Mom?

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

The other day I was told that the use of the word "Mom," is not period correct and that folks said "Ma." While I don't doubt that many people used the term "Ma," I always thought that it was used by farm kids and poor kids. I don't know how the children of the cities referred to their mothers.

So, how did children refer to their parents in our time period? When a child looked to his mother as he wanted a freshly baked cookie, what did he call her?

Thanks!

AnnieLee

[Ozark Tracker]

Annie,  I think you anwsered part of your question in your post.  In the time period you refer to probaly 99.9 % of the people were from the farm, ranch or just out on the prarie and they were poor, but as for the different terms for mom, my granddad always refered to his mother as mam or mammy, he was born in SW missouri, in Oklahoma where I was raised I can remember a lot of the old people when I was a kid just refering to their mother as ma or mama, father was papa or pa. I would imigine it had to do some with where in the country you lived, less formal the further you traveled form the cities.

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

My maternal grandparents were born in 1886 (grandpa) and 1890 (grandma), and they referred to their parents as "mama" and "papa", as did their children.

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[Four-Eyed Buck]

Depending on background, it probably is a slang or collocquial(SP) of Mother. If you read accounts from the CW, writers quote dying comrades as uttering Mother or Father as their last words. Don't know if this is literary liberty's or not. Each of our younger generations are known for their own slang. Some stay as part of the language and others fade out. Ever try to figure out today's teens and their text message's???.......Buck

[Rev Willy Duncum]

My grandmother (mother's side) said "mother" and my dad's side said mom and dad.  Some referred to my great grandparents as pap, pappy and grandpap.  Mema and Pepa,  Mamaw and Papaw were thrown in at times as well, for grandparents. 

 My wife wants to be called Nana, don't know where that comes from tho and I'm now referred to as Papaw.

Rev

[Four-Eyed Buck]

We get Gramma and Granpa, kids call us Mom and Dad. I called my parents Mom and Pop..............Buck

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

.

So, how did children refer to their parents in our time period? When a child looked to his mother as he wanted a freshly baked cookie, what did he call her?

Thanks!

AnnieLee

Annie,

I think some (either I or some of the other folks) are confused about what you mean by "in our time period" in your two recent posts (this one and the one about Gypsies).  I'm interpreting it to mean the time period from which we draw our CAS personas.  What say you?

Hamp

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

.

So, how did children refer to their parents in our time period? When a child looked to his mother as he wanted a freshly baked cookie, what did he call her?

Thanks!

AnnieLee

Annie,

I think some (either I or some of the other folks) are confused about what you mean by "in our time period" in your two recent posts (this one and the one about Gypsies).  I'm interpreting it to mean the time period from which we draw our CAS personas.  What say you?

Hamp

Thank you, Capt. Hamp, for it seems I wasn't clear. For both questions I was referring to the second half of the 19th century.

AnnieLee

[Col. Riddles]

My great grandfather was a "farmer" of sorts. He was well known throughought Ga. eastern Ala. & part of Tenn. for the fine mules he bred & sold. My other great grandfather was a cotton farmer & another held a PHD from Columbia and was a professor at West Georgia College, now WGU. All of my grandparents referred to their parents as momma & papa. Never heard the words ma & pa used by them.

[Silver Creek Slim]

My feeling, but I have no proof, is Ma was mainly used. "Why?", ya say. 'Cuz of the Germanic roots of the English language. 

Slim

[Wrangler Rich]

My Great-grandmother was born in 1865, and her son (my Grandfather) always refered to her as "Mother."   His sister (my Great-Aunt) still refers to her as "Mother."  They were German immigrants, and lived in the same area that I live in today.  Rural Northern Illinois.  They were from "Farming Stock."  I think most of that generation had an enormous respect for their parents as youngsters, and never lost it as adults.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

WR, I believe the terms are ERA specific, mother and father from Victorian through the Edwardian, then ma and pa or mama and papa about the turn of the 19th-20th, then mom and pop somewhere in the depression . Also the entertainment industry has formed it some once movies and radio became prevalent......Buck

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Hey, Slim!  What Germanic word does Ma come from? 

Mutter?

[Sod Buster]

All:

Check out this PDF file:
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/linguistics/documents/where_do_mama2.pdf

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Pretty good there, Sod Buster............Buck

[Silver Creek Slim]

Hey, Slim!  What Germanic word does Ma come from? 

Mutter?

Ma is the informal version of Mutter. Just like Oma is the informal version of Grossmutter. That's all fer yer German leason fer today. 

Slim

[Silver Creek Slim]

I asked my better-half how Laura Ingalls Wilder referred to parents in the books. She said, "Ma and Pa." That's the proof. Subject closed. 

Slim

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

<Wanders in>

< Smacks Slim with her hat>

< Wanders out, laughing>



AnnieLee

[Trinity]

Hey, Slim!  What Germanic word does Ma come from? 

Mutter?

Mama.  Another popular term of endearment for Mutter is Mutti, but usually among the very young. 

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Slim and  Trinity,

I'm so proud of you two for staying awake in German class back in school!

I took (wasted) 2 years of Germerman in HS, and another year in college.  I really learned little except for pronunciation.  It took 8 years stationed in Fulda, (then) West Germany with a tank crewman in my platoon who was born in California, but raised in Heidelberg from age 6 on.  His name was Klaus.  I taught him English and he taught me German.  (He taught a lot more to ME than he needed me to teach him. )

It was kinda cool when my German friends told me that I didn't speak with an American accent and that I could probably pass for German.

Alas, that was 15 - 16 years ago and I've forgotten plenty.