LINGUIST List 6.1108

Wed Aug 16 1995

Disc: Kinship Terms, Re: 1100, 1104

Editor for this issue: T. Daniel Seely <dseelyemunix.emich.edu>

Directory

1. Allan C Wechsler, Vocative kin-terms
2. Richard Hudson, sons and daughters

 6.1104, Disc: Sex/Lang, Re: 1100

Regarding Dick Hudson's and Alexis Manaster Ramer's recent exchange on
which kin-terms can be used as vocatives, I add the following data:

(1) (a) Mom
 (b) Dad
 (c) Sis
 (d) * Broth [bR&D]

There is no equivalent colloquial vocative for male siblings, although
"Bub" and "Bud" might have served that role historically. Also note
BVE "Bro".

-A

Alex Manaster Ramer makes an interesting point, which confirms something
that Stavros Macrakis told me. According to Stavros, it's only fathers, not
mothers, that say `son', which suggests that the aim is to build solidarity,
on the basis of shared gender. This fits exactly with Alex's observation,
which was that `son' is never used just for attracting the person's
attention, but only for solidarity-reinforcement (as in Alex's example `Hand
me that, son!' or mine, `Listen, son, I've got something important to tell
you.') So while all this man-to-man bonding is going on, what are mothers
and daughters doing?
 ===========================================================================
Prof Richard Hudson Tel: +44 171 387 7050 ext 3152
 E-mail: r.hudsonling.ucl.ac.uk
Dept. of Phonetics and Linguistics Tel: +44 171 380 7172
 e Fax: +44 171 383 4108
UCL
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
UK