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家己儂

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Pronunciation

Peng'im: ga1 gi6 nang5
POJ: ka-kǐ-nâng
Variety: chaozhou

The tone on 己 is uncertain. By Middle Chinese it is 陰上 (見母 上聲), which predicts tone 2, so neither 6 nor 7 is regular — this is an irregular grammaticalised form. The compound gives no evidence either: 己 is non-final, and sandhi sends both 6 and 7 to 7. Settling it needs the word in isolation from a speaker.

Meanings and usage

noun: one's own people, a fellow Teochew
自己人

The community's own term for itself, widely romanised "gaginang" in diaspora usage. Saying it to a stranger asserts shared Teochew origin.

Examples

  • 咱是家己儂 (nang2 si6 ga1 gi6 nang5) — We're gaginang. (said to a fellow Teochew; 咱 includes the person spoken to)

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