Ernest Tipson (1883–1958) was an English

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where it originated from Anglica ...

missionary and

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

who compiled

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Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

and

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

(

Amoy dialect The Amoy dialect or Xiamen dialect (), also known as Amoyese, Amoynese, Amoy Hokkien, Xiamenese or Xiamen Hokkien, is a dialect of Hokkien spoken in the city of Xiamen (historically known as "Amoy") and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the ...

Early life

Born into a large Brethren family in Enfield (then part of the Edmonton Hundred of Middlesex),

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Tipson began his working life, at the age of 14, as an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

's clerk and typist, but was called to missionary service in the early 1900s.

Missionary work

Tipson's first posting was to

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

and he sailed there from England in November 1908. In October 1909, he traveled to Canton (now Guangzhou) in China where he spent a year mastering the Cantonese dialect. This was to be a vital tool in his missionary work and he went on to acquire the Hokkien dialect. On his return from Canton (March 1911), Tipson married Agnes Millar in Penang and they settled in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

. His missionary work involved preaching the Gospel, evangelism, and visiting lepers and prisoners. As with most missionaries, in those times, there was the ever-present danger of ill-health and death due to the heat and humidity of

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

. In August 1914, his youngest child, Teddie, then one, fell ill with gastro-enteritis and died. Teddie was namesake of Tipson's 15-year-old brother who had died some 20 years previously. By 1917, Tipson became seriously ill, and suffered a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

, leaving immediately for Sydney, Australia, despite his wife being eight months pregnant. He could not return home to England due to the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and finally arrived back in England in December 1918. After a few years on furlough, Tipson returned to Kuala Lumpur in 1920 and resumed his missionary work. In 1928, he moved to Singapore to take up the post of Secretary to the

British and Foreign Bible Society The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world. The ...

for Malaya. Nearing retirement, at the age of 58, Tipson was incarcerated in Changi Prison during the occupation of Singapore by the Japanese during much of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. To begin with, he occupied Cell 24, along with

Shenton Thomas Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas (10 October 1879 – 15 January 1962) was a British colonial administrator, best remembered as the Governor of the Straits Settlements at the time of the Japanese invasion during the Second World War. Bo ...

, the then Governor of Singapore. His ministry in Changi was remarkable in terms of his strength of character and his support for fellow prisoners. Tipson's obituary in the ''British Association of Malaysia'', 1958, read: ''"There were some gifted preachers in the internment camp (Changi), but no one appealed to the men more than Ernest Tipson."'' Tipson's survival, said his son, also Ernest, was probably due to his tremendous sense of humour and the good company and support of son-in-law David. Liberated in 1945, Ernest Senior traveled to

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to be reunited with his wife and son. "He was as thin as a stick!", remembered Ernest Junior. "We fell into each other's arms." After the war, Tipson resumed his work in Singapore briefly. In March 1948, Tipson retired from his British and Foreign Bible Society post and returned to England. Tipson died in

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during a preaching visit to a local Gospel hall.

Publications

Tipson's linguistic prowess, and later his acknowledged status as a gifted Chinese scholar, was extraordinary in the light of his humble education at a Board School back in England. His ''Pocket Dictionary of the Amoy Vernacular'' is still referenced during the compilation of modern Hokkien/English dictionaries. True to his faith and calling, Tipson is said to have ensured that every word in the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

found its way into his dictionary. Another of his publications, a ''Complete Chinese Character Course'', was based on lectures he gave in

Changi Prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison complex in the namesake district of Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. It is the oldest and largest prison in the country, covering an area of about . Opened in 193 ...

during

. *''A Cantonese Syllabary-Index to Soothill’s Pocket Dictionary, incorporating all Cantonese colloquial characters and their meanings.'' (1917) *''Handbook and vocabulary of the Cantonese New Testament.'' (1921) (with Roy T. Cowles) *''A Pocket Dictionary of the Amoy Vernacular, English-Chinese.'' (1934) *''A Pocket Dictionary of the Amoy Vernacular, Chinese-English.'' (1935) *''Complete Chinese Character Course, etc.'' (1949)

References

External links

Our Beginnings , Bible Society of Singapore
1928 – Ernest Tipson: BFBS Representative in Pre & Post War Singapore {{DEFAULTSORT:Tipson, Ernest 1883 births People from Enfield, London Cantonese language Hokkien 1958 deaths Linguists from England English Protestant missionaries World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan British people imprisoned in Japan British Plymouth Brethren Protestant missionaries in China Protestant missionaries in Malaysia British World War II prisoners of war Missionary linguists