(no subject)

[superborb]

I was looking at the taiwanese terms for gay/lesbian family members that was making the rounds, and was thinking about how heterogeneous family terms are in China (and obviously the diaspora). More than anything else, I feel like family terms preserve regional differences in topolect. (Especially confusing when the same term means different relatives in different topolects.) I know that for 3 of my 4 grandparents, I use varying degrees of topolect terms instead of standard Mandarin, even though I am generally unable to speak those topolects.

Anyway, how this translates into fic is beyond my abilities, I just wanted to ramble a bit about how fluid the relative terms are compared to how they're often presented. Like, no, I don't have a 外婆wai4po2, I have an a2bu3.

Actually, I think maternal grandmother is one with the most variance across China, with also 姥姥 lao3lao, 阿嬷 a1mo2, 婆婆 po2po, 细爹 xi4die1, 家家 jia1jia1. There was a big kerfluffle a few years ago where some textbooks in Shanghai used laolao instead, and like (I say this with love), Shanghainese people got Very Upset at this northern nonsense. (Waipo is apparently more southern.)

Comments

[rekishi]

Today I had a discussion with my intern about the Chinese uncles (like, the various uncle terms; she lived in China as a child). Luckily she knows I'm random and I had dropped months ago that I'd watched a xianxia show, so it didn't come completely out of left field. I think she's mostly half-amused.

What I have come away with after this past half year is: Chinese family terms are a whole world in itself. Also something I won't ever fully understand, but am still along for the ride.

[superborb]

Haha, there are... a lot of terms indeed! And it's all very regional too, so the internet is not always helpful

[rekishi]

Yes. Naturally. Definitely not dealing with those unless I have to. It's mostly trying to understand relationships.

And keeping my intern on my toes with my randomness :D