納西語同英語在稱謂語方面的異同研究

Similarities and Differences between the Naxi language and English in Addressing Term

Abstract：Addressing Term is the appellation used to address the kin- relationship or non-kin relationship. Hence， the author tries to make a research on Similarities and Differences between the Naxi language and English in Addressing Term which is very significant and it can help the readers to know more about the Naxi and Culture.

摘 要： 稱謂語是一種稱呼的方式，通常用來稱呼有親戚關系或非其他關系的人。所以筆者試圖研究納西語和英語在稱謂語方面的異同，具有現實的意義。通過研究可以使讀者更清楚地了解和認識納西文化。

Key words：Naxi Minority； Addressing Term ；Similarities and Differences

關鍵詞：納西族；稱謂語；異同

[中圖分類號]：H257 [文獻標識碼]：A

[文章編號]：1002-2139(2012)-05-01150-01

The Naxi minorities are very particular about their address terms to the family members and relatives. Their address terms are much more complicated than those in Chinese and English-speaking countries.

Generally speaking， English address terms are less complicated than Naxi minorities’ address terms. The extension of kinship terms is a feature of Naxi culture. Terms such as :啊書（叔叔）， 啊釀（阿姨）， 阿奶（奶奶）， 阿接（姐姐） and 啊布（哥哥）are used as honorific titles for senior people or strangers in Naxi Minority. Native speakers of English would be puzzled if they are addressed in this way by people outside the immediate family. And also the kinship terms for both the paternal and maternal sides in Naxi Culture are different. However， the English kinship terms， such as uncle， cousin， aunt， grandpa and grandma have no difference between paternal and maternal sides. We will look at the Diagram 1 as follow.

Diagram1 Kinship terms in Naxi Chinese and English

From the Diagram mentioned above，we can find a regulation that the most of Naxi minorities’ kinship address terms are usually begin with word “啊” . hence ， the pronunciation of “啊” is very polite word to show the speaker’s respect to his relatives.It also belongs to one aspect of Naxi minorities’ Politeness Principle.

In Naxi minority， address terms are oriented by generation， age， paternal and maternal relationship and in-law relationship. In a Naxi family， a younger child should address the elder as elder brother (a bu 啊補) or elder sister (a jie 啊節) instead of names in English culture， otherwise， a younger child addressing old sister or old brothers’ name will be considered impolite and might be punished or scolded. In English-speaking culture， sisters and brothers address each other’s name. People address their neighbors， friends， and colleagues by their name after the introduction was over. On the contrary， if the Naxi People address their neighbors， friends， and colleagues by their name when they meet each other， it will be treated as the uncivil politeness. In their opinions， “old” implicates feeble and useless and if people get old they will be eliminated by the society. By comparison， in Naxi minority， people advocate “子不名父母，臣不名君上”and they believe “上下有別，長幼有序” . Naxi people have the deep – rooted custom to respect the ancestors and elders so child cannot mention the elder’s name directly lest they will be thought to uncultured. We can see that people often use “玉梅（丈母娘）”， to indicate the mother-in-law. It is also regard as a taboo if you address someone’s name directly whose rank is higher than yours. Naxi People usually address the title of the people instead of the name.Naxi kinship concept consist of six categories: (1) parents; (2) elder generation and their parents; (3) brothers and sisters; (4) brother –in-law and sister-in-law;(5)daughter-in-law and son-in-law;(6) grandparents， grandchildren. There are two dimensions in Naxi minorities’ kinship: (1) some generation / different generation; (2) cared/ be cared. There are significant difference in conceptual structure between Naxi and Han’s word expression in kinship words， which is related to the two different marriage systems and the family culture. It still have something to do with the language. In Lijiang city where the most of Naxi Minorities live often address the male as胖金哥and female as胖金妹.Because the water in Lijiang River contain a great deal of mineral， and the most of the people in Naxi minority are little bit fat in figure and extremely black in their skin.

The difference in address terms result from different cultures. Therefore， the address terms in Naxi Minority make a great contribution to the development of Naxi culture.