Similar to the situation in Singapore, the term Hokkien is generally used by the Chinese in South-east Asia to refer to Min Nan Chinese (闽南语). Southern Malaysian Hokkien is based on the Quanzhou dialects with some influence from the Amoy dialect. The dialect also contains loan words from Malay.
Phonology
This section is based on Eng Choon (Yongchun) Hokkien spoken in Melaka.[8][9]
There are seven tones, five of which are long tones and two are checked tones.[6] Like other varieties of Hokkien, these tones also undergo tone sandhi in non-final positions.[6] The tone values (both base tones and sandhi tones) of the long tones are shown below:[10]
Tone number
Final/base tone
Non-final/sandhi tone
1
˧ (33)
˧ (33)
2
˨˧ (23)
˨˩ (21)
3
˥˨ (52)
˧˦ (34)
5
˨˩ (21)
˥˧ (53)
6
˨˩ (21)
˨˩ (21)
Influences from other languages
Southern Malaysian Hokkien is also subjected to influence from various languages or dialects spoken in Malaysia. This is influenced to a certain degree by the Teochew dialect and is sometimes being regarded to be a combined Hokkien–Teochew speech (especially in Muar, Batu Pahat, Pontian and Johor Bahru).[citation needed]
^Min is believed to have split from Old Chinese, rather than Middle Chinese like other varieties of Chinese.[1][2][3]
References
^Mei, Tsu-lin (1970), "Tones and prosody in Middle Chinese and the origin of the rising tone", Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 30: 86–110, doi:10.2307/2718766, JSTOR2718766
Chang, Yueh-chin; Hsieh, Feng-fan (2012). "Tonal coarticulation in Malaysian Hokkien: A typological anomaly?". The Linguistic Review. 29 (1): 37–73. doi:10.1515/tlr-2012-0003.
Tan, Chee Beng (2001). "Chinese in Southeast Asia and Identities in Changing Global Context". In Armstrong, M. Jocelyn; Armstrong, R. Warwick; Mulliner, Kent (eds.). Chinese Populations in Contemporary Southeast Asian Societies: Identities, Interdependence and International Influence. London and New York: Routledge. pp. 210–236. ISBN0-7007-1398-0.