Ben in Traverse City, Michigan, was adopted as a child and met his biological parents as an adult. He’s quite fond of them both, and refers to them as his bio mom and bio dad. Is there a better term for your biological parents vs. the ones who raised you? Other options include birth mom and birth dad. Anthropologists use the terms genitrix and genitor or mater and pater. When talking with very young adoptees, some people prefer specifying the biological mom as the tummy mummy. This is part of a complete episode.
When you’re talking about the location of an inanimate object, is it okay to say that it lives there, as in The peanut butter lives in that cabinet or The flashlight lives on that shelf? Strictly speaking, of course, that object isn’t...
Sean in Oneonta, New York, says that when he was growing up in New Jersey, his family would pile in the car and set off on a surprise adventure, whether a short distance or long, and the kids would be told only that they were going on Buxtehude...
Subscribe to the fantastic A Way with Words newsletter!
Martha and Grant send occasional messages with language headlines, event announcements, linguistic tidbits, and episode reminders. It’s a great way to stay in touch with what’s happening with the show.
