Hybrid Localization and Ethnic Markers: A Preliminary Inquiry into the Hokkien Written Inscription of the Stele and Deity Tablets around Taiping, Malaysia

Abstract

This paper provides an assessment of the stele and deity tablets in Taiping, Malaysia and proposes that evidence of Hokkien hybrid localization and ethnic markers are featured in the written inscription. The characters used on the stele tablet of Hon San Si, and on the deity tablet of Na Tuk Kong, show an inclination toward colloquial expressions from the Hokkien language. The stele tablet demonstrates hybrid localization of Hokkien immigrants from 19th-century Malaya by the borrowing of expressions from the British colonial administration. The characters used in the deity tablet have been shown to be a well-illustrated example of an ethnic marker that can be used to distinguish Hokkien speakers from other immigrants from China.