Vocabularies, educated and local

One aspect of respecting our local hosts, and “abiding by local customs” (ruxiang suisu 入乡随俗), is that fieldworkers should be careful not to inflict their educated vocabulary on locals. Just as you wouldn’t use poncey language in talking to Newcastle rappers, or to old-time musicians in Kentucky (so “harp” rather than “harmonica”)—even if they may understand it, or even adopt it temporarily for our benefit. Vocabulary reflects world-view, so we should try and latch onto it.

Some terms are just a matter of basic fluency: one never “plays” (yanzou 演奏) instruments, for example, but (according to their means of sound production) one blows (chui 吹), beats (da 打), bows (la 拉), or plucks (tan 弹) them. In Yanggao, the often-used term kabulei (“fantastic”) would be kebulai in standard Chinese, but bucuo is the standard urban version. I like duohuir (“When?”, actually more like duohuor), more classically economical than the cumbersome standard shenme shihou.

Of course it’d be silly to try and go native; we can only retain our personality. But little efforts to adapt to their world-view pay dividends. Often we will seek a more idiomatic way of expressing our own scholarly vocabulary.

In the table below I give some random examples from my fieldwork experience in ritual and musical life, mainly in north China. Maybe I’ll add to it as I go along—these are just some of the terms I’ve picked up. [1] Of course, it relates to taxonomy. Some terms (such as those for spirit mediums) are gender-based.

But few of these terms can be applied casually across the board: precisely because they are local, one can’t even expect (for instance) to use a Shaanbei term for spirit medium in north Shanxi—still less in Guangxi or Fujian.

Few fieldworkers, however, will be able to master the remarkable secret language (“black talk”) of shawm bands and ritual specialists in Yanggao, as did the sensitive ears of Hubei native Wu Fan. See also this article by a Yanggao local:

Chen Kexiu 陈克秀, “Yanbei guchuiyue yirende heihua” 雁北鼓吹乐艺人的黑话, Zhongguo yinyuexue 2007.4.

Educated term	English	local term
tuan 团	ensemble, group etc.	ban 班 (ritual:) she 社 tang 堂 hui 会 huitong 会统 foshihui 佛事会 tan 壇 peng 棚 etc. etc.
yanchu 演出 biaoyan 表演	perform	banshi 办事 yingmenshi 应门事 songjing 送经 chuhui 出会 etc.
zangli 葬礼	funeral	baishi 白事
qushi 去世	to die	xiashi 下世
yishi zhixingren 仪式执行人 (!)	ritual practitioner	fashi 法师 shigong 师公 duangong 端公 jiaozhu 教主 tangzhu 堂主 zhangjiaode 掌教的 erzhai 二宅 nianjingde 念经的 wentan 文坛 xiansheng 先生 etc. etc.
daoshi 道士	Daoist	laodao 老道 yinyang 阴阳 jia heshang 假和尚 (!) etc. etc.
xuesheng 学生 tudi 徒弟	student disciple	mensheng 门生
chuantong 传统	tradition	(lao) guiju (老)规矩
lingdao 领导	leader	dangjia 当家 (secular and sacred)
keyiben 科仪本	ritual manual	jingshu 经书 jingben 经本 shu 书 !
yueqi 乐器	musical instruments	jiahuo 家伙 xiangqi 响器
dajiyue 打击乐	percussion	luogu 锣鼓 faqi 法器 xiangqi 响器
suona 唢呐	shawm	weirwa ? wazi 娃子 laba 喇叭 etc. etc.
suona dui 唢呐队	shawm band	guyueban 鼓乐班 chuigushou 吹鼓手 chuishou 吹手 gujiang 鼓匠 etc.
shaopian 哨片	reed	mimi 咪咪 etc.
yinyuejia 音乐家	musician	yiren 艺人 (used sparingly)
shenpo 神婆 shenhan 神汉	spirit medium	mingren 明人 daxian 大仙 xiangxiang 相相 xiangtou 香头 matong 马童 shenguan 神官 dingshende 定神的 tiaoshenr 跳神儿
chigai 乞丐	beggar	yaofande 要饭的 etc.