【Hai Chuan Teahouse】Why do Sichuan people call their aunts \"Nengneng\"?
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In the southwestern Mandarin dialect, it is pronounced as niāng niāng; in most areas of Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing, aunties are referred to as “Dàniāng” or “Yāoniāng”. A mother’s sisters are called “Yīniāng”, while women who have no blood relation to one but are around the same age as the parents are called “Niāngniāng”. This term is actually the traditional form of “Niángniáng” with altered pronunciation, and it is used as a respectful term for older women.
Mom is simply mother. Mom’s older sister is called elder sister, and her younger sister is called younger sister. Just as dad’s older brother is called elder uncle, it’s easier for children to use such terms when they are learning to speak, and it also makes them feel closer to one another, right?
In the southwest, many people call their mothers “ma,” while in the north they call them “niang”