어멍

Jeju

1945년 ᄀᆞ슬, 서월이영 가차운 촌이서 애길 업곡 먹일 ᄎᆞᆽ아뎅기단 어멍

애길 안는 어멍

Etymology

Presumably from Middle Korean 어〮미 (émì) with a fixed suffix *엉 (*-eong). Compare 아방 (abang), 하르방 (hareubang), 할망 (halmang). Cognate with Korean 어미 (eomi)

Pronunciation

• (Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽əməŋ⫽
• (Jeju City) IPA^(key): [əməŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [어멍]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	eomeong
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	eomeong
Yale Romanization?	emeng

Noun

어멍 (eomeong)

1. mother

   Hypernyms: 부모 (bumo), (rare outside of compounds) 어시 (eosi)

   Hyponyms: 가시어멍 (gasieomeong), 다슴어멍 (daseumeomeong), 수양어멍 (suyang'eomeong), 씨어멍 (ssieomeong), 홀어멍 (horeomeong), 친어멍 (chineomeong)

   Coordinate term: 아방 (abang)

   Near-synonyms: (honorific) 어멤 (eomem), (for animals) 어시 (eosi), 어머니 (eomeoni)

   어멍 아방 ― eomeong abang ― mother and father

   어멍은 베 고팡 죽곡, 아인 베 터졍 죽나.

   Eomeong-eun be gopang jukgok, ai-n be teojeong jungna.

   A mother will always put her child's needs above her own.

   (literally, “A mother dies of hunger while her child dies with a full stomach.”)

   우리 어멍은 나가 아는 사름 중에 질 착ᄒᆞᆫ 사름입데다.

   Uri eomeong-eun na-ga aneun sareum jung-e jil chakhawn sareumipdeda.

   My mother is the nicest person that I know.

   • 1994 January 20 [1958 December 17], 秦聖麒, quoting 오창호 (사귀읍 서호리) [ochangho (sagwieup seohori)], “제2편 지연적 옛말 [je2pyeon jiyeonjeok yenmal, Part 2: Regional old sayings]”, in 濟州島民譚: 濟州島 사투리와 옛말 [Jeju Folktales: Jeju dialects and old sayings], 濟州市 三陽三洞: 제주민속연구소 [jejuminsogyeon'guso], →OCLC, 소제ᄃᆞ리 [sojedawri, Bridge of filial piety], page 100:

     아들은 "우리 어멍이 매날처냑 어딜 경 댕겸신곤" 먼 발로 ᄉᆞᆯ째기 조롬에 조창 강 ᄋᆢ상 보곡 ᄒᆞ엿쑤다. 어멍은 아들이 그처록 어멍 조롬을 종그는 중도 몰르고 이신디

     [아들은 "우리 어멍이 메날처냑 어딜 경 뎅겨ᇝ인곤" 먼 발로 ᄉᆞᆯ짹이 조롬에 좇앙 강 ᄋᆢ상 보곡 ᄒᆞ엿수다. 어멍은 아들이 그처록 어멍 조롬을 종그는 중도 몰르고 잇인디]

     Adeur-eun uri eomeong-i menalcheonyak eodil gyeong denggyeomsin'gon meon bal-lo sawljjaegi jorom-e jochang gang yawsang bogok hawyeotsuda. eomeong-eun adeur-i geucheorok eomeong jorom-eul jonggeuneun jung-do molleugo isindi

     [T]he son, wondering "where is my mother going every night like this?" followed behind her footsteps, hid, and watched from afar. The mother, not knowing that her son was following her…

   • 2009, 제주문화예술재단 [jejumunhwayesuljaedan], 개정증보 제주어사전 [gaejeongjeungbo jejueosajeon]‎^[2], 제주특별자치도 [jejuteukbyeoljachido], →ISBN, page 614:

     어멍 아방 죽엉은에 어떵 살코?

     eomeong abang jugeong'eune eotteong salko?

     How can I live without my mother and father?

   • 2018 December 17, KBS제주 [KBSjeju], 18:49 from the start, in 어멍의 바당 [eomeong'ui badang, My Mother's Sea]‎^[3], episode 11, spoken by 아방 [abang] (고정민 [gojeongmin]), YouTube:

     아이고, 숙이 어멍아 정신 ᄎᆞᆯ리라…… 이디서 영 ᄒᆞ멍 안 뒌다! 나가 지신디 못 헤 준 게 핫인디…… 메날 술 먹언 니 속만 타게 헷인예!

     Aigo, sugi eomeong-a jeongsin chawllira…… Idi-seo yeong hawmeong an dwenda! Na-ga ji-sindi mot he jun ge hasindi…… Menal sul meogeon ni song-man tage hesinye!

     Ahh, my wife (Sook-i's mother), please get better…… You can't do this here! There's so much that I couldn't do for you… I only made you worried with drinking every day!

   • 2020, Changyong Yang, Sejung Yang, William O'Grady, Jejueo: The Language of Korea’s Jeju Island, Honolulu, USA: University of Hawai‘i Press, →DOI, →ISBN, →JSTOR, 3.1: Informal Sentence Enders Compatible with Both Statements and Questions, page 171:

     강 보난 어멍 아방 말 ᄀᆞᆯ아ᇝ이멘.

     Gang bonan eomeong abang mal gawramsimen.

     When I went (there), I saw mother and father talking.

Usage notes

Outside of children's usage, this term is traditionally used as a 지칭 (jiching), meaning that, it is only used to refer to one's mother, not to address them directly. As an adult, the traditional 호칭 (hoching) to address one's mother directly is 어머니 (eomeoni).

Derived terms

• ᄄᆞᆯ은 어멍 피 물엉 (ttawreun eomeong pi mureong, “like mother like daughter”)
• 가마귀도 어멍아 ᄒᆞᆫ다 (gamagwido eomeong'a hawnda, “Even crows respect their mothers”)
• 가시어멍 (gasieomeong, “mother-in-law, mother of one's wife”)
• 구시월 수가지 먹젱 ᄒᆞ민 어멍 셍각에 목 단졍 못 먹나 (gusiwol sugaji meokjeng hawmin eomeong senggage mok danjeong mot meongna, “One's mother will always be in one's mind”)
• 궃이나 망장 나 어멍 시민 고운 어멍 엇어도 산다게 (guchina mangjang na eomeong simin goun eomeong eoseodo sandage, “Even if my mother is bad, as long as I have her, I don't need anyone else”)
• 그 아방에 그 아ᄃᆞᆯ, 그 어멍에 그 ᄄᆞᆯ (geu abang'e geu adawl, geu eomeong'e geu ttawl, “like father like son, like mother like daughter”)
• 나 어멍은 그리는 애기 놈은 주난 종으로 본다 (na eomeong'eun geurineun aegi nomeun junan jong'euro bonda, “A precious baby to one's mother, but a slave to someone else”)
• 낳은어멍 (naeuneomeong, “birth mother”)
• 다슴어멍 (daseumeomeong, “stepmother”)
• 당어멍 (dang'eomeong, “biological mother”)
• 말잣어멍 (maljaseomeong, “one's father's third brother's wife”)
• 말젯어멍 (maljeseomeong, “one's father's third brother's wife”)
• 물어멍 (mureomeong, “female ghost met while diving”)
• 봉ᄉᆞ광 애기 어멍은 ᄀᆞ물수록 좋나 (bongsawgwang aegi eomeong'eun gawmulsurok jonna, “The drier the better”)
• 설룬어멍 (seolluneomeong, “sad and pitiful mother”)
• 셋어멍 (seseomeong, “one's father's second brother's wife”)
• 수양어멍 (suyang'eomeong, “foster mother”)
• 씨어멍 (ssieomeong, “mother-in-law, mother of one's husband”)
• 아방신디 못 ᄀᆞᆮ는 말 어멍신딘 ᄀᆞᆮ나 (abangsindi mot gawnneun mal eomeongsindin gawnna, “mothers are more trustworthy”)
• 아의어멍 (auieomeong, “mother of a child; term used to refer to one's wife”)
• 아이고 나 어멍아 (aigo na eomeong'a, “oh my!”)
• 애기 어멍 쿰은 닷 뒈, 애기 업게 쿰은 ᄒᆞᆫ 말 (aegi eomeong kumeun dat dwe, aegi eopge kumeun hawn mal, “Mothers are not appreciated enough”)
• 애기어멍 (aegieomeong, “mother of a child”)
• 어멍 ᄀᆞᇀ곡 아방 ᄄᆞ낭 것광 어멍 ᄄᆞ나곡 아방 ᄀᆞᇀ은 건 맞사지 못ᄒᆞᆫ다 (eomeong gawtgok abang ttawnang geotgwang eomeong ttawnagok abang gawteun geon matsaji mothawnda, “a stepmother is worse than a stepfather”)
• 어멍 ᄄᆞ난 거 달르곡, 아방 ᄄᆞ난 거 달른다 (eomeong ttawnan geo dalleugok, abang ttawnan geo dalleunda, “a stepfather is different from a stepmother”)
• 어멍 셍각은 천년을 가도 못 잊곡 만년을 가도 못 잊나 (eomeong senggageun cheonnyeoneul gado mot itgok mannyeoneul gado mot inna, “one can never forget one's mother”)
• 어멍 신덜 어멍 원ᄒᆞ멍 아방 신덜 아방 원ᄒᆞ랴 (eomeong sindeol eomeong wonhawmeong abang sindeol abang wonhawrya, “you have no one to blame but yourself”)
• 어멍 아방안티 눈꿀질ᄒᆞ민 저승 강 대코쟁이로 눈 찔렁 첸다 (eomeong abang'anti nunkkuljilhawmin jeoseung gang daekojaeng'iro nun jjilleong chenda, “one should always respect one's parents”)
• 어멍 입에서 소ᄌᆞ 나곡, 각지 입에서 존 서방 난다 (eomeong ibeseo sojaw nagok, gakji ibeseo jon seobang nanda, “reputations of one's family members is important”)
• 어멍 쿰도 ᄋᆢᆯ아 본다 (eomeong kumdo yawra bonda, “proverb about distrust”)
• 어멍ᄀᆞ라 ᄀᆞᆯ은 말은 나곡, 쉐ᄀᆞ라 ᄀᆞᆯ은 말은 안 난다 (eomeonggawra gawreun mareun nagok, swegawra gawreun mareun an nanda, “Be careful who you trust”)
• 어멍도 지 어멍, 각시도 지 각시 (eomeongdo ji eomeong, gaksido ji gaksi, “one's mother is always best”)
• 어멍안틴 설룬 말 ᄒᆞ곡, 아방안틴 들은 말 ᄒᆞᆫ다 (eomeong'antin seollun mal hawgok, abang'antin deureun mal hawnda, “mothers are more trustworthy”)
• 어멍은 개 물리멍 빌어온 장, 아방은 ᄒᆞᆫ 굴레에 다 담나 (eomeong'eun gae mullimeong bireoon jang, abang'eun hawn gullee da damna, “a mother's devotion is stronger than a father's”)
• 어멍은 베 고팡 죽곡, 아인 베 터졍 죽곡 (eomeong'eun be gopang jukgok, ain be teojeong jukgok, “A mother will always put her child's needs above her own”)
• 어멍은 빌어온 장, 아방은 ᄆᆞᆯ똥만썩 먹나 (eomeong'eun bireoon jang, abang'eun mawlttongmansseok meongna, “a mother's devotion is stronger than a father's”)
• 어멍은 좁ᄊᆞᆯ만썩 빌어오민, 아ᄃᆞᆯ은 ᄆᆞᆯ똥만썩 먹나 (eomeong'eun jopssawlmansseok bireoomin, adawreun mawlttongmansseok meongna, “A mother will always put her child first”)
• 어멍펜 (eomeongpen, “mother's family”)
• 원어멍 (woneomeong, “birth mother”)
• 유월 물이 그립덴 헤도 어멍보단 더 안 그립나 (yuwol muri geuripden hedo eomeongbodan deo an geurimna, “One misses one's mother more than anything”)
• 젓어멍 (jeoseomeong, “one who makes the food on wedding day; wet nurse”)
• 젯어멍 (jeseomeong, “wet nurse”)
• 족은어멍 (jogeuneomeong, “father's younger brother's wife; father's youngest brother's wife”)
• 지득어멍 (jideugeomeong, “one who has a motherly bond”)
• 지서멍 (jiseomeong, “wife (humble); a steady wife who governs the affairs of the family”)
• 지세어멍 (jiseeomeong, “wife (humble)”)
• 친어멍 (chineomeong, “stepmother”)
• 큰어멍 (keuneomeong, “father's oldest brother's wife”)
• 할망 콩죽으로 안 살앙 어멍 젯으로 산다 (halmang kongjugeuro an sarang eomeong jeseuro sanda, “A mother will always be there for her child”)
• 핫어멍 (haseomeong, “married woman”)
• 홀어멍 (horeomeong, “widow; single mother”)

References

• 고재환 [gojaehwan] (2013 March 30) “아 [a]”, in 제주속담사전 [jejusokdamsajeon, Jeju Proverb Dictionary], Revised edition, 서울 [seoul]: 민속원 [minsogwon], →ISBN, pages 430-435

• 송상조 [songsangjo] (2023) “어멍”, in 20세기 제주말 큰사전 [20segi jejumal keunsajeon], 한국문화사 [han'gungmunhwasa], →ISBN, page 588
• 제주문화예술재단 [jejumunhwayesuljaedan] (2009) “어멍”, in 개정증보 제주어사전 [gaejeongjeungbo jejueosajeon]‎^[4], 제주특별자치도 [jejuteukbyeoljachido], →ISBN, page 615
• “어멍” in Andrew Cheng; K. David Harrison, Jeju-eo Talking Dictionary, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, 2014.
• “속담사전 "어멍" 검색 [sokdamsajeon eomeong geomsaek]”, in 제주방언 속담사전 문화/역사 [jejubang'eon sokdamsajeon - munhwa/yeoksa] (in Korean), 제주특별자치도 [jejuteukbyeoljachido], 2019