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Pichu-Pichu
health plans
Feb 26, 2011 05:29
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term

mom/mum

Non-PRO Not for points English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
I'm a native speaker of US English, but I'd like some input from non-US speakers. I'm translating something into English which is intended for a predominantly European audience, which usually means British spellings, etc., are preferable, but I want it to sound as "country-neutral" as possible. As an American, I'm used to the word "mom", and "mum" just sounds very markedly British to me, but is "mom" just as markedly American to a non-American? Merriam-Webster and Oxford both state that "mum" is British usage, but don't say that "mom" is specifically American; however, I'd like some input from real people!
Responses
4 +13 "Mom" is specifically US English to me (as a UK English speaker)

Discussion

Alison Sabedoria (X) Feb 28, 2011:
Yes "Mum and Dad" is the most usual form in Britain. My post above was mostly by way of citing the exception that proves the rule.
Jack Doughty Feb 28, 2011:
Yes, Brits say Dad Dad is the most common informal word for father here. Pa and Pop are also possible but much rarer.
Deborah Kolosova (asker) Feb 28, 2011:
The British do say "dad" though, don't they? Or do they?
Tony M Feb 27, 2011:
Ma is fine for me I think it has a more working class ring to it, but certainly, where I come from, Ma is used a lot.
Deborah Kolosova (asker) Feb 27, 2011:
Well, since the text is about products for babies, baby talk might be appropriate. I'll have to think about that.
Jack Doughty Feb 26, 2011:
Mama With the stress on the first syllable, it is baby-talk, one of the first things a baby learns to say.
With the stress on the second syllable, it is old-fashioned and upper class (well, certainly not working class).
As in the old music-hall song:
"Joshua, Joshua,
Why don't you call and see mama?
She'll be pleased to know
That you're my best beau...." (etc.)
Deborah Kolosova (asker) Feb 26, 2011:
What about mama? In the US it's not as common as mom, but it is used (my mother called her mother mama). What about in Great Britain or other English speaking countries? Could mama be a good country-neutral choice?
B D Finch Feb 26, 2011:
@Amel I think the point is how it is perceived in the UK, as opposed to how it is perceived in the US. There is relatively little Italian cultural influence in the UK compared to the US, so the source in the UK may well be different. I just know that when I asked my father something and he told me to "Ask your Ma", it certainly didn't mean the same thing as it would have if he had said "Ask your mother".
Arabic & More Feb 26, 2011:
BD Finch, I don't know your background, but it is not considered disrespectful in the culture I grew up in. It's good, however, that you mentioned your perceptions so the asker can make a more informed decision.
B D Finch Feb 26, 2011:
Ma? I don't think so. I think it is slightly disrespectful, that was certainly my understanding of the way my father used to sometimes use it.
Arabic & More Feb 26, 2011:
Depending on the nature of the text, perhaps you could use "Ma" or "Mother" instead of Mom/Mum. I am from the U.S. and call my mother "Mom," but my mother (who is Italian-American) always called her mother "Ma." I have heard others from her generation calling their mothers "Ma" as well, even without the Italian background. I've also heard "Mother" used, but usually among the upper-class or older generations. Although "Mother" is considered highly formal in the U.S., it could work if the context allows for it.
B D Finch Feb 26, 2011:
Speaking and writing I have never seen "Mom" written in UK English, but have seen "Mam" written as a regional variation (North of England and Scotland) where the local accent is deliberately being reflected in the writing. If someone was writing a note to their mother, I think they would write "Mam" if that was their local expression, but I am less sure that anybody in England would write "Mom", even if they came from the areas mentioned by Wordeffect.
Alison Sabedoria (X) Feb 26, 2011:
Maybe a regional thing? I've heard Mom used in Britain, beyond my own family, in some of the poorer areas of Birmingham and the Black Country. It sometimes becomes Mam, as one can still hear bawled by kids in the street:"Oy - ya mam wants ya!" I know Mam is sometimes used further north. Mom is also very "inner city youth-speak" (no doubt American influenced), as in the insult: "Yer Mom!" implying the unspoken and the unspeakable. Life in Handsworth was an education!

Responses

+13
1 hr
Selected

"Mom" is specifically US English to me (as a UK English speaker)

As far as I know, "Mom" is not used at all over here, it's always "Mum".
I'm pretty sure the Australians use "Mum" only. I'm not sure about other forms of English, but it's certainly not UK usage.
Peer comment(s):
agree Sheila Wilson : All the American books I read use "Mom", but mine was definitely a "Mum"
47 mins
Thank you.
neutral Ambrose Li : I don’t know how I should answer this question. But “mom” is also used in Canada.
1 hr
Thank you.
agree Noni Gilbert Riley : Yes, UK English speakers see Mom as US usage
1 hr
Thank you.
agree Tony M : Yes, if I read 'mom', it immediately makes me think America
1 hr
Thank you.
agree Alison Sabedoria (X) : There are exceptions: my own has always preferred Mom, as did my paternal grandmother. /No, when I arrived, she became Grandma. I broke with family tradition and am Mum to my own offpring and now very happy to be Grandma as well.
1 hr
Thank you. Did the latter also prefer grandmom?
agree Paul Lambert : "Mom" is North American (often used in Canada too). As for Merriam-Webster, that entire dictionary belongs in the dustbin (or maybe you say "trashcan")
2 hrs
Thank you. (I don't say trashcan, I'm English!)
agree Komeil Zamani Babgohari
3 hrs
Thank you.
agree Simon Mac
4 hrs
Thank you.
agree British Diana : I agree with all the speakers of BE here
6 hrs
Thank you.
agree Judith Hehir : As a speaker of AE, I have long thought of "mum" as BE
8 hrs
Thank you.
agree eski : Uh-hmmm! have a good weekend, Jack: eski
8 hrs
Thank you.
agree AllegroTrans
11 hrs
Thank you.
agree Thayenga : The English language and its specialities. AE, BE, NE...etc. Happy Sunday./ Oh yes, it does. Do I know. :D
1 day 1 hr
Thank you. Spanish has quite a few too.
agree Phong Le
1 day 7 hrs
Thank you.
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