TERMS OF ADDRESS AMONG CHINESE FAMILIES IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

The Chinese kinship vocative nomenclature, complex and extensive as it is, reflects the Chinese culture. This elaborate system is still practiced by sane older Chinese in Singapore today. However, with the increasing importance of English in Singapore, the Chinese culture faces the threat of 'corruption' by western culture. This paper explores the naming practices among Chinese families in Singapore to ascertain if social changes (western culture being a primary concern) are encroaching on the Chinese kinship vocative terms, and to what extent. To this end, interviews were conducted to compare address terms employed by Chinese families in Singapore. For the purpose of comparison, the study covers three generations, and encompasses intergenerational address terms in grandparent-grandchild, parent-child, uncle/aunt-nephew/niece relationships, and intergenerational address in sibling, sibling/in-law, husband-wife and collateral relationships. The predominant address patterns are discussed in terms of power and solidarity, westernization and social change. The kinds of changes isolated are primarily those which Centre on a shift from Chinese vernacular kinship terms to Mandarin kinship terms, or to English kinship terms, or to first names. The study concludes with the observation that changes are operating on address patterns among Chinese families in Singapore. However, there are also constraints as in intergenerational address where first names are not permitted. The traditional family structure is yet another such constraint which influences address patterns among Chinese families in Singapore