Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are words like “this” and “that”, which point to specific things, persons, etc. In Teochew, the basic demonstratives are zi2 只 and he2 許, which are roughly equivalent to “this” and “that” in English. The other demonstratives are derived from these two words.
Contents
- zi2 / he2 • 只 / 許 • “This / that”
- ziê3 / hiê3 • 照 / ～ • “these / those” or “here / there”
- zia2 / hia2 • 者 / ～
- Location and direction
- Time
zi2 / he2 • 只 / 許 • “This / that”
Zi2 只 “this” is the proximal demonstrative, meaning that it refers to something that is close to the speaker, whether literally close by in space or in time, or figuratively close to the topic being discussed, somehow being “at hand”.
He2 許 “that” is the distal demonstrative, referring to something literally or figuratively “over there”.
The Mandarin equivalents are zhè 這 and nà 那 respectively. 這 in Teochew is pronounced zê2, and is sometimes used in place of 只 to write zi2.
…gai5 • …個 • “this / that” + noun
Zi2 and he2 are combined with gai5 個 or an appropriate classifier for the basic meaning of “this” or “that”, referring to a noun. (See “Classifiers and 個 kai5”)
tsi⁵³kai⁵⁵ si¹¹ ua⁵³ soi⁵³haŋ²¹³ sɯŋ⁵³ kai¹¹ aŋ³³koŋ³³kĩã⁵³
Zi2gai5 si6(7) ua2 soi3(2)hang3 seng2 gai5(7) ang1gong1gian2.
只個 是 我 細漢 耍 個 尪公囝。
This-CL is I childhood play REL doll.
This is the doll that I played with as a child.
***
kʰiek² hɯ⁵³puŋ³⁵ tsɯ³³ kue²¹³lai¹¹
Kiêg8(4) he2bung2(6) ze1 guê3lai7.
挈 許本 書 過來。
Bring that-CL book over-here.
Bring that book here.
***
i³³ siaŋ¹¹ lou⁵³ tsi⁵³tiou¹¹ kuŋ³³
I1 siang6(7) lou2 zi2diou5(7) gung1.
伊 上 滷 只條 裙。
He most dislike this-CL dress.
He hates this dress the most.
…coh4 • …撮 • “these / those” + noun
Just as gai5 個 is the default classifier for single objects, coh4 撮 is the default classifier for plurals (see “Classifiers and 個 gai5”). Zi2(6)coh4 and he2(6)coh4 therefore mean “these” and “those” respectively.
Lim (1886) gives a pronunciation zi2cuan2(6)gai5 for “these” / “those”, and transcribes cuan2 as 賤.
…coh4(8)muêh8 • …撮物 • “these / those things”
To refer “these / those things” without naming them.
…sên1 • …生 • “in this / that manner”
Zi2sên1 只生 and he2sên1 are also pronounced ziê2sên1 照生 (or zê2sen1 這生) and hiê2sen1 ～生 (see ziê2 / hiê2 below). Used to indicate how something is done, or the manner in which it is done.
i³³naŋ¹¹ hɯ⁵³sẽ³³ tʰak⁵kiu⁵⁵ si¹¹ boi¹¹ ĩã⁵⁵kai¹¹ la¹¹
I1nang5(7) he2sên1 tag4(8)giu5 si6(7) bhoi6(7) ian5-gai5(7) la7.
伊儂 許生 踢球 是 袂 贏個 啦。
They that-manner kick-ball is NEG win-REL SFP.
They won’t win by playing football that way.
***
Zi2sên1 can also be an adverb meaning “to such an extent”.
i³³ tso⁵³ni¹¹ tsie⁵³sẽ³³ mak²siap²
I1 zo3(2)ni5(7) ziê2sên1 mag8(4)siab4?
伊 做呢 照生 目澀？
He why so-much sleepy?
Why is he so sleepy?
The Hokkien equivalent of ziê2sên1 is án-ne 按呢.
Lim (1886) gives a somewhat different explanation for the hi2 / hiê2 / hia2 series:
ziê2 / hiê2 – equivalent to zi2go3 / he2go3 in the sense of “here” / “there”
zia2 / hia2 – equivalent to zi2gai5 / he2gai5 in the sense of “this” / “that”
ziê3 / hiê3 • 照 / ～ • “these / those” or “here / there”
These two words are derived from a fusion of zi2 只 / he2 許 with another word, which may be the collective classifier go3 塊 (Xu 2007). Therefore ziê3 and hiê3 can mean “these” and “those” respectively.
tsie⁵³ tsɯ³³ si¹¹ ua⁵³ a³³tse³⁵ saŋ¹¹kai¹¹
Ziê3(2) ze1 si6(7) ua2 a1zê2(6) sang3-gai5(7).
照 書 是 我 阿姐 送 個。
These book is I older-sister gift REL.
These books were a gift from my older sister.
Ziê3 / hiê3 can also be combined with classifiers, including coh4 撮, which is also a collective classifier for multiples of things.
hie⁵³tsʰoʔ² sã³³kʰou²¹³ ua⁵³ kʰiek² kʰɯ⁵³ soi⁵³liou¹¹
Hiê3(2)coh4(8) san1kou3 ua2 kiêg8(4) ke3(2) soi2-liou7.
～撮 衫褲 我 挈 去 洗 了。
Those-pl. clothes I take go wash-PERF.
I have brought those clothes away to be washed.
Ziê3(2)muêh8 / hiê3(2)muêh8 “this thing” / “that thing” is like zi2gai5 / he2gai5, referring to anything, not necessarily plural.
tsie⁵³mueʔ² bo¹¹ho³⁵ tsiaʔ⁵ / hie⁵³mueʔ² iou³⁵ u¹¹ bi¹¹sou²¹³
Ziê3(2)muêh8(4) bho5(7)ho2(6) ziah8, hiê2muêh8(4) iou1 u6(7) bhi5(7)sou3.
照物 無好 食，～物 夭 有 味素。
This-thing not-good eat, that-thing more have flavor.
This isn’t tasty, that has more flavor.
Another usage of ziê(2) / hiê(2) is for “here” / “there” (Lim 1886), which also happens to be the other meaning for zi2go3 / he2go3 (see below).
Ziê3(2)lai6 / hiê3(2)lai6 are used to mean “at home”, but depend on whether the speaker him- or herself is at home (Xu 2007).
zia2 / hia2 • 者 / ～
tsia⁵³ / hia⁵³ • zia2 / hia2 • this kind of / that kind of
Location and direction
…go3 • …塊 • “here / there”
Zi2go3 只塊 and he2go3 許塊 are the generic pronouns for “here” and “there”.
kie⁵³ i³³ mai⁵³ to¹¹ tsi⁵³ko²¹³ tsiaʔ²huŋ³³
Giê3(2) i1 mai3(2) do6(7) zi2ko3 ziah8(4)hung1.
叫 伊 莫 在 只塊 食薰。
Call he NEG at here smoke.
Tell him not to smoke here.
In addition, Teochew has other specific terms for indicating location. They are used with the verb do6 在 “to be at”.
These are formed by adding a suffix to zi2 or he2. The suffix typically cannot stand as a word by itself. For example one could say:
ua⁵³ to¹¹ hɯ³⁵kʰau⁵³ taŋ³⁵ lɯ⁵³
Ua2 do6(7) he2(6)kao2 dang2(6) le2.
我 在 許口 等 汝。
I at there wait you.
I’ll wait for you over there.
But kao2 cannot stand by itself:
* ua⁵³ to¹¹ kʰau⁵³ taŋ³⁵ lɯ⁵³
* Ua2 do6(7) kao2 dang2(6) le2.
* 我 在 口 等 汝。
Furthermore, many of these suffixes can be combined with words other than zi2 and he2 to describe different kinds of locations:
ua⁵³ to¹¹ gua¹¹kʰau⁵³ taŋ³⁵ lɯ⁵³
Ua2 do6(7) ghua7-kao2 dang2(6) le2.
我 在 外-口 等 汝。
I at outside wait you.
I’ll wait for you outside.
***
ua⁵³ to¹¹ tsʰu⁵³lai³⁵
Ua2 do6(7) cu3(2)-lai6
我 在 厝-內。
I at house-inside.
I’m in the house.
***
i³³ mũã³⁵zik⁵ kʰɯ⁵³ huaŋ³³põĩ⁵⁵
I1 muan2(6)rig8 ke3(2) huang1-boin5
伊 明日 去 番-爿
He tomorrow go foreign-place.
He’s going abroad tomorrow.
***
pʰeŋ¹¹kũãĩ⁵³ to¹¹ ap²tõĩ⁵³
Pêng5(7)guain2 do6(7) ab8(4)-doin2
蘋果 在 盒-底。
Apple in box-inside.
The apple is in the box.
The following are some more examples of location suffixes.
…lai6 • …內 • “inside”
Used to refer to locations that are indoors, e.g. within a house. It can also figuratively refer to “this household” or “those people”.
lɯ⁵³ to¹¹ tsi³⁵lai¹¹ taŋ⁵³ tsek²e¹¹ / ho⁵³mo⁵³
Le2 do6(7) zi2(6)-lai6(7) dang2 zêg8(4)ê7, ho2mo2?
汝 在 只-內 等 一下，好孬？
You at in-here wait a-moment, good-NEG?
Why don’t you wait in here for a moment?
***
hɯ⁵³lai³⁵ kai¹¹ tsau³⁵kĩã⁵³ kuai³³kue⁵³ lɯ⁵³
He2(6)-lai6-gai5(7) zao2(6)gian2 guai1-guê3(2) le2.
許-內 個 走囝 乖過 汝。
In-there GEN daughter obedient-more you.
Their daughter is more well-behaved than you.
…kao2 • …口 • “outside”
Refers to an outdoor location, or a place just outside an entryway or exit.
muŋ¹¹kʰau⁵² • mung5(7)kao2 • 門口 • “at the door”
…boin5 • …爿 • “side, place”
Refers to positions flanking something or somebody (e.g. non6(7)boin5 • 兩爿 • “both sides”), but can also be used to refer to “a place” in a general way. Also written with the character 畔.
hɯ⁵³põĩ⁵⁵kai¹¹ tsʰu²¹³ si¹¹ tseŋ⁵³hu⁵³ kʰi⁵³ kai¹¹
He2(6)-boin5-gai5(7) cu3 si6(7) zêng3(2)hu2 ki3(2)-gai7.
許-爿 個 厝 是 政府 起 個。
That-side REL house is government raise REL.
The houses on that side were built by the government.
ziê2/hiê2-tao5 • ～頭 • “this / that place”
Referring to “a place” in a general way.
…dêng2 • …頂 • “on top”
A position on top of a structure or prominence.
sũã³³teŋ⁵³ • suan1dêng2 • 山頂 • “on the mountaintop”
…doin2 • …底 • “inside”
Inside a container or enclosed space.
tsui³⁵kɯŋ³³tõĩ⁵³ • zui2(6)geng1doin2 • 水缸底 * “inside the water jar”
…ê6 • …下 • “at the bottom, down below”
At the bottom or foot of a structure, e.g. a building, also refers to a position that is physically below something.
lau¹¹e³⁵ • lao5(7)ê6 • 樓下 • “downstairs”
…ka1 • …腳 • “at the foot/bottom”
Figuratively at the foot of a structure, e.g. a tree, in this sense similar to and overlapping with -ê6 -下.
tek⁵kʰa³³ • dêg4(8)ka1 • 竹腳 • “at the bamboo” - name of a location in Singapore (Tekka)
Time
The demonstrative prefixes zi2 只 and he2 許 are also used with the following suffixes to refer to points in time.