The Fast Disappearing Kelantan vernacular
I arrived at Pengkalan Cepa airport on Friday morning to discover I had no cash on hand. Fumbling in my handbag, I discovered only 15 Euros. That would not do. I went up to the taxi counter and asked if I could use my mastercard.
“Ambo tak dok pitih seseng kughak” I announced to the lady at the counter.
“Tok leh. Kita pakai kesy.”. She answered.
“Ambo ado pitih Euro jah” I explained to her.
“Ado mani –cangger alek sano” she pointed out to me.
Whilst this exchange was going on between me and the taxi lady, two young men manning the Hok (Hawk) Car hire were in stitches.
“Wei, ado lagi oghe guno seseng kughak!!!” They laughed and laughed.
I managed to get the money for the taxi to go to the hotel. The taxi driver called it Do Ghenesen. At the reception I asked if there is a spa.
“Ado” answered the rotund sweet young man manning the counter.
“Namo?” I asked
“Ayer Spa”. Another lady answered
“Maha seghupo ghima ko? “ I queried.
Guffaws from all three.
What was going on?
My expression “Maha seghupo ghima” did it.
The young Kelantanese in my homeland watches ‘foreign media” and is losing their tongue very fast. Perhaps in the end, only my children will use such expressions until nobody understands them any more!
Which reminds me of Dr.Anne’s Frozen Arc project. Should I be selected by Dr.Anne to be frozen and be cobbled together as Prof. Mek in 2099 or thereabouts (As in the silly Hollywood movie, The Ice Man). Imagine me opening my mouth upon resuscitation and saying
“Weh, ambo dok mmano nih??”
“She speaks!” They will squeak and get an anthropologist (As in the film)
And I will look around and comment (as my wont) on their costume
“Bakpo ppakak paka spender sajo nih!”
“Goodness, she speaks some unknown language but interspersed with English!”
Thinking that the ‘spender’ is English for ‘one who spends’.
As the Kelantanese would comment “Ambo suko sapa sakik penghok”
Thank you for uploading/linking this post of mine on to yours, Zunis...
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