HSK 6 · Article · 832 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/cha-or-tea-why-the-world-has-two-words-for-tea

世界上的“茶”为什么有两种叫法?

Cha or tea? Why the world has two words for tea

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在zài美国měiguó的de咖啡馆kāfēiguǎn里,你nǐ也许yéxǔ会huì在zài菜单càidān上shàng看到kàndào一种yìzhǒng加jiā了le香料xiāngliào的de奶茶nǎichá,英文yīngwén名字míngzi直译zhíyì过来,叫jiào“茶chá茶chá拿铁nátiě”。这zhè并bìng不是búshì印yìn错cuò了le。名字míngzi的de前qián两liǎng个gè词cí,一个yígè是shì印地语yìndìyǔ的de“茶chá”,一个yígè是shì英语yīngyǔ的de“茶chá”。点diǎn这么zhème一yì杯bēi,等于děngyú连lián说shuō了le两liǎng遍biàn“茶chá”。

更gèng有意思yǒuyìsi的de是shì,这zhè两liǎng个gè词cí的de老家lǎojiā都dōu在zài中国zhōngguó。世界shìjiè上shàng大多数dàduōshù语言yǔyán里的de“茶chá”,都dōu能néng归入guīrù两liǎng个gè大家族dàjiāzú:一个yígè家族jiāzú听起来tīngqǐlai像xiàng普通话pǔtōnghuà的de“茶chá”,俄语éyǔ、波斯语bōsīyǔ、土耳其语tú’ěrqíyǔ、日语rìyǔ都dōu在zài这个zhège家族jiāzú里;另lìng一个yígè家族jiāzú以yǐ“特tè”的de音yīn开头kāitóu,英语yīngyǔ、法语fáyǔ、德语déyǔ、西班牙语xībānyáyǔ都dōu在zài其中qízhōng。一yí部bù世界shìjiè语言yǔyán地图集dìtújí统计tǒngjì过guò二百三十èrbǎi-sānshí种zhǒng语言yǔyán,前qián一个yígè家族jiāzú有yǒu一百一十yìbǎi-yīshí种zhǒng,后hòu一个yígè家族jiāzú有yǒu八十四bāshísì种zhǒng,剩下shèngxia的de三十六sānshíliù种zhǒng另有lìngyǒu叫法jiàofǎ。

两liǎng个gè家族jiāzú的de源头yuántóu,其实qíshí是shì同tóng一yí个gè汉字hànzì。普通话pǔtōnghuà和hé粤语yuèyǔ都dōu念niàn“茶chá”,可是kěshì在zài福建fújiàn南部nánbù和hé台湾táiwān说shuō的de闽南话mǐnnánhuà里,“茶chá”的de读音dúyīn跟gēn西班牙语xībānyáyǔ的de“茶chá”几乎jīhū一模一样yìmú-yíyàng。英语yīngyǔ的de“茶chá”本来běnlái也yě差不多chàbuduō是shì这个zhège音yīn,后来hòulái英语yīngyǔ的de元音yuányīn发生fāshēng了le变化biànhuà,才cái念niàn成chéng了le今天jīntiān的de样子yàngzi。同tóng一yí个gè字zì,怎么zěnme会huì有yǒu两liǎng种zhǒng读音dúyīn?研究yánjiū古音gǔyīn的de学者xuézhě认为rènwéi,这些zhèxiē读音dúyīn本来běnlái出自chūzì同tóng一个yígè古音gǔyīn,只是zhǐshì在zài各地gèdì慢慢mànmàn变biàn了le样yàng。

那么nàme,一yí个gè国家guójiā用yòng哪个nǎge音yīn呢ne?关键guānjiàn在于zàiyú它tā的de茶chá是shì从cóng谁shéi手里shǒuli买mǎi来lái的de。十七shíqī世纪shìjì初chū,荷兰hélán东印度公司成chéng了le往wǎng欧洲ōuzhōu运送yùnsòng茶叶cháyè的de主力zhǔlì。荷兰人hélánrén学会xuéhuì了le闽南话mǐnnánhuà的de读音dúyīn,再zài把bǎ茶chá连同liántóng名字míngzi一起yìqǐ卖mài到dào欧洲ōuzhōu各地gèdì,英语yīngyǔ、法语fáyǔ、德语déyǔ的de“茶chá”都dōu是shì这么zhème来lái的de。在zài荷兰人hélánrén统治tǒngzhì过guò的de印度尼西亚yìndùníxīyà,“茶chá”也yě是shì这个zhège音yīn。至于zhìyú他们tāmen是shì在zài哪儿nǎr学会xuéhuì这zhè个gè词cí的de,说法shuōfǎ各不相同gèbù-xiāngtóng:有人yǒurén说shuō是shì在zài厦门xiàmén,有人yǒurén说shuō是shì在zài台湾táiwān,也yě有人yǒurén说shuō是shì在zài爪哇岛zhǎowādǎo,跟gēn当地dāngdì的de商人shāngrén学xué的de。

往wǎng西xī走zǒu陆路lùlù的de茶chá,带走dàizǒu的de是shì“茶chá”的de音yīn。它tā一路yílù经过jīngguò中亚zhōngyà和hé波斯bōsī,添tiān上shàng了le一个yígè尾音wěiyīn,听起来tīngqǐlai像xiàng“柴chái”;印度yìndù、俄罗斯éluósī、土耳其tú’ěrqí和hé阿拉伯ālābó国家guójiā用yòng的de都dōu是shì这zhè一类yílèi叫法jiàofǎ。日语rìyǔ和hé韩语hányǔ的de“茶chá”,则zé是shì更gèng早zǎo的de时候shíhou直接zhíjiē从cóng汉语hànyǔ借jiè过去guòqu的de。

这么zhème看kàn,好像hǎoxiàng是shì海路hǎilù传chuán“特tè”,陆路lùlù传chuán“茶chá”。不过búguò这里zhèlǐ有yǒu个gè大dà例外lìwài:葡萄牙人pútáoyárén。他们tāmen比bǐ荷兰人hélánrén来得láide更gèng早zǎo,十六shíliù世纪shìjì,葡萄牙pútáoyá的de传教士chuánjiàoshì和hé商人shāngrén就jiù坐船zuòchuán到dào了le中国zhōngguó。可kě他们tāmen的de据点jùdiǎn在zài澳门àomén,那里nàlǐ说shuō粤语yuèyǔ,于是yúshì葡萄牙人pútáoyárén也yě跟着gēnzhe把bǎ它tā叫作jiàozuò“茶chá”。

名字míngzi一旦yídàn定dìng下来xiàlai,往往wángwǎng就jiù很hěn难nán再zài改gǎi。到dào了le十九shíjiǔ世纪shìjì,英国人yīngguórén的de茶chá大多dàduō直接zhíjiē从cóng广州guǎngzhōu买mǎi,那里nàlǐ也yě念niàn“茶chá”,可kě英语yīngyǔ的de叫法jiàofǎ再也zàiyě没méi变biàn。也yě有些yǒuxiē词cí跟gēn两liǎng个gè家族jiāzú都dōu不bú像xiàng,比如bǐrú波兰语bōlányǔ的de“茶chá”。不过búguò它tā来自láizì拉丁语lādīngyǔ,意思yìsi是shì“茶chá草cǎo”,其中qízhōng的de“茶chá”其实qíshí还是háishi那个nàge“特tè”。

所以suóyǐ,下回xiàhuí再zài看到kàndào“茶chá茶chá拿铁nátiě”,别bié笑xiào它tā多余duōyú。这zhè两liǎng个gè“茶chá”,一个yígè走zǒu陆路lùlù,一个yígè走zǒu海路hǎilù,绕rào了le大半dàbàn个gè地球dìqiú,最后zuìhòu又yòu在zài同tóng一yí个gè杯子bēizi里重逢chóngféng了le。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
等于děngyúto equal; to be equivalent to; to amount to
统计tǒngjìstatistics; to count; to add up
念niànto read aloud
读音dúyīnpronunciation (of a word or character)
学者xuézhěscholar; academic
出自chūzìto come from; to originate from
欧洲ōuzhōuEurope
当地dāngdìlocal; in the locality
商人shāngrénmerchant; businessman
一路yílùall the way; throughout the journey
传chuánto pass on; to transmit
大多dàduōmostly; for the most part

English (for the teacher)

In an American café you might spot a spiced milk tea on the menu called a “chai tea latte”: literally, a “tea tea latte”. It isn’t a misprint. The first two words of its name are Hindi for “tea” and English for “tea”. Order one, and you’ve said “tea” twice in a row.

What’s more interesting is that both words started out in China. In most of the world’s languages, the word for tea belongs to one of two big families: one sounds like Mandarin chá, and Russian, Persian, Turkish and Japanese are in it; the other starts with a “t” sound, and English, French, German and Spanish are among its members. One world atlas of languages surveyed 230 of them: 110 were in the first family, 84 in the second, and the other 36 had other words for it.

Both families actually go back to the same Chinese character. Mandarin and Cantonese both say chá, but in Southern Min, spoken in southern Fujian and Taiwan, the word sounds almost exactly like Spanish té. English “tea” once sounded much the same, until a change in English vowels gave it the sound it has today. How can one character have two pronunciations? Scholars of ancient Chinese pronunciation believe these readings all grew from one old sound that slowly changed from place to place.

So which sound does a country end up with? It comes down to who it bought its tea from. In the early seventeenth century, the Dutch East India Company became the main carrier of tea to Europe. The Dutch picked up the Southern Min pronunciation and sold the tea, name and all, across Europe; that is where the English, French and German words come from. In Indonesia, once ruled by the Dutch, the word for tea has this sound too. As for where the Dutch learned the word, accounts differ: some say Xiamen, some say Taiwan, and some say Java, from merchants there.

The tea that went west overland took the chá sound with it. On its way through Central Asia and Persia it picked up an extra sound at the end, so that it sounded like chái, “firewood”; India, Russia, Turkey and the Arab world all use words of this kind. Japanese and Korean, meanwhile, had borrowed their word for tea straight from Chinese much earlier.

So it looks as if the “t” word travelled by sea and chá by land. But there is one big exception: the Portuguese. They got there even earlier than the Dutch: in the sixteenth century, Portuguese missionaries and merchants were already coming to China by ship. But their base was Macau, where people speak Cantonese, so the Portuguese called it chá as well.

Once a name sticks, it is often hard to change. By the nineteenth century, the British bought most of their tea directly from Guangzhou, where it is also chá, yet the English word never changed. Some words belong to neither family, such as the Polish word for tea. But it comes from Latin for “tea herb”, and the “tea” in it is that same “t” word after all.

So next time you see a “tea tea latte”, don’t laugh at it for saying the same thing twice. Its two teas, one that travelled by land and one by sea, went most of the way round the world before meeting again in the same cup.