From: Rosa
Date: 7/16/00
Time: 12:18:28 AM
BRIEF NOTES ON
CHINESE TERMS FOR RELATIONSHIPS AND TERMS OF ADDRESS
FOR THE CHANG CLAN
The Rules
1 The main ranking order tranverses the two families of Chang Phooi Kee and Chang Min Phang, sons of Chang Kok Yoong, which become treated as one family. This is properly so as their children are ‘tong’ brothers and sisters (children of the same tong or ancestral hall) or, to use the colloquial term, suk-baak brothers and sisters. Thus there is one main ranking order. (Some argue that there could be two. See point 2 below).
2 The members of the next generation (the ‘tsung’ and ‘ch’ing’ generation in the Chang family), children of these ‘tong’ brothers (the ‘wen’ generation) while still of the same ‘tong’, because they share the same paternal great grandparents, do not rank in one order. (The children of the women - the ‘ling’s’ - do not count as they have other surnames, their mothers having married into other families.) Those sharing the same paternal grandparents rank as one order, and so there is a sub-divide in the number of ranking orders, depending how many sets of paternal grandparents there are, that is, how many brothers the paternal grandfathers have. The Changs divide into two main ranking orders: the paternal grandchildren of Chang Phooi Kee make up one ranking order and the paternal grandchildren of Chang Min Phang the other.
Related to this, one could see the argument for two ranking orders in point 1 above, depending on where one starts, along an ancestral line. As this paper’s point of departure is the ‘wen’ and ‘ling’ generation along the Chang ancestral line, the conclusion is for one ranking order for the two families which make up this generation.
As the clan grows and expands and the lines subdivide it becomes more difficult to track the relationships. The term ‘so tong’ (in the hall, but distantly) is used to describe relations that have spread widely (not necessarily geographically) but are still of the same clan. Little wonder then that the Chinese believe that all persons bearing the same surname are widely related and ultimately are of the same family, and marriage among them is frowned upon.
Aside: An ingeniously simple device to arrest to some extent this difficulty of tracking spreading relationships is the use of generation names. This allows for the recognition that, while the exact relationship may be difficult to work out persons bearing the same generation name are related and are of the same generation. The generation names also allow for the tracing of linear relationships by the recognition of the same layers of generation names for each of generations a few levels older/younger. Thus, it is possible to establish the generation status among clan members.
There
are some regional/dialect variations in the Chinese system and terms for
describing the network of relationships within a family. The one explained here
is largely based on the Cantonese system.
The Yale transliteration system of Cantonese is used here.
3 Within the main ranking order(s) there is a sub-order of ranking by gender, dividing the males and the females. This is a variant (there could be just one order transversing male and female), which the Changs have adopted for ease as there are many members of the family.
4 Arising from point 3 above, there are two parallel ranking orders: one for the males and one for the females. Among the Changs, one for those bearing the generation name of ‘wen’ and the other of the generation name of ‘ling’. The position within each for every family member is determined by seniority according to age. ‘Daai’ is used for the eldest, not ‘yat’. ‘Siu’ or ‘sai’ is sometimes used as the ranking term for the youngest in a ranking order.
5 One’s position (rank) fixed according to point 4 above remains and one is addressed by a number of terms according to one’s relationships with the addressors but one’s rank order is fixed. What changes is the relationship/address term. Whether the addressor is older/younger than one or from a older/same/younger generation does not shift one’s ranking position; only the relationship changes and with it the term of address.
Aside: The only time one’s ranked order changes is when one becomes a member of another family through marriage. One then ranks with one’s spouse in that family’s order (see point 7 below). But then the focus is on another clan, not the one under study.
6 Seniority within a generation is determined by age. But age loses its standing across generations in that a younger member of an older generation is more senior than an older member of a younger generation. A young uncle (in age) is more senior than an older nephew (in age).
7 Members of the family by marriage are not ranked by their own ages but adopt the ranks of their spouses.
8 The rank number is attached to an address term to form the full term of address. Ranking numbers are only given to those of the surname of the clan in question, Chang in this instance. So, while all the Chang nephews and nieces (the ‘tsung’ and ‘ch’ing’) are number-ranked, the maternal nephews and nieces are not ranked, even among themselves, as they variously bear different surnames. Their ranking comes in their paternal families, each with its own surname/clan.
9 The gender differentiation embedded in the relationship terms and the terms of address give them the dimension of recognising the sex of the addressee.
10 Some of the terms (not all, see point 16 below) denote if the addressor is older/younger than the addressee or denote the older/younger status of the addressor’s father/mother (the older generation). This furthers the precision of the system, augmented by affixing the rank order.
11 Embedded in the terms is also the dimension if the addressor is a blood/by marriage member of the family.
12 The complex relationship network in a large family is thus mapped by precise terms used to denote all the relationships. The precision of these terms is further sharpened by affixing one’s ranking order to them. Hence the system’s innate quality of exact identification by a simple means of a complex network.
13 Each relationship term and term of address thus denotes: generation standing, older/younger than oneself, ranking order in the family, male/female, blood/marriage relationship. So much meaning in a term that uses between two to four characters (words).
14 There is a set of terms used to describe various relationships. As the network of relationships expands with the growth of generations or through marriage, certain words from the set of terms are added to the basic terms to denote the relationship. Example: ‘Syun’ (grandchild) is added to the term ‘sik-pouh’ (daughter-in-law) to denote the wife of one’s grandson so that she is syun-sik-pouh, grand-daughter-in-law. Such additions of single words to existing terms provide the capacity for expansion to describe the relationship and manner of address for a growing clan.
15 Members of the family by marriage in many instances share their spouses’ relationship to the other members of the family. This occurs when the relationship is not in the direct line (e.g. uncles and aunts) or when the relationship is further down a direct line (e.g. the spouses of grandchildren). This is often reflected by these members using the same terms of address as their spouses do in addressing these family members.
16 The specificity of the terms to denote the aspects of a relationship decreases as the relationship moves away from the focus – the clan – into ties that exist because of marriage, as these do not share the same surname. Example: there is no differentiated terms for a maternal uncle to indicate if he is older/younger than one’s mother.
17 A family member senior to oneself in generation or in age is never addressed by name. Within a generation ‘go’ (elder brother) or ‘je’ (elder sister) may be attached to a name. But this is considered a ‘loose’ term as the Chinese generally address those older than themselves of the same generation in this way.
18.
It is quite acceptable that those junior to oneself in generation or in
age may be addressed by name.
19.
Arising from point 18 above, some terms are regarded more as terms of
relationship rather as terms of address in that they are not generally used to
address a person. This applies mostly to terms that denote relationships across
generations. For example, one’s brother’s daughter is ‘jaht-neui’. One
refers to her as such but does not generally address her thus but by name.
The Terms
Many of the terms used here have variants but the usual ones are given here. Those used by the Changs are in bold.
1. Great Grandparents: paternal great grandfather – Jang-Jou-Fu (relationship
term). Jang-Yeh, Taai-Yeh,
Taai-Gung (Hakka variant).
paternal great grandmother – Jang-Jou-Mou (relationship
term). Jang-Mah, Taai-Mah.
maternal great grandfather – Jang-Ngoi-Gung (relationship
term). Jang-Gung, Taai-Gung.
maternal great grandmother – Jang-Ngoi-Poh (relationship
term). Jang-Poh, Taai-Poh..
2. Grandparents: paternal grandfather – Jou-Fu (relationship term).Yeh-Yeh,
Gung-Gung (Hakka variant).
paternal grandmother – Jou-Mou (relationship term).Mah-Mah.
maternal grandfather – Ngoi-Gung (relationship term).
Gung-Gung, Je-Gung (Hakka variant, used
only by the ‘wen/ling’ generation).
maternal grandmother –Ngoi-Poh (relationship term), Poh-Poh,
Je-Poh (Hakka variant, unused)
3. Parents and Parents-in-law: father – Ba-Ba.
mother – Ma-Ma.
father-in-law (husband’s father) – Ga-Gung
(relationship term). Lou-Yeh (address term).
mother-in-law (husband’s mother) – Ga-Poh
(relationship term), Nai-Nai (address term).
father-in-law (wife’s father) – Ngok-Fu.
father-in-law (wife’s mother) – Ngok-Mou.
In the less tradition-bound families the husband/wife uses the same terms as their spouses use in addressing their parents, various forms of Ba-ba and Ma-ma, which are less formal.This is done in the Chang family.
4. Uncles and Wives: paternal uncle (older than father) – Baak.
aunt by marriage – Baak-Mou, Baak-Leung.*
paternal uncle (younger than father) – Suk.
aunt by marriage - Sam.*
(*Not currently used because of the maternal connection
in the Chang family. Daai-Yi and Sei-Yi are used instead.)
materal uncle – Kau-Fu
aunt by marriage – Kahm-Mou
(no distinction re older/younger than mother as it is a maternal
relationship, outside the clan.)
5. Aunts and Husbands: paternal aunt (older than father) – Gu-Ma, Gu.
uncle by marriage – Gu-Jeung.
paternal aunt (younger than father) – Gu-Je, Gu.
uncle by marriage – Gu-Jeung.
(Note that while the aunts – same surname – are given
the older/younger distinction, the uncles by marriage –
different surnames – are not thus differentiated.)
maternal aunt (older than mother) – Yi-Ma*, Yi.
uncle by marriage – Yi-Jeung.
maternal aunt (younger than mother) – Yi.
uncle by marriage – Yi-Jeung.
(The older/younger distinction on the maternal
side is merely a copy of the paternal.)
*The Changs do not use Yi-Ma for the maternal aunts older than one’s mother
because ‘Daai-Yi-Ma’ is a coarse euphemism for the menstral period and its use
as a term of address was objected by a bearer of the term. The practice of not
using ‘-Ma’ as a younger/older distinction has spilled over to the paternal aunts,
Gu.
6. Great Uncles and Aunts, paternal and maternal:
Add a ‘Gung’ for the males and a ‘Poh’ for the females. Where the term for ‘aunt’ has a ‘Mou’, drop that and use ‘Poh’ instead. Example Kahm-Mou becomes Kahm-Poh.
In the Chang family, the maternal connection (see Uncles and Wives above) is
dropped at this generation and its members revert to the clan terms. Daai-Yi
becomes Baak-Poh and Sei-Yi becomes Suk-Poh to the ‘tsung/ch’ing’
generation.
7. Siblings (including Baak’s children and Suk’s children):
brother older than self – Go, Go-Go.
his wife (sister-in-law) – Sou.
brother younger than self – Daih, Didi.
his wife (sister-in-law) – Daih-Fuh, addressed as Daih-Mui.
sister older than self – Je, Ga-Je.
her husband (brother-in-law) – Je-Fu.
sister younger than self – Mui, Mei-Mei.
her husband (brother-in-law) – Mui-Fu.
8. Cousins (Gu’s children, Kau-Fu’s children, Yi’s children):
Biu-Go, Biu-Daih, Biu-Je, Biu-Mui, according to whether each is older/younger than self. For their spouses – as with siblings – add ‘biu’ Biu-Sou, Biu-Kahm, Biu-Je-Fu, Biu-Mui-Fu.
A ranking order is sometimes used for Kau-Fus’children, transversing the number
of kau-fus (since they all share the same surname – Wong in this case). Ranking order is not used for Gu cousins or Yi cousins as each family of cousins has a different surname from the other families of cousins. The usual practice is to
attach Biu-Je/Mui/Go/Daih after their names. This may also be done for Kau-Fu cousins.
10. Children: son – Jai.
daughter – Neui.
daughter-in-law (son’s wife) – Sik-Pouh (relationship term).
son-in-law (daughter’s husband) – Neui-Sai.
11. Nephews and Nieces: brother’s son – Jaht-Jai.
brother’s daughter – Jaht-Neui.
sister’s son (if addressor is male) – Ngoi-Sang-Jai.
sister’s daughter (if addressor is male) – Ngoi-Sang-Neui.
sister’s son (if addressor is female) – Yi-Sang-Jai.
sister’s daughter (if addressor is female) – Yi-Sang-Neui.
These are relationship terms and they are generally
addressed by name.
A family member by marriage has the same relationship to her husband’s nephews and nieces as his relationship to them. Similarly, a man regards his wife’s nephews and nieces in the same relationship as his wife’s to them, but in this instance it is a distaff relationship.
12. Grandchildren: paternal grandson – Noi-Syun-Jai.
paternal grand-daughter – Noi-Syun-Neui.
maternal grandson – Ngoi-Syun-Jai.
maternal grand-daughter – Ngoi-Syun-Neui.
These are relationship terms and they are addressed by name.
The spouses of grandchildren share the same relationship as their
husband/wife to the grandparents and address them as the
grandchildren do (see p.4, no:2 Grandparents above), or as the
great grandchildren do (the children of the grandchildren) (see
p.4, no:1 Great Grandparents above). The grandparents address
their grandson/grand-daughter by marriage by name.
13. Great Grandchildren:
Prefix the terms for grandchildren with Jang. Colloquial term is
Saat. These are relationship terms and they are addressed by
name.
14. Great nephews and nieces (sometimes referred to as grand nephews and nieces):
Prefix the terms for the different categories of nephews and nieces with Syun. These are relationship terms and they are addressed by name.
Two examples to illustrate how a term of
address/relationship describes all the aspects of a relationship and how it
shows the differentiation with another term which is similar in some respects.
(A) SAAM-SUM
- one generation older than addressor
- addressee is female, i.e. aunt
- paternal relationship
- relation by marriage
- addressee is wife of uncle
- uncle younger than father
- uncle third in ranking order in father’s generation
(B) SAAM-YI-MA
- one generation older than addressor
- addressee is female, i.e. aunt
- maternal relationship
- blood relationship
- addressee is mother’s sister
- addressee is older than mother
- third in ranking order in mother’s family in mother’s generation.
Two examples of all the relationships that two members have in the Chang family. The mapping is by generation (the subjects are of the second generation) and so the order of listing below does not indicate the closeness by blood ties to the subjects.
The mappings of both subjects are parallel. Both belong to the same generation, with Subject A the husband of Subject B. As such they share many relationships to the rest of the family. Where there are differences, these stem from Subject A being a member of the Chang family by blood while Subject B is a member by marriage. There is of course a gender difference.
In the listings below, the differences in the terms for the two subjects are marked thus:
- two asterisks (**) when the relationship of each of the subjects to the third party with the resulting term of address are different.
- one asterisk (*) when the relationship of each of the subjects to the third party is the same/similar but the resulting term of address changes.
- no marking when the relationship of each of the subjects to the third party with the resulting term of address remain the same. The relationships described in page 3 point 15 are included here.
Note that this mapping does not include Subject B’s own birth family (Wong) as it is outside the scope of this paper whose focus is the Chang Clan.
(A) CHANG PHOOI KEE
-
**jeung-fu of Wong Koong Sook,
eldest daughter of Wong Hock Ting and Siew Yoke, she addressed him by name,
Peter.
-
**his chai-ji is Koong Sook,
he addressed her by name, Constance.
-
**daai-jai of Kok Yoong and
Sze Ming, they addressed him by name, Phooi Kee.
-
**his ba-ba and ma-ma
are Kok Yoong and Sze Ming, he addressed them as Ah-Suk
(substitute term for ‘father’ for reasons of superstition) and Ah-Ma, respectively.
-
**daai-neui-sai (his wife is
the eldest daughter in the Wong family) of Wong Hock Ting and Siew Yoke, they
addressed him familiarly by name, Peter. Formally they would have addressed him
as Daai-Neui-Sai.
-
**his ngok-fu and ngok-mou
are Wong Hock Ting and Siew Yoke, he addressed them informally as Ah-Diah
(Hockchew form of ‘Ah-De’, a variant of ‘ba-ba’) and Ah-Ma respectively, as his wife did. Formally he would have
addressed them as Ngok-Fu and Ngok-Mou respectively.
-
**daai-go to his younger
brother and younger sister, they addressed him as Daai-Go or Peter-Go.
-
**his didi is Min Phang and
his mei-mei is Ah Man, he addressed
them by name.
-
*daai-baak to the wife of Min
Phang (also daai-je-fu as Min
Phang’s wife is the fourth sister to his wife who is the eldest and by this
term he is here ranked in his wife’s family), she addressed informally him as Peter-Go
as her husband does. Formally she would have addressed him as Daai-Baak.
-
his daih-fuh is Koong Ting,
the wife of Min Phang (she is also his Sei-Yi, the fourth sister of his wife),
he addressed her informally by name. Formally he would have addressed her as
Daih-Mui.
-
*daai-kau to the husband of Ah
Man, he addressed him informally as Peter-Go as his wife did. Formally he would have addressed him as
Daai-Kau.
-
his mui-fu is the husband of
Ah Man, Anthony Soh, he addressed him informally by name. Formally he would have
addressed him as Mui-Fu.
-
*ba-ba to eight children, they
addressed him as Ba-Ba.
-
his jai/neui are sons Wen Kai,
Wen Seung and daughters Yoke Lin, Wei Ling, Siew Ling, Mui Leng, Gen Ling, Wan
Ling, he addressed them by name.
-
*ga-gung to the wives of his
sons Wen Kai and Wen Seung, they addressed him informally as Ba-Ba.
Formally they would have addressed him as Lou-Yeh.
-
his daai-sik-pouh is Bernice
and yi-sik-pouh is Soon Keng, he
addressed them familiarly by name. Formally he would have addressed them as
Daai-Sou and Yi-Sou respectively.
-
*ngok-fu to the husbands of
his daughters Wei Ling, Siew Ling, Mui Leng, Wan Ling, they addressed him
informally as Ba-Ba. Formally they
would have addressed him as Ngok-Fu.
-
his yi-neui-sai is Chris
Goldthorpe, saam-neui-sai is Loh
Cheng Hai, sei-neui-sai is Andrew
Chye, luk/sai-neui-sai is Ng Chee
Min, he addressed them familiarly by name. Formally he would have addressed them
as Yi-Neui-Sai, Saam-Neui-Sai etc.
-
*daai-baak to Min Phang and
Koong Ting’s seven children (and also daai-yi-jeung
because his wife is the eldest sister to their mother), they addressed him
as Ah-Baak.
Their spouses share the relationship and addressed him as they did.
-
his jaht-jai/neui (and also
his yi-sang-jai/neui by marriage because his wife and Koong Ting are sisters)
are Wen Suen, Wen Sen, Wen Chieh, Wen Kuan, Wen Pin, Ai Ling, Yuen Ling. Their
spouses, his jaht-sik-pouh (and also
his yi-sang-sik-pouh by marriage
because of the Wong connection) are Helen, Colleen, Eunice, Lulu, Julie. He
addressed the nephews and nieces and their spouses by name.
-
*daai-kau-fu to Ah Man and
Anthony Soh’s five children, they addressed him in the western manner as
Uncle. In Chinese they would have addressed him as Daai-Kau-Fu. Their spouses
share the relationship and addressed him as they did.
-
his ngoi-sang-jai/neui are
Thomas Soh, Cecilia Soh, Dorothy Soh,Vincent Soh, Patrick Soh. Their spouses,
his ngoi-sang-sik-pouh are Victoria
Soh and Adelyn Soh. He addressed the nephews and nieces and their spouses by
name.
-
*jou-fu to the children of his
sons Wen Kai and Wen Seung, they addressed him as Gung-Gung,
a Hakka variant of Yeh-Yeh.
-
his noi-syun-jai/neui are Yen-Ch’ing,
Tsung-Han, Hua-Ch’ing, Liang-Ch’ing, he addressed them by name.
-
*ngoi-gung to the children of
his daughters Siew Ling, Mui Leng, Gen Ling, Wan Ling, they addressed him as Gung-Gung.
-
his ngoi-syun-jai/neui are Loh
Su Min, Loh Wei Chou, Loh Su Ee, Chye Min Li, Chye Min Yi, Oh Hsien Liang, Ng
Jui Ting, Ng Wei Cho, he addressed them by name.
-
*ngoi-gung by marriage
to the husbands of his maternal grand-daughters Loh Su Min and Chye Min Li,
they addressed him as Gung-Gung, as
their wives did, or they could have addressed him as Taai-Gung as their children
did.
-
his ngoi-syun-neui-sai are
David Kilmartin, Blaine Lee, he addressed them by name.
-
*ngoi-gung by marriage
to the wife of his maternal grandson Loh Wei Chou, she addressed him as Gung-Gung, as her husband did, or she could have addressed him as
Taai-Gung as her children would have done.
-
his ngoi-syun-sik-pouh is
Charmaine Loh, he addressed her by name.
-
*daai-baak-gung to the
children of his Chang nephews, they addressed him as Baak-Gung.
-
his jaht-syun-jai/neui are
Tsung-Chih, Tsung-Yan, Tsung-Ming, Tsung-Meng, Tsung-Yin, Tsung-Yen, Tsung-An,
Li-Ch’ing, Mei-Ch’ing, Juen-Ch’ing, Hui-Ch’ing, he addressed them by
name.
-
*daai-kau-gung to the children
of his Soh nephews, they addressed him in the Western manner of Uncle. In
Chinese they would have addressed him as Daai-Kau-Gung.
-
his ngoi-sang-syun-jai/neui are
Christopher Soh, Adrian Soh, Julia Soh, Jonathan Soh, Kevin Soh, Nicholas Soh, Alexander Soh (not
ranked here), he addressed them by name.
-
*jang-ngoi-gung to the
children of his maternal grand-daughter Loh Su Min and the children of his
maternal grandson Loh Wei Chou (the grandchildren of his third daughter Siew
Ling), they addressed him as Taai-Gung.
-
his jang-ngoi-syun-jai/neui (or
ngoi-saat-jai/neui) are Tristan Kilmartin, Jordan Kilmartin, Joshua Loh,
Janna Loh, he addressed them by name.
(B) CHANG WONG KOONG SOOK
- **chai-ji of Phooi Kee, eldest child of Chang Kok Yoong and Sze Ming, he addressed her by name, Constance.
- **her jeung-fu is Phooi Kee, she addressed him by name, Peter.
- **daai-sik-pouh of Kok Yoong and Sze Ming, they addressed her familiarly by name, Koong Sook. Formally they would have addressed as Daai-Sou.
- **her ga-gung and ga-poh are Kok Yoong and Sze Ming, she addressed them informally as Ah-Suk (substitute term for ‘father’ for reasons of superstition) and Ah-Ma, respectively, as her husband did. Formally she would have addressed them as Lou-Yeh and Nai-Nai respectively.
- **daai-neui and second child of Wong Hock Ting and Siew Yoke, they addressed her by a family pet name.
- **her ba-ba and ma-ma are Wong Hock Ting and Siew Yoke, she addressed them as Ah-Diah (Hockchiew – Fuk-Jau – form of Ah-De, a variant of ba-ba) and Ah-Ma respectively.
- **daai-sou to the younger brother and younger sister of her husband Phooi Kee, addressed as Daai-Je exceptionally (instead of Daai-Sou) by her younger brother-in-law (a ranking according to his wife’s family as she is the eldest sister to his wife) and as Daai-Sou by her younger sister-in-law.
- **her suk is Min Phang and her gu is Ah Man, she addresses them familarly by name. Formally she would address them as Yi-Suk and Ah-Gu respectively.
- *daai-sou by marriage to the wife of Min Phang but is addressed exceptionally as Daai-Je (instead of Daai-Sou) because they are sisters and she is the eldest girl in their family.
- her daih-fuh by marriage (and also her fourth sister) is Koong Ting, she addresses her familiarly by name. Formally she would address her as Daih-Mui.
-
*daai-kahm by marriage to the
husband of Ah Man, he addressed her as
Daai-Kahm .
- her mui-fu by marriage is the husband of Ah Man, Anthony Soh, she addressed him informally by name. Formally she would have addressed him as Mui-Fu.
- *ma-ma to eight children, they address her as Ma-Ma.
- her jai/neui are sons Wen Kai, Wen Seung and daughters Yoke Lin, Wei Ling, Siew Ling, Mui Leng, Gen Ling, Wan Ling, she addresses them by name.
- *ga-poh to the wives of her sons Wen Kai and Wen Seung, they address her informally as Ma-Ma. Formally they would address her as Nai-Nai.
- her daai-sik-pouh is Bernice and yi-sik-pouh is Soon Keng, she addresses them familiarly by name. Formally she would address them as Daai-Sou and Yi-Sou respectively.
- *ngok-mou to the husbands of her daughters Wei Ling, Siew Ling, Mui Leng, Wan Ling, they address her informally as Ma-Ma. Formally they would address her as Ngok-Mou.
- her yi-neui-sai is Chris Goldthorpe, saam-neui-sai is Loh Cheng Hai, sei-neui-sai is Andrew Chye, luk/sai-neui-sai is Ng Chee Min, she addresses them familiarly by name. Formaly she would address them as Yi-Neui-Sai, Saam-Neui-Sai etc.
- *daai-baak-leung/mou to Min Phang and Koong Ting’s seven children (and also daai-yi because their mother is her sister and she is the eldest girl in her family - Wong), they address her as Daai-Yi (instead of Baak-Leung). Their spouses share the relationship and address her as they do.
- her jaht-jai/neui by marriage (and also her yi-sang-jai/neui, because she and Koong Ting are sisters) are Wen Suen, Wen Sen, Wen Chieh, Wen Kuan, Wen Pin, Ai Ling, Yuen Ling. Their spouses, her jaht-sik-pouh by marriage (and also her yi-sang-sik-pouh because of the Wong connection) are Helen, Colleen, Eunice, Lulu, Julie. She addresses the nephews and nieces and their spouses by name
- *daai-kahm-mou to Ah Man and Anthony Soh’s five children, they address her in the western manner as Auntie. In Chinese they would address her as Daai-Kahm-Mou.Their spouses share the relationship and address her as they do.
- her ngoi-sang-jai/neui by marriage are Thomas Soh, Cecilia Soh, Dorothy Soh,Vincent Soh, Patrick Soh. Their spouses, her ngoi-sang-sik-pouh, by marriage are Victoria Soh and Adelyn Soh. She addresses the nephews and nieces and their spouses by name.
- *jou-mou to the children of her sons Wen Kai and Wen Seung, they address her as Mah-Mah.
- her noi-syun-jai/neui are Yen-Ch’ing, Tsung-Han, Hua-Ch’ing, Liang-Ch’ing, she addresses them by name.
- *ngoi-poh to the children of her daughters Siew Ling, Mui Leng, Gen Ling, Wan Ling, they address her as Poh-Poh.
- her ngoi-syun-jai/neui are Loh Su Min, Loh Wei Chou, Loh Su Ee, Chye Min Li, Chye Min Yi, Oh Hsien Liang, Ng Jui Ting, Ng Wei Cho, she addresses them by name.
- *ngoi-poh by marriage to the husbands of her maternal grand-daughters Loh Su Min and Chye Min Li, they address her as Poh-Poh, as their wives do, or they could address her as Taai-Poh as their children do.
- her ngoi-syun-neui-sai are David Kilmartin, Blaine Lee, she addresses them by name.
- *ngoi-poh by marriage to the wife of her maternal grandson Loh Wei Chou, she addresses her as Poh-Poh, as her husband does, or she could address her as Taai-Poh as her children do.
- her ngoi-syun-sik-pouh is Charmaine Loh, she addresses her by name
- *daai-baak-poh to the children of her Chang nephews by marriage, they address her as Baak-Poh.
- her jaht-syun-jai/neui by marriage are Tsung-Chih, Tsung-Yan, Tsung-Ming, Tsung-Meng, Tsung-Yin, Tsung-Yen, Tsung-An, Li-Ch’ing, Mei-Ch’ing, Juen-Ch’ing, Hui-Ch’ing, she addresses them by name.
- *daai-kahm-poh to the children of her Soh nephews by marriage, they address her in the Western manner of Auntie. In Chinese they should address her as Daai-Kahm-Poh.
- her ngoi-sang-syun-jai/neui by marriage are Christopher Soh, Adrian Soh, Julia Soh, Jonathan Soh, Kevin Soh, Nicholas Soh, Alexander Soh (not ranked here), she addresses them by name.
- *jang-ngoi-poh to the children of her maternal grand-daughter Loh Su Min and children of her maternal grandson Loh Wei Chou (the grandchildren of her third daughter Siew Ling), they address her as Taai-Poh.
- her jang-ngoi-syun-jai/neui (or ngoi-saat-jai/neui) are Tristan Kilmartin, Jordan Kilmartin, Joshua Loh, Janna Loh, she addresses them by name.
The above mappings show the actual existing relationships in the Chang family to the two subjects through five generations. It does not show the possible relationships in the current state that the family is in, due to, for example, the fact that some members, who would have displayed a possible relationship not shown here, are not married. As the family grows, as a result of marriages and births, the relationships to the subject correspondingly increase.
A comparative analysis of the two sets of mapping yields the following:
- two asterisks (**) where the relationships and the terms of address are different. These occur when each of the subject is viewed as an individual and his/her relationships (and resulting term of address to/by) with the third parties are different in each case. Here the subjects are the addressees and addressors in turn.
- one asterick (*) where the relationships are same/similar (some of these are relationships shared with the spouse through marriage) but the terms of address are different. These occur when each of the subjects is viewed as a partner of a couple (in marriage). The different terms of address describe the third parties’ (the addressors) relationships with the subjects and reflect the gender of the addressees (the subjects).
- no marking where the relationships (some shared with the spouse through marriage) are the same and the terms of address are the same. These occur when each of the subject is viewed again as a partner of a couple. The terms of address remain the same because the terms describe the relationships of the subjects (the addressors) with the third parties (the addressees).
It is important to note that in each category the terms always use as the focus the addressee (whether he/she is the subject or a third party at the time). The relationship and term of address used describe aspects of the addressee and his/her relationship with the addressor.
As the two subjects are husband and wife they have in common many aspects of relationship within the family: the second of five generations; ranking within their generation and inter-generations; paternal family/maternal family status. One is a blood member and the other a member by marriage of the family. There is also the gender difference. The fact, that the terms for relationships and more so the terms of address for each of these two closely similar subjects are differentiated enough to point out that these two variables operate, illustrates the precise nature of the terms used to describe various aspects of relationships and to differentiate the seemingly similar positions of members of an extended family.
The mapping can be made graphically clearer by diagram, with each of the subjects in the centre and lines radiating from him/her to lines which themselves have branches.
These are the relationships of only two members (a couple in marriage) in the family to the rest. The complexity of the total relationships in the sets of mapping of every member to the others in the family can be appreciated from these two examples. A diagrammatic summation of the total relationships that criss-cross from every family member to every single one of the other members that make up the family (despite some lines coinciding) would be very difficult to read indeed.
The Chinese use of language in a system of relationship
terms and terms of address is an efficient method of giving clarity and
precision to the complex network of relationships found in families. Its essence
lies in its simplicity to disentangle complexity with a set of rules, a set of
terms (including ranking numbers), and some terms from this set to generate new
terms to describe expanding relationships. The technique is the use of the
appropriate from these terms by the consistent application of these rules. If
these terms are introduced into every day living through usage from a young age,
every member of the family becomes able to recognise with ease where he/she
stands with every other member (present or absent) and also how these members
stand with one another. The mapping becomes a natural, incidental mental mapping
and the intricacy of its expansion is absorbed as the network spreads. Quite an
outstanding insight into the Chinese mind! That there should be such a set of
precise terms in the language to describe family relationships is also a
distinct indication of the importance to the Chinese of the family as a social
unit.
Rosa Chang
15 July 2000
Note: Although this treatise is not strictly a story (cf Justin's), it is useful as a source of reference for the relationships that feature in the stories. From my first reading of it, creating an algorithm will be quite a challenge and will take longer than Rosa's efforts.
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