When I was young, the normal words I used for "husband" and "wife" were "ang" and "bo." (ASCII IPA [bO], written "bor" in Malaysian informal orthography).
When I was talking to my parents (both born in the mid 1920's), they explained that for them, these are very vulgar words. These words could be used only in fixed expressions like:
"ang ka bo." (literally: "husband and wife", i.e. "a couple")
"ng/no. ang bo." (literally "two husband wife" i.e. "a couple")
"ang bo. kia~" (literally: "husband, wife, child", i.e. "a family").
In this phrases, there was nothing 'wrong' with these words - in fact this was the normal way to say "couple" or "family". However, when used alone, "ang" and "bo." were considered *very* coarse indeed, and if one wanted to say "husband" or "wife" one had to say:
"ta po. lang" (literally: "male person")
"ca bo. lang" (literally: "female person").
My father is from a Penang Baba family, speaking Penang Hokkien natively, and my mother is from a Sin-Khek family, speaking Amoy Hokkien natively, and they independently say that this rule applied/applies for their own varieties (which tends to indicate that it was quite a widely known thing).
As I said at the start of this posting, this "rule" was totally unknown to me as a child (1960's to 1970's, after which I left a Chinese/Hokkien speaking environment). I would quite spontaneously just have said: "he si i e ang" ("that is her husband") or "i e bo. m/mai lai" ("his wife doesn’t want to come"). This could have been because we spoke Hokkien in a very limited way - in the schoolyard and at the market and on the streets - so I can imagine that a lot of "sociolinguistic" rules were left out. On the other hand, perhaps usage was changing anyway.
1. I would like to know if this idea of "coaseness" is known by other speakers of Hokkien.
2. If so, is this a rule that is still current in modern Hokkien speakers.
Thanks,
Sim.
The words for "husband" and "wife"
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Niuc
Re: The words for "husband" and "wife"
Hi Sim Lee,
In daily conversation, we also use "ang" & "bo" when we say 'husband' & 'wife'. Besides phrases you mentioned, the combinations: "ang bo", "ang a bo", "ang bo a", all mean 'husband & wife'/'a couple'. "ang sai" also means 'husband'. For us, these words are also considered vulgar (not refined) but still can be used and are not taboo. I don't aware of differences (vulgarity degree) between those two words when used separately or in combined phrases.
You are right that "ta po lang" and "ca bo lang" are more refined, used for more polite conversation. Another refined word for 'wife' is "ke lai" which literally means '(someone) inside the house/family' (Mandarin: jia1nei4). There is also "khan chiu" (literally: 'holding hands', qian1shou3) that mainly used in Taiwan as a more polite form to say 'husband & wife'.
These phrases are colloquial.
Literary phrase for 'husband and wife' is "hu che" (fu1qi1), 'husband': "tiong hu" (zhang4fu1), 'wife': "hu jin/lin" (fu1ren2) "thai thai" (tai4 tai5) .
Regards,
Niuc
In daily conversation, we also use "ang" & "bo" when we say 'husband' & 'wife'. Besides phrases you mentioned, the combinations: "ang bo", "ang a bo", "ang bo a", all mean 'husband & wife'/'a couple'. "ang sai" also means 'husband'. For us, these words are also considered vulgar (not refined) but still can be used and are not taboo. I don't aware of differences (vulgarity degree) between those two words when used separately or in combined phrases.
You are right that "ta po lang" and "ca bo lang" are more refined, used for more polite conversation. Another refined word for 'wife' is "ke lai" which literally means '(someone) inside the house/family' (Mandarin: jia1nei4). There is also "khan chiu" (literally: 'holding hands', qian1shou3) that mainly used in Taiwan as a more polite form to say 'husband & wife'.
These phrases are colloquial.
Literary phrase for 'husband and wife' is "hu che" (fu1qi1), 'husband': "tiong hu" (zhang4fu1), 'wife': "hu jin/lin" (fu1ren2) "thai thai" (tai4 tai5) .
Regards,
Niuc
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PC
Re: The words for "husband" and "wife"
Another word for husband is 頭家 (tao ke). (Note: sorry, don't know Taiwanese Romanization).
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hong
sim,
Ang and bo are from guhanyu and not vulgar at all.Prof.Ma and many others spend time finding out the hanzi for it.
In chuanchiu city laokong is also used for husband.No ca boo lang has been used for wife in all minnan sects but ciangchiu city can also used hu dzin lang.
Only a few places taboo lang can means man--ciangchiu city,chang tai, and shao an.The most important thing is you should say capoo for ciangchiu sects except ciangchiu city.some are tapou like changou,etc but not you as a longhai..
Ang and bo are from guhanyu and not vulgar at all.Prof.Ma and many others spend time finding out the hanzi for it.
In chuanchiu city laokong is also used for husband.No ca boo lang has been used for wife in all minnan sects but ciangchiu city can also used hu dzin lang.
Only a few places taboo lang can means man--ciangchiu city,chang tai, and shao an.The most important thing is you should say capoo for ciangchiu sects except ciangchiu city.some are tapou like changou,etc but not you as a longhai..
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hong
sorry, above last one should be ca poou but not tapou.
Only a few places in chuachiu use tapoolang for husband-amoy,nanan,jinmen and tongan.
Ciangchiu city use tapoolang but the rest of ciangchiu sect use ca po/poo/pue lang besides ang.changpu use ang a too .
shaoan only ang.
Changdai use special pue and poou for zhangpu,yunxiao,dongshan and pinghe.It is not the same with poo.
Only a few places in chuachiu use tapoolang for husband-amoy,nanan,jinmen and tongan.
Ciangchiu city use tapoolang but the rest of ciangchiu sect use ca po/poo/pue lang besides ang.changpu use ang a too .
shaoan only ang.
Changdai use special pue and poou for zhangpu,yunxiao,dongshan and pinghe.It is not the same with poo.
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hong