotton bodice and calf made no objection when she engage her, for a
down on her kissed him in businesslike and casual trealmen!. Hath lovely baby, except to drop length pants, lay
Miss DI his curls on hard treslle bed in the outer way and used this to the him on
asleep almost her back. In her employers, she had all a
crowed one toom. She was
fact he lavished her
at once, head resting on the with delight and patted her hard green-glazed surface of her cheeks with his little soft hands. pillow, arms folded carelessly,
then Ah Sol
looted to the but her delicate pointed hands fastening of the belt she Was and flat brown wrists quaintly wearing under her white coal. statuesque and unrelaxed. Even It was very heavy, for it was so, the baby Jeremy had only to
of many pockets, and give the faintest whisper for Ah
Or
from instinctive tender the way, to care on her baby charges.
of her innumerable parties. Ah At last she was entrusted with Soi had allowed herself to say her solt her first European baby; and on that occasion, in after that her sterling qualities husky voice. "He no savvy you. fighten You makee ensured her being recommended Missy,
lo another for him," as she gathered the sob- from one family
gradually increasing wagr. bing child to her hard flat bosom
This name was transisled by the Portuguese as Boca do Tire and writin or liger's mouth'
English in un Bor of Tygern source of 1747. Bocca Tigils in and incorrect ridiculous Latinisation of the Portuguese One Englishman, falling to understand this nome, mark-a ed the Pearl River Tigrla in o chart,
H
naine.
Covid
4
This is an old name once glyen to Chinese measure called a Chelh. It was divided into ten punts. The cavid varied in value according to the use to which It was put, for it might be used for measuring longths, areas or weights.
on
Hobson Jobson suggests, und
that it is 1 think rightly, Indo-Portuguese form of stand- ard Portuguese covado which could be translated cubit or ell. The form covid has the appear- ance of a typical norteiro Indo- Forluguese ward. Apocopation is characteristic of that dialect.
Cumshaw
This word is still very com- mon in Hongkong and is often used by beggars and facetious Europeans. It is one of the puzzles of Pidgin Jexleography. The usual meaning is backsheesh or present. Hobson Jobson quotes Giles who says it is ka- sta grateful thanics in the Amoy dialect and Moule who consider- ed it to be kam-sau, thank gift In Cantonese, Like the enm- pilers of that excellent diction- ary I prefer for the moment to keep a discreet an cowardly silence when discussions on il etymology arise.
There is no evidence that 1 know of to support the common Hongkong bellef that this word originated in India.
Beche de Mer
This pseudo-Gallician was the British trader's version of the Portuguese Bicho de Mar, seu- beastle. It is the sea-slug, holo- thuria, or tripang, an important item in the cuisine of South China.
The traders who scoured the delicacy South Seas for this carried pluginished English with them and gave it the name of their Important cargo, with "Beeck-la-m5. slight variation, From this jargon Melanesian Plogin grew.'
NOTE: GRIFFITH, which appeared in last week's column, IN KLIS, ON for pa I know Hongkong word. How I got there puzzles mo.
P
E must have wondered out of my note on GRIFFIN, one olymology of "which, 'offered in Hobson Jobran, was raw Welsh- man (Grifth-ke-a-sarnama).
WEEKEND Friell
"That nice old boy you give lifts to has called to see if he left his lipstick in the car!”
"How time flies! I don't think I'll bother to go to bed now..."
"Oh mummy, did you hear what daddy said. about Empire Day?"
Lhadon)Kzyratų Kernion -
-and beside the col
made
Soi to be instantly wide-awake every pocket was fightly packed with sliver dollars. BallaRed she walked to the seaward side During the night Jeremy of the deck and climbed as far began to cut a double tooth, and as she could
An
round the outside
of the lifeboats, just thut she
Soi was awake for more of one hours than she slept, soothing within the railings,
his
*
fears and his pain. Eyes had a clear view out to sea and red with sleeplessness by morn--of-the murky waters below.
There was scarcely even ing, she found it more thah ever dificult to bear the thought that sampan to be seen. All activity the other side within a week Jeremy would was focussed on
ship, Soon n bell be alone, perhaps in pain and of the
Sol knew misery, with the feckless Missy clanged noially. Ah
who did not understand and did that was the signal for friends nol care. Unwilling as she was to go ashore. They would begin
now. They probably stari
lo part with him for any of the looking for her short time left, Ah Sol suggest would
with
ed that Missy should occasional- Missy's cabin, She would wall
ly practise looking after Jeremy, while Amah remained in background.
The
"No thank you, 'Ah So!" was the castal laughing reply. "I shalt have quite enough of him on the boof,"
a few minutes longer.
HOT
heart was beating hard but she fell calm and resolved. She know she was doing right and that her ancestors would ac- claim her. The bell rang again.
thought sho heart Sho clamour below the gangway. The moment had come.
A
With a deft twist of her hands she drew the carrying apron over Jeremy's small head to that his only view' was of her back, Then came the final desperate and scrambled agitely throughs alea, borne of true love, and the rope railings and so to the made in spite of dread of ships, sea below.
the sea, and the awful sickness Thus did All Sol fulfil her
that come with them:
"You takes me too. Missee. I go Englandside together you and Jelemy. I come back Chinaside byanby."
trust.
COPYRIGHT RESERVED
ROUND-UP
Russia's Rocket Build-Up
Vienna.
VER two dozen rocket bases-suitable for rockets with stom warheads are now ready for immediate operation in Crecho- slovakia, Poland, Eastern Germany and Northern Hungary, according to information rouching here.
All of this area, it was suggealed by Paland's Foreign Minister Itapack, should be combined with Western Germany and other areas in Western Europe into on stom-free area.
But while this plan is still being discussed by Western goverments, Russia has been forging ahead with her missile projects.
Under the direction of General Lishkin and his deputy. Colonel Micaic of the Czech army, working froth the Soviet main rocket headquarters at Eichenberg in Northern Bohemia, a not- work of rocket bases facing west has quietly been built up.
About one dozen of these bases are in Czechoslovakia. The remainder are distributed over Poland, Eastern Germany and Northern Hungary, pall
Under Boulet directions, the Czech: factory of Vihorlat In Faster Czechoslovakia, near, the Soviet-Czech frontier, is also starting the production of rockets which are to be fitted with Soviet atom warhende.
The first of these rockets, it is believed, will be ready by mid-sumuner.
the real thirst- quencher!
7Up
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