[KS] term for children of concubines during Joseon

[gkl1 at columbia.edu]

Thanks to Kay Richards and Ed Rockstein for pointing out the compound  
逸名 (일명) in the sense of 庶孼 (서얼) or "illegitimate" person. Not only is  
it in dictionaries, but there could be an etymological resonance with  
illegitimacy in that its sense of "loose" or "escaped" individual. And  
I was unaware of the term 椒林 (초림) for such a person, but now I will be  
ready for it case it ever pops up. Further, there would seem to be  
little doubt that the form 一名 would be used in place of 逸名 because of  
the homophony.

However there is no question of a misprint or mistaken character in  
the case of 一名. It pops up repeatedly in the the 邪學澄義 (사학징의), compiled  
by the Board of Punishments (刑曹/형조) in the 1801/02 interrogations of  
Catholics, not a few of whom were known to be 庶孼 individuals. This  
book was not printed, so a misprint is out of the question. It was a  
handwritten manuscript and the most commonly available text of it is a  
photolithographic copy of the original text. One finds the term  
written in more than one hand in that text. It is possible however  
that 逸名 also appears there and that I failed to recognize it.  
Unfortunately it was a library book which is not at hand right now,

Gari Ledyard


Kay Richards Gmail <richards.kyungnyun at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have found 逸名 (일명) in the Korean dictionaries (한글학회 큰사전, 현대국어대사전)  
> as a definition of 庶孼 (서얼).  There is also 椒林 (초림) listed in the 큰사전  
> next to 일명.
>
> The word 一名(일명) may be an entirely different word.  However, I  
> wonder if it has any connection to 逸名 (일명) besides the homophony of  
> the two characters.
>
> Kay Richards
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <gkl1 at columbia.edu>
> To: <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 3:07 PM
> Subject: Re: [KS] term for children of concubines during Joseon
>
>
> I have also wrestled with the term 一名 (일명), literally, "one name". It
> appears in interrogations of the Catholic martyrs of 1801, and appears
> to refer to their illegitimate status.
>
> For some reason when I clicked to respond to this question, the text
> had a bunch of garbled computer stuff in the middle of her message,
> which I deleted. In her message as copied below, there is a line or
> two still missing. I copied the key sentences from her message by hand
> andretype them here:
>
> 1. She notes that 一名 appears to be synonymous with 庶孼 (서얼), in her
> words "a term referring to children with a yangban father and a
> concubine mother."
>   The term 庶孼 does indeed mean a child of a yangban father and a
> concubine mother, as she says, but it can also refer to a later
> descendants. So not only is the child of the marriage tainted, his
> children and further generations of descendants will be tainted as well.
>
> 2. She asks: "Does the literal meaning of the phrase--"one name"-- relate
> directly to the status of the child?"
>   Yes it does.
>
> 3. She asks further: Is it a reference to the fact that only one parent is
> legitimate? Also, was this term used for daughters as well?"
>   In the primary instance, a fully statused sadaebu or yangban will
> not himself be tainted. His female partner may also be "legitimate" in
> terms of her own class origins, whatever they might be--commoner or
> slave. What is illegitimate is their cross-class marriage itself,
> because it can only generate an illegitimate child. The term 서얼 is
> usually seen as applied to males. But in the interrogations, the term
> 일명 is also seen in the context of females who are under interrogation.
>
> Deberneire also seeks an etymology of the term 一名 (일명). This is the
> hard part. No dictionary or glossary I have seen has a definition
> relating to class status. But I had an interesting response from my
> late Chinese friend and colleague Wu Peiyi, who interpreted it in the
> interrogation context as meaning "a certain individual or person," in
> other words, a person so unspeakable that he (she) may not be named.
> Whether this holds or not I do not know. But it is most credible
> explanation that I have heard so far.
>
> Gari Ledyard
>
> Quoting DEBERNIERE JANET TORREY <djt188 at psu.edu>:
>
>> Dear List,
>>
>> I've been trying to find the etymology of the term "il-myeong" (
>>
> GARBLED MATERIAL not copied
>
>>
>> 庶孼), as a term referring to children with a yangban father and a concubine
>> mother. Does the literal meaning of the phrase--"one name"-- relate  
>>  directly to
>> the status of the child? Is it a reference to the fact that only   
>> one parent is
>> legitimate? Also, was this term used for daughters as well?
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>> Deberniere J. Torrey
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>