What do you call your mother and father?

Sanja   Thursday, June 09, 2005, 15:10 GMT
I guess this question was mostly for the native English speakers, but since some of the non-native speakers answered about their languages as well, I will do the same.

In formal speech I refer to my parents as "majka" and "otac", but in everyday speech I call them "mama" and "tata".
Don   Thursday, June 09, 2005, 15:21 GMT
Yes, I was mainly asking native English speakers.
Prionsias, Sligeach, Eire   Thursday, June 09, 2005, 19:16 GMT
Bearla/English: Gaeilge/Irish and Irish English

Mother Máthair
Father Athair


The Mother An Mhathair
The Father An t-Athair


(informal)

Ma (Island of Ireland) Mam
Mummy & Mammy (Ulster/NOI) Mamaí

Da (Island of Ireland) Daid
Daddy(Ulster/NOI) Daidí
Prionsias   Thursday, June 09, 2005, 19:48 GMT
Sorry forgot the "fada" over Mhathair = Mháthair pronounced (waheer)
Máthair pronounced (mawher)
Bernadette   Thursday, June 09, 2005, 23:53 GMT
Prionsias you also forgot the fada over Bearla!
Bernadette to Prionsias   Thursday, June 09, 2005, 23:57 GMT
"Béarla"
Prionsias to Bernadette   Thursday, June 09, 2005, 23:58 GMT
Go raibh mile maith agat mo chara!
Kirk   Friday, June 10, 2005, 00:46 GMT
<<Don,

Ignore that person above going by the name ''Kirk''. That's not the real Kirk, but a troll. The real Kirk would not ask such a strange question.>>

Haha--very true. Out of all the troll impersonations that's really one of the odder things I've seen. I've never had the hankering to ask anyone about their possible googolplexian age status ;)
Bernadette to Prionsias   Friday, June 10, 2005, 09:59 GMT
Ta failte romhat!
Bernadette to Prionsias   Friday, June 10, 2005, 10:03 GMT
This is very catching! I forgot to add the accents too! Didn't sleep very well last night! Here we go again:


Tá fáilte romhat!
Bernadette to Prionsias   Friday, June 10, 2005, 10:08 GMT
I've just noticed something else.

mile >> míle

xx
Don   Saturday, June 11, 2005, 00:21 GMT
<<Do you know why it is that some Americans think someone calling their mother ''Mam'' sounds crazy? Some American once told me that I sounded crazy for calling my mother ''Mam''.>>

<<Well they probably thought you meant "ma'am," which is, depending where you're from in the US, either only used to refer to older women or customers in a store, or barely used at all. I guess some places in the US might use "ma'am" in terms of polite "yes, ma'am" when referring to their mother but even that sounds pretty weird to me.>>

Oh, they thought I was saying ''ma'am''. That's very interesting. I never use the word ''ma'am'' only ''madam'', but rarely use even that. If I did though use the word ''ma'am'', I'd pronounce it with the vowel in ''baa'', not the vowel in ''cat''. The word ''ma'am'' is rarely heard here in South Wales, but when it is heard, it's usually pronounced with the vowel in ''baa'' and ''Saab'', and it's not pronounced like ''Mam'' with the vowel in ''cat''.

Is the word ''ma'am'' commonly heard in your area, Kirk? What about Madam? Do you pronounce ''ma'am'' to rhyme with ''ham''? Is that the usual pronunciation in America?