Xi-Chi as Root Metaphor in Taiwanese Weddings

Abstract

Anthropologists have always been interested in implications of each societal unit in different cultures. However, they are also aware of drastic changes in these units in many cultures due to migration, technologies, gay and lesbian movement, and feminism. The primary purpose of this research is to explore how Taiwanese immigrants are maintaining their native cosmology that is central to the basis of family values: marriage. From the analysis of particular terminology, xi-chi, the paper discusses the word is crucial in strengthening the ties not only between husband and wife, but also the two families that are joined trough marriage. Moreover, the study will exhibit ways in which immigrants maintain their family values through native tongue in the United States.