"Baby daddy, -ies / baby mama(s)"

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Thu May 18 00:40:24 UTC 2006


These terms appear to have become standard in the speech of those whose
speech is non-standard, regardless of their race, creed, color, or place of
national origin. In fact, Judge Greg Mathis has had to decree that all who
appear before him shall use, e.g. "the father / the mother of my child,"
etc.and not "my baby daddy / my baby mama," etc. and that
no male appellant shall make bragging reference to the number of his baby
mamas and neither shall any female appellant make disparaging or any other
reference to the number of another woman's baby daddies.

FWIW, I've heard these terms used regularly in their plural forms on
BET, even in voice-overs, since 1993 and from time to time on The Maury Show
since ca.1989.

-Wilson Gray

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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