dái tai

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Vietnamese

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Originally a compound of giái (fruit) +‎ tai (ear), the first element is an alternative form of trái (see giai for the sound change).[1] The current spelling is probably due to the ‹gi›-‹d› merger in most dialects and influence from folk etymology (as if from dái (scrotum) +‎ tai, cf. Korean 귓불 (gwitbul)). Compare Phong Nha dialect ʈɤj³²⁴ which means both "fruit" and "earlobe", while "scrotum, testicles" is ɗaj³²⁴.[2]

This form is originally Northern, then spread to other dialects.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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dái tai

  1. earlobe

References

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