The Verge versus Tekka Mall

 

Oh where and oh where has Tekka Mall gone?

 

The Verge! The Verge! The Verge!

"They have now changed the name of Tekka Mall to the Verge!" I shared with my friend, Shirly.

"What bird?" asked Shirly's grandfather, a gentleman in his 80's and who is on the verge of deafness. He is proficient in Chinese, and as a lover of life long learning, is picking up English.

"The Verge lah. kong kong (grandpa)!", said Shirly and we both looked at each other with understanding, controlling our urge to burst out in laughter.

"Why can't they just keep the name simple as in Tekka Mall.? Why make it sound so angmoh, (English) ......the Werge." lamented grandpa. "The Verge, kong kong. V as in Victoria Street." Some Chinese find it difficult to pronounce "V". Tekka sounds so original and unique. I remember when I first came to Singapore some two and a half decades ago, I heard of Tekka Market, and thought it was an unusual name. The word "Tekka" in Hokkien means bamboo.

Will the new name of The Verge improve business? Or does the more sophisticated name add glamour, and hence tourist and local dollars to the businesses operating in the mall? Tekka is such a lovely and unique name. It even has a hint of some tribal language in it! Frankly, as a lover of languages, I would prefer the name of Tekka to flowery names like The Renaissance, Villa Chancerita, Alocassia Apartments, Le Chateau (makes you feel as if you were in Paris), Villa Des Flores, Ingolstadt Centre, etc. etc. I pity the elderly taxi drivers, who find it difficult to read, let alone pronounce the names of various buildings.

Frankly, if I had to choose, I would prefer to be called Ah Hua than to be called Melody, Virginia, Cassidy, Honey, Chirstiana, Sincerity, etc. Although Ah Hua may sound less sophisticated, at least I will not risk my name being murdered by some people who find it hard to pronounce it. The names that people can come up with!

When I learnt that Tekka Mall will be called the Verge, I immediately taught of the sentence, "The man was desperate and on the verge of suicide!" Let us hope the Verge will bring new life and luck to its owners, and that none of the tenants will be on the verge of despair with less than expected roaring sales with the new name.

Ganchau


The