Höng Shán dialect is the strange use of 'that' for 'this.' This continued substitution of the one demonstrative pronoun for the other is, to say the least of it, confusing to one accustomed to pure Cantonese; for the 'city man' to hear this persistent misuse of 'that' to represent' this' is perplexing in the extreme. Another word, of course, has to be employed for 'that,' it is the word ⿰口𫨸 ꜀nú⟨.⟩ ꜀Nú is, not, however, confined entirely to the Höng Shán people, as it is in constant use by the Nám Tau people (Nám T'au is the district city of the San On district), as well as by some others. The demonstrative pronouns there are as follows:—
- This
- 𱒲個 ꜀ko ko꜄, or 該⿰口坭個 ꜀kôí ꜀naí ko꜄
- That
- ⿰口𫨸個 ꜀nú ko꜄, or ⿰口𫨸⿰口坭 ꜀nú ꜀naí.
- These
- 該⿰口坭個 ꜀kôí ꜀naí ko꜄, or 個⿰口坭 ko꜄ ꜀naí.
- Those
- ⿰口𫨸⿰口坭個 ꜀nú ꜀naí ko꜄.
Of course this word ko꜄ is used in the same way as in Cantonese before 處 shü꜄ and other words, and before the different classifiers also; but always with the opposite meaning to what it has in Cantonese; for example, the words which would be used to stand for the idea of 'there' in Cantonese to a Höng Shán man would convey the meaning of 'here,' i.e. 個處 ko꜄ shü, is 'here.' The word 'some' is not represented by 啲 ꜀tí as in Cantonese, but ⿰口坭 ꜀naí is used, as:—Give some more 俾⿰口坭添 ꜃pí ꜀naí ꜀t'ím. A few examples will show how ⿰口坭 ꜀naí takes the place of 啲 ꜀tí:—
- A very little
- 一⿰口坭仔 yat꜆ ꜀naí ꜂tsaí, or ⿰口坭仔 ꜀naí ꜂tsaí.
- The least bit
- ⿰口坭仔咁多 ꜀naí ꜂tsaí kam꜄ ꜀to.
- A little better
- 好⿰口坭 ꜂hò ꜀naí ꜂tsaí.
- Quicker
- 快⿰口坭 faí꜄ ꜀naí ꜂tsaí.
- Dearer
- 貴⿰口坭 kwaí꜄ ꜀naí ꜂tsaí.
- Nearer
- 近⿰口坭 kan꜄ ꜀naí ꜂tsaí.
⿰口坭 ꜀naí alone can be used in all these phrases as well as ⿰口坭仔 ꜀naí ꜂tsaí.
Instead of saying 汙糟 ꜀ò ꜀tso for dirty 嗏喇 ꜁ch'á ꜁là is employed (a term also used in Cantonese), but 嗏喇 ꜁ch'á ꜁lá also means haunted by ghosts, a use of the term not known in Cantonese. 昭 ꜀ts'íú is used for beautiful or nice looking instead of the word 靚 leng꜄⟨;⟩ 好彩 ꜂ho ꜂ts'oí, good luck or fortunate are replaced by 感謝 ꜂k'yám tse꜄.
For the phrase 細蚊仔有病 saí꜄ ꜀man ꜂tsaí ꜃yaú peng꜅, the child is sick, is substituted 細蚊仔⿲口禾乔事 saí꜄ ꜀man ꜂tsai ꜁k⟨'⟩íú sz꜄. 嚤 ꜀mo is not used alone for slowly but 嚤⿰口佗 ꜀mo ꜀t'o is used.
A common word for all is ⿺風都⿺風都 ꜁tú ꜁tú derived or rather copied from the Portuguese ⟨tudo⟩ and todo. The servants employed by the Portuguese use it to the exclusion of 喊𠾴唥 hám꜅ pá꜅ láng꜅; it is heard more ⟨at⟩ Macao than in the country, though it is understood throughout the district and used. Another word from the Portuguese which, however, is not used seriously but only in jest is the term lá꜄ ꜀lí ꜀lung, thief, robber from the Lusitanian ladrão, nor is a knowledge of this foreign word confined to the Macao or Höng Shán district.
'Sometimes' is represented by the words 愛時 ôí꜄ ꜁shí, as for example:—
Sometimes there is and sometimes there is not 愛時有愛時有 ôí꜄ ꜁shí ꜂yau, ôí꜄ ꜁shí ꜂mò. Sometimes he comes and goes 愛又來愛又去 ôí꜄ yaú꜄ ꜁lôí, ôí꜄ yaú꜄ höü꜄. 自家 tsí꜅ ꜀ka and 自己 tsí꜄ ꜂kí are used for self, though the latter is used more than the former. A curious interrogative 吥哪 pat꜆ ꜁níá is used. It also means 'any' as well as 'what?' As:—what wine is this？該⿰口坭個係吥 哪酒 ꜀koi naí꜄ ko꜄ haí꜄ pat꜆ ꜁níá ꜂tsau? 'What' has again another curious word representing, viz.:—呀哪 a꜄ ꜁níá, as:—
