Amah (occupation)


An amah or ayah is a girl or woman employed by a family to clean, look after children, and perform other domestic tasks. Amah is the usual version in East Asia, while ayah relates more to South Asia, and tends to specifically mean a nursemaid looking after young children, rather than a general maid.

Role

It is a domestic servant role which combines functions of maid and nanny. They may be required to wear a uniform. The term, resembling the pronunciation for "mother", is considered polite and respectful in the Chinese language.

Etymology

The word amah may have originated from the Arabic amah meaning "female slave"
The word amah may have originated from the Portuguese ama meaning "nurse". Some however argued that it is the English form of the Chinese word ah mah, while others say that it originated as nai mah. This word is common in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia to denote a maidservant or nursemaid.
Variants such as Amah-chieh or mahjeh have also been used in some countries. In China, amah may even refer to any old lady in general. In Taiwan and southeastern China where the Minnan language is spoken, amah refers to the paternal grandmother. Similar terms in the same context includes ah-yee, yee-yee, or jie-jie. Since the mid-1990s, it has become more politically correct in some circles to call such a person a 'helper' rather than a maid or ayah.

Other meanings

During the Tang dynasty in China, the word amah was used as an informal and poetic title for the Taoist goddess, the Queen Mother of the West. Amah also means mother in many countries.

In English literature

Amah and ayah have been adopted as loanwords into the English language: