LL-L "Lexicon" 2002.09.26 (08) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 26.SEP.2002 (09) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
 L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic
               V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language changes

Lowlanders,

It seems to me that there is a trend in English, at least in American
English varieties, toward avoiding the words "father" and "mother" and to
use in their places "mom" and "dad", also more and more often "mom and dad"
in place of "parents."

While the terms of endearment ("mom" and "dad") used to be used
predominantly while talking to children (e.g., "Go help your mom!" or "Danny
has no dad."), in familiar tone (even when talking to adults; e.g., "How's
your dad doing these days?" or "I heard she's caring for her mom now."), not
to mention as terms of familiar address, I seem to hear them used more and
more often within serious, non-familiar contexts and modes.  During the past
few weeks I have been paying attention to this and have heard "mom", "dad"
and "mom and dad" used in radio and television news, especially in local
news (of the Greater Seattle area and Washington State), also in
presentations and discussions for and among adults, both in the media and in
tertiary education and research (e.g., in psychology, sociology, social
work, and medicine).  In news reports I have heard sentences like "It has
been alleged that the children were abused by their dad and later abandoned
by their mom and step-dad," and "The two minors have been accused of
murdering their dad."

I have also noticed that "my mother," and "my father" are most often
avoided.  I have asked a few of people if they find my use of "my mother,"
"my father" and "my parents" strange.  They said they did, "sort of," found
it old-fashioned, distant and negative (or "clinical" in one person's
response).  One felt that "mom" and "dad" sounded friendlier; the others
seemed to think of them as "normal."

This makes me want to ask if you have noticed similar trends in other
varieties of English and in other Lowlands languages (e.g., "mother" ~>
"mum", "father" ~> "dad" in other forms of English, and/or _mither_ ~>
_mum_, _faither_ ~> _dad_ in Scots).  Outside the Lowlands area but within
the Germanic group, I noticed that in Modern Icelandic _mamma_ and _pabbi_
are often used where I would expect _móðir_ 'mother' and _faðir_ 'father'
respectively, similarly _mame_ and _tate_ in place of (rather serious and
distant) _muter_ 'mother' and _foter_ 'father' respectively in Yiddish, and,
back in the Lowlands fold, oftentimes _ma_ and _pa_ where I would expect
_vader_ and _moer_ respectively in Afrikaans.

I wonder if under similar circumstances the old words for (i.e., the
cognates of) 'mother' and 'father' (Old Frisian _moder_ and _fader_)
eventually came to be replaced by _mem_ and _heit_ in Westerlauwer ("West")
Frisian (similarly in other Frisian varieties?).

I feel that in Lowlands Saxon (Low German) _Moder_ ['mO.Ud3] ~ _Mudder_
['mUd3] ~ [mUr3] 'mother' and _Vadder_ ['fad3] ~ ['far3] 'father' still have
very strong positions, also as terms of address, and that _Mamma_ ['ma.ma]
'mom' and _Pappa_ ['papa] ~ ['paba] 'dad' are not all that often heard, at
least not in traditional speaker circles, may well have rubbed off from
German, where they are still mostly used as terms of address/endearment and
in talking with children or among ones own relatives.

In Missingsch (i.e., German on Lowlands Saxon substrate) many people,
especially males, refer to and in some families even address their fathers
by means of _Aldä_ (= Standard German _Alter_ 'old guy'), thus something
like '(my) old man'.  Some people, again mostly males, also use it to
address friends (e.g., _Na, Aldä?_ 'What's up, dude?'), thus, similar to
_Mackä_ (= LS _Macker_).  I have also heard it used to denote 'husband'
(e.g., _Oh ha, oh ha! Wenn das ihr Aldä rauskricht!_ 'Boy, oh boy! Wait till
her hubby finds out!'), similarly _Alde_ for 'wife', sometimes '(steady)
girlfriend'.  Outside of that, _Aldä_ and _Alde_, and also _Macker_, are
likely to sound derogatory or hostile (_Kuck ma die Alde da!_ 'Look at that
chick over there!', _Oi, Aldä! Was kucksu uns so bescheuät an?_ 'Hey, dude!
What do you think you are look at (= at us)?', _Eh, komm ma mit raus, Mackä!
Denn gieps Schläge._ 'Eh, come on outside, dude! Then I'll beat you up.').
(These examples are in Hamburg Missingsch.)

Any responses, information, corrections or additions would be appreciated.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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