Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

I lived close to a Puerto Rican family in Indiana, in the late 1970s, who used these terms of endearment, so it is not recent and must be wide spread through the latino culture.

Several people in my wife's family, who are of Mexican descent, call their children "mamasita" and "papasito."   It often gets shortened to "mama" and "papa."   I hear it more and more, but I can't say when it started, since my exposure to the culture prior to the last two decades was limited.

It seems to be used more when the child is an infant or toddler, and used less as the child ages.   I've found with my children that as they start to respond to their own names, I call them more by their own names and less by nicknames or other terms of endearment.   The "mama" and "papa" terms seem to follow the same pattern.

Where those sounds are for babes, what goes for parents?  

I remember the first time I used "mom" instead of "mommy" (I think around 7-8 grade), and my mom reacted with surprise saying something like "Well when did we grow up?" But she accepted it, as did "dad." This was in the Midwest. Nonetheless, in contradiction to Bob's observation, she continued to call me "Danny" instead of "Dan" for many years after that.

Funny, but about a year ago, when I called her, I used the term "mammy." She didn't like that at all, and told me in no uncertain terms. But then, her generation knew Al Jolson as a performer, so maybe it was a racist thing. I should probably mention that she and I are white. Of course, so was Al Jolson (but she didn't realize "black-face" was "in" back then). But it still bothered her.

"mami" and "papi" sound closed to the sounds for parents, so don't those dads and moms need some different sounds for themselves?

Also, I wonder if "mami" and "papi"   reflect some wishes that kids grow up fast to become parents themselves.