Cantonese spoken elsewhere

[Ian_Lee]

There are some very interesting Cantonese terminologies that are used somewhere else but not in Guangzhou or Hong Kong.

For instance, the term 西洋 is widely used in Macau. When some Mecanese say that they are going to Portugal, they say they are returning to 西洋. They even have a 大西洋銀行.

In Hawaii, when you describe some locally born ABC girls, you label them as 本山妹 (and 本山豬 for locally raised pigs).

In Malaysia/Singapore, there are even more.

[TSkillet]

there's a lot of these in the US - you find pockets of people using different terminologies to refer to things differently than in Hong Kong - or even parts of the US. The most obvious ones I can think of are names of cities - gau gum san vs. san fan si, loh sang vs. lok cham gay that sort of thing. I had to learn a whole new set of sub vocabulary when I lived in Guangdong because of the differences between US Cantonese, Hong Kong Cantonese and Guangdong Cantonese.

[Ncao]

I came from an ethnic Chinese family in Vietnam, we call the police luk yi(绿衣) and money lui.

I think lui is also in Malaysia and Singapore, but I was wondering is 绿衣 use in other places?

[skylee]

In the past, indian/pakistani policemen in HK were called 大頭綠衣 because -

當 時 大 部 分 警 察 為 印 巴 籍 人 士 ， 他 們 大 多 數 包 著 頭 及 穿 上 綠 色 的 制 服 ， 所 以 居 民 又 叫 警 察 為 「 大 頭 綠 衣 」

source

[ala]

In the past, indian/pakistani policemen in HK were called 大頭綠衣[/url]

haha, they were called 红头阿三 ondou-assei in Shanghai.

[Ah-Bin]

On the same topic I was wondering if there was still anywhere in the Cantonese-speaking world where people still refer to China as Tong Saan 唐山 (or Hong San in 台山) or America as Kim Saan 金山? The first word has passed out of use to my knowledge.

[TSkillet]

On the same topic I was wondering if there was still anywhere in the Cantonese-speaking worldr America as Kim Saan 金山? The first word has passed out of use to my knowledge.

金山 is still in less common use in a lot of places - it's sort of an old timey thing - but here in the US - in older immigrant communities (like say Sacramento where there is a lot less influx of newer immigrants). I thought 金山 always referred to California in particular and not the US as a whole.

It's also sometimes used to refer to Australia.

[geraldc]

On the same topic I was wondering if there was still anywhere in the Cantonese-speaking world where people still refer to China as Tong Saan 唐山 (or Hong San in 台山) or America as Kim Saan 金山? The first word has passed out of use to my knowledge.

In England we still call Chinatown 唐人街 however the arches that were sent over for the latest Chinatown in Newcastle has 中国城 painted on them, a term that I've never actually heard anyone use in reference to any Chinatown. China's generally refererred to as 大陆, but I think all overseas Chinese do that...

[Ah-Bin]

Thanks very much. Wow, a Chinatown in Newcastle? I've been many times, but never found it. I would really like to hear a Chinese-Geordie dialect. 外矮蠻 (Why aye man?)

[Gary Soup]

In England we still call Chinatown 唐人街 however the arches that were sent over for the latest Chinatown in Newcastle has 中国城 painted on them, a term that I've never actually heard anyone use in reference to any Chinatown. China's generally refererred to as 大陆, but I think all overseas Chinese do that...

My (Shanghainese) wife always refers to our local (San Francisco) Chinatown as 中国城 when talking to friends.