ông bà anh chị em

Vietnamese edit

Alternative forms edit

ÔBACE

Etymology edit

ông bà (“grandparents”) +‎ anh chị em (“siblings”)

Pronunciation edit

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔajŋ̟˧˧ t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ ʔɛm˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˦˩ ʔɛɲ˧˧ t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ ʔɛm˧˧]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔan˧˧ cɪj˨˩˨ ʔɛm˧˧]

Pronoun edit

ông bà anh chị em

(Christianity, polite) brothers and sisters; you
- 2010: Patrick Joseph McGrath, Diocese of San José in California [1]
  Trên hết, tôi đặc biệt tri ân qúy ông bà anh chị em, tất cả giáo dân trong 53 giáo xứ và họ lẻ trong giáo phận.
  Above all, I am particularly grateful to [marker of respect] you, all the faithful of the 53 parishes and missions of the diocese.

Usage notes edit

Vietnamese pronouns usually consist of very specific kinship terms that depend on gender, age, and social status, and traditionally the language lacks a generic second person pronoun equivalent to "you". In most formal settings, a speaker usually addresses an audience as "quý vị". However, in a Christian setting where an English speaker might say "brothers and sisters", "ông bà anh chị em" is used, especially if much older people may be present. If the audience consists of people of roughly the same age as the speaker or younger, "anh chị em" is used instead.

Synonyms edit

Related terms edit

anh chị em