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Let's Take Hongkong's Word
By R. W
Thompson
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1958.
HE CAME FROM
NOWHERE
A FEW months ago a great dinner party was thrown at the fashionable Claridges Hotel in honour of the four visiting Premiers from, the MA FOO; This is a ten-word from the Chinese and means hors-Canadian Maritime Provinces. Lord
boy or groom. Leland quotes the phrase Talkee mafee to come chop-chop which I shall not be tedious enough to trans- Tate.
MAI: Hongkong Cantonese for mile the sound of which it imitates, MAK TAU: Trademark in Hongkong Cantonese, The first clement
is based on English mark.
by
Beaver Sir Beverley Baxter, M.P.
brook was the host, supported at the head table by Sir Winston Churchill and Prime Minister. Mac- millan.
We MAKEE: Make, do, effect, cause. Suppose you makoo buy. Make-
learnce with much the same sense as larn-pidgin as we have Ground
Oddly many amihs seem not to know it.
pelis cornmander or official.
were
s
ttro son of
As an example let me regall the Abdication debate in the House of Commons when the tragedy of the young King Ed- ward VIII was being discussed. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was at his dignifed best na in
tion with Churchill.
Bracken's administration of war time propaganda was not only brillizat bui sustained, Every night at nine o'clock the B.B.C. sent out on the waves' of sound Big Ben'striking the hour, followed by a commentator on the news, The opening words were always the same: "This is London."
mors and was created a Vis-
tribute count prent services to the nation Yet he The during
war. book To part in the debates of the House of Lords and he was seen in public leas and ices, His publishing and financial affairs kept him busy during the day, but in the silence of the night he sat alone in his great house and read until sheer ex- haustion brought surcease to lis weary body. The tong, long, trail was coming to the end.
of Information, à belliant choice realist as well as a romantic. despite the fact that there were What was the use of being a all standing land,
J. K. A.
membera
of the Cabinet who politician unicas. you were in and presumably thought that it would have been Parliament? Accordingly ha sherry and Bracken,
must be accepted since Brendan better to give the task to a abandoned Paddington and was bove is a popular word, with many foreign housewives. cocktails loosened our ton suppiled the information, Yot journalist of wider experience,, adopted as a bye-election for the MANDARIN: This word has been in standard English for vergues, in the usual.prolimin- the mystery is not made clearer Actually Bracken: was exactly strong Tory seat at Bournemouth turies. It is the English form of the Portuguese mandărim,ary to such a dinner, when by the fact that almost freen the the right man partly because of which duly returned him.
us were startled moment he reached London with his dynamie qualities, and even In 1952 ho resigned (3 many of
every intention of conquering it MASKEE: Never mind, notwithstanding, all right, correct, never-into silence by the arrival he became the close friend and more because of his close affilia member of the House of Com
Churchill Brendan protege of Winston of (Viscount) theless, however, but, anyhow. Lelund says "this word is used in a very irregular manner." It is recorded for Anglo- Bracken. None of us had In fact their friendship grew le
and is written Chinese by Partridge, as far back as 1804, masket, mashkee, ma-se-ke in Pidgin texts. The expression seen him for many months deep affection.
we were shocked by is of Portuguese origin: mas que but that'. It was used in ani
In fact, other his appearance, all the old Portuguese dialects, of the East. Janguages bear witness to its vigour Malayan has borrowed
His mop of reddish hair, 15 maski, mlaki, Javanese as maski, meskt. It also occurs
once bristling with vitality, changed to wispiah, had lifeless, thin white strands. voice had not lost ita The sonorous humour of his quality but he moved like a man who was weary of life's journey. A moment later dinner was announced and after a time, above the rising volume of conversation, we could hear his ironic, rasp- ing voice in full blast. Then he grew quiet-strangely quiet for a man who had always erupted like a vol-
in at least two Spanish contact vernaculars of the Philippines whither It came from the Moluccan island of Ternate, self once partly Portuguese-speaking. There is no justification for relating this expression to Cantonese in shat it doesn't matter MASSA: Old reports gave this as a Plugin word but in Hongkong
as some have done.
I have only heard masita
the adaptation of sardard English to Cantonese phonology.... Manna was probably not even a Pidgin invention but it import vie sailors' language. Com pare its use in the Southern U.S. and British West Indies.
as borrowed from English by Hongkong MOI TA: Motor.
Cantonese. English itself borrowed this word from Latin.
MOI TANG NUI SZ: Modernt girl. The first element is the
English modern. This modern girl is rather fast.. MOLO-MAN: A negro, according to Giles, who also gives the
variants moor-men and morramen,, I in die Eastern Portugu ese maro (standard moure), o moor, Moro still means a dark- complexioned policeman in the Macanese dialect of Hongkong, by the Glles mentions that the Pidgin form was derived Chinese of his day from me lou, ugly face, by folk etymology MONG KWOIL: Mango in Cantonese. A word of Mulayan origin
bul probably horrowed from English, MORT-DE-CHIEN; An old word for Cholera attested in Fangul at Canton. This is French folk etymology for mordexim Indo-Portuguese form.
cano.
quiet but relentless words he pronounced the ultimaban that
During the battle of the sir the King must choose between Hiller told his people every the Throne and the woman who, night that England's capital city
had unfortunately
two ex- had been virtually destroyed, yet husbands still living. The whole every night the same hour the listening stealthily. Baldwin House seemed to be in sympathy Germans,
yei
the Winston heard
same calmvalce! with
Is London," The most Churchill, the traditional rebel," "This fose to put forward the argument effective instrument of propa-
11
N... WE WERE SHOCKED BY
HIS APPEARANCE.......”
that the King should be allowed to marry the woman he loved,
Bet siriking the hour.
1
I
I do not know why Bracken never married. He liked the company of women within rea- Aon but preferred the hard head- ed romanticism of rich men with their genius and their innrficut- ale lust for power,
Yet his weary face lit up when
ganda in the whole war was Big Bracken's origin an
his closest friend, Sir Winston Churchill, was called upon to speak.
MOXA: The name given to a system of cautery by Japanese and Chinese. Pastilles made of the beaten leaves of Artimisia Moxa are applied to the skin and get on fre. MY: In Pidgin ny, I, me, mine: sometimes we, our or ours. I
therefore plays a similar role lo ngob in Cantonese.
The first element
PI FI TSAI: "Baby, in Hongkong Cantonese.
is said to be the English Baby. Pi pi nul, baby girl, also occurs. FING TAO: "Soldier boss." This is described in the older books
.
is
as old "Coolie Chinese" for H.E..the Governor of Hongkong, Cusion which are part of his
It is still used. The Governor of Macao is also given this
name.
PLENTY Much, very, very much in Pidgin as in other varieties of contact English. Leland quotes a Pidgin version of "Excelsior" which contains the line: He makee walkes plenty high,
POH SZ: English boss in locul Cantonese.
FONG: Pound, a foreign measure, borrowed from English by
Hongkong Contonese.
What an amazing man Churchill-se
dominating, vibrant of voice and spirit des pite the unforgiving years! With That delicacy und sense of Ge character he spoke only for a few moments because: "I am in The presence of my Leader." As he said the words he bowed is Macmillan, not in irony, but in traditional respect, With equal delicacy and brevity Macmillan paid tribute to the Old Warrior without false Battery or any
POODLE: As described by "Beity" in Intercepted Letters, pub-pretence at self-effacement.
+
shed at the beshaning of the century they are "generally men (save the mark) in age ranging from eighteen to twenty-five with a great, grand love for themselves and plenty of time on their hands. "They are on the whole obedient, seldom zurly, and very good lap-dogs. They can usually dance a little, sing a little, play Bridge à little, etc., and generally wear an eye- glass (f they can).
PO TIN: Local Cantonese for puddiak,
PRAYA: An old name for the Victorin waterfront. It is the Portuguese praia taken from the famous and beautiful Prays Grande at Macno.
PUCKENOW: Steal, in older Anglo-Chinese. It was on Arigio- Indian expression, borrowed from Hindi where it is pakarso an imperative, "go and selze." The word was one commonly used by British soldiers serving in India.
A British
Crossword Puzzle
13
14
12
14
115
18
19
22
123
ACROSS
3 Work on hand? It seems so
(8).
3 Excruciatingly funny? (8). Judicial sort of fute (8).
11. Holder's legul.fee? (8).
12 It may be dangerous to boats
(4).
18"Šqusals (6),
18 Not taken by the cautious
(5).
10 is twice in the river (4),
22 Lends enchantmont, they say
(8):
24. A. Mediterranean soa (8)..
25 Jewish "quarter" (0),
20 Lack of varioty, (8),
DOWN
1 Seize the throne ·(5),
2 Fine-holder (5).
9 Oddly enough, he gote his
living off the land! (7).
4 It's said to put an end to
prayer (4),
5 Novello, perhaps (4),
6 Brought to naught (0)..
7 Make wild (0).
10 Possibly dry quarters for
prisoners (5).
14 Keep within bounds (B)..
15 Incomplete (7), 4500
16 Ampulate a lumb? No! (8).
17 The answer
·leniout (6).
could, be" a
20 Only one girl7 (5).
21 Evil spirit in' pandemonium ...... (5).
...
22 Foolish (4),"
23, Roadside Indicator? (4),
FRIDAY'S CROSSWORD: 3 Boomers 7 Lot-lo, 8 High-it-over, 10, Oddies, 13 Disease, 18 Bots, 17 Elapnes, 18 Decoare, 20 Idle, 21′ Scalped, '20 Tiller, 27 Distress, 28" Linge 29 Mark Lime Downs 1 Flood, Bhuda, 3 Bo-ho-s, 4 Orgy Extyles, 0 Birose, 9 Assess, 11 Olled, 19 Levyo, 14 Elpata, :) Spill, 10 Tepte, 10 Diadem, 10 Clower, 22 Alsie, 29, Plane, Dress 25 Fret.
The tired, haualed face of Erbeken broke into a smile and we heard his metallic voice hold- ing forth as we had heard it hundred times in the past. But soon relapsed into silence.
He had travelled bravely but he was nearing journey's end.
The mystery that surrounded will probably never be solved, nor is there any logical explanation of now With the cessation of hostilities he came, unknown to London. there were many M.P.'s who and moved at once among men of His heart was thought that the Ministry of In high position. formation should be continuod kindly and he delested injustice into the peace but wisely that yet he never sought friends in
The humble places, advice was disregarded, Ministry was wound up and no
He was bewildered by only one supported that decision more
than Bracken, one thing-the meaning of life. of Was It eluded him and because But what about himself? he to be thrown into the discard that he withdraw more and more
-normal contact
with because his Ministry had been from
humanity. His beautiful, house sentenced to death?
became a monk's cell in the last year of his life.
A storm of profest broke out from all sides, and from protest It grew 10 pandemonium, Churchill's raucous, resonant volee could hardly make self At last heard above the din. the noise was so impossible that Churchill, flushed with anger, strode out of the Chamber to enthusiastically exultant ironic cheers. But as he made his way to the exit he was joined by one member of the House. Brendan Brucken went into the wilderness, with his closest friend.
In the smoking room, after the debate had ended, we heard the
Churchill solved that problem by paking him First Lord of the Admiralty.VN
Thure could hardly have beca, any appointment lets suitable. The pomp of naval power, the boisterous spirits of Junior and the healthy officers,
epitaph of Churchill over and over again: "Genius
without emality judgment" But at least ke Don Quixote he had his faithful Sancho Panglio.
at arlenirais general made no great appeal to Bracken's complex mind. How- ever, this dilemma was soon resolved, Churchill decided on
July election in which, having won the war, he would ask the electorate to be allowed to win the peace.
And what was the response as the clectorate went to the polls? The war-winning coalition and (the first for ten years) was on normal party lines. After all the Tories were led by Churchill, the
the war. Gratitude, if nothing supreme architect of victory in else, would sweep him and his party to power,
But was Bracken no more than a mysterious young man who got himself elected to the British Parliament in 1929 and Not long afterwards I Was
with sat in the House with the un- walking in Hyde Furk Beaverbrook when I mentioned likely hope of some day becom- Minister? Not at all. the tragic appearance of Bracing ken. "He is dying," said the "Bracken was much more than een dissolved and the election Beaver, And then with that that. He became a director of characteristic. abruptness which the great publishing house of often conceals emotion he said: Eyre and Spottiswoode Lid. "Brendan is dying of cancer." Later on he became the Chair- A few weeks later he was dead. man of the powerful Financial
News. Who was Brendan Bracken? What was he? By what miracle To add to his netivies he took or quirk of fate could an un- on the job of Managing Director known young man arrive in ef "The Economist" and, to fit lo Britain from South Africa and what was left of his time, he almost overnight become tho joined the Board of the Associat- Industries. Un- close confident of Winston Chur- ed Electric
wonder
rhill in his irrepressible days? No marrie he acquired stately Put not your trust into senti-
when Randolph house in Lord North Street, ment.
The grateful electorate Churchill wrote an obituncy of Westminster, acd entertained threw out Churchill and the Bracken in the Evening Standard tycoons to dinner. Rich, power- Tories with such enthusiasm that It was headed:
"This was Bracken-
The Man of Mystery." Here is the opening paragraph of Randolph's article;
ful, aggressive and kindly Bren- when Parliament assembled after dan had no woman in his life, the debacle we Tories wote Soft eyes were languished on him hemmed into a corner of the but his house remained * Chamber like
besieged monastery.
Garrison,
But great days wire ahead for
the casualties was Among "Man of mystery, a secretive him. With the coming of the Brendan Bracken. He had re- eccentric, a freak, perhaps Hitler war Bracken, needless to
presented the London seat of genius, certainly an expert in say, hitched his wagon Lo North Paddington from 1929 to the art of make-belleve and Churchill's star. Nor must It be 1948 and had gotle down in tho fantasy; Stich พาย Viscount thought that his devotion to holocaust. But' did he remain Bracken whom I fast met n Churchill was due merely to the the Tory candidate
for North Chartwell when I was cleven rising tide of the great man's Paddington, resolved to win it fortunes as Chamberlain went back at the next general elec. Then Randolph goes on: "Born down before the early disasters tion? Not at all. He was a "In Dublin at the turn of the of the wor. It would have been 'century he always made a mys- the same with Bracken, whether tery about his origin. He cer- Chinchill come or fell. lainly gave mo three or four
years old,"
Britala
quite different accounts of his At last Chamberlain was out early life, including several fas- and Churchill was in, proving cinating tales of his early days once more that war in feckless In Australia and later ot. Sed- jado which plays the devil bergh (in Britain) of which with human destinies. school he subsequently became nover has a "Minister of Prop- Chaliman', "
ganda in peace time but Churchill know that in a modern' war, pro- poganda is of vital neceasily and Importance,
In turn, it has been published that Brocken was born in Aan- fralla, South Africa and Ireland,
In WHO'S WHO it is definitely Not surprisingly he appointed alated that he was born in re- Bracken to the post, of Minister
Stories By Hongkong Writers
THE
HE serios Stories by Hongkong Writers" has
been discontinued temporarily
regrets that he was not able to publish excellent stories contributed. It is, however,
to resume the series at a later date.
Editor!
"
POCKET CARTOON
by OSBERT LANCASTER İ
Well, once sépon a time, when mammy was quite a
| Hiilu girl,' zkéra was a man called Chiang Kai-shek. and, believe it or not, accord, ing to, Mr. Dulles, there
The Uje and death of Brenday Bracken will become part of the London legend. It is only in a Great Metropolia that a man can come from nowhere and play a dynamic role in peace and war, and then die alone with no bith nor kin by his side.
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