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Joined: Jul 2007
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2 |
Does anyone know the answer to this?
Did the US always use Mom and Mommy for Mother?
If not when did it change from Mum and Mummy?
I have a early 70's imprint of Heinlein's The Star Beast (originally written in 1954) and that has the word Mum not Mom. Is this an "english" version???? I don't think so as the audio book I have also uses Mum non Mom.
Russ
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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Be careful in extrapolating usages from science fiction books. They are often intended to be out of the ordinary.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
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Welcome Russ.
We 'Mericans just tend to be contray to our British cousins' use of words. We do honor not honour, color not colour.
Could just be an Americanism. ??
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Joined: Oct 2005
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addict
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addict
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 557 |
According http://www.etymonline.com:"In terms of recorded usage in Eng., mum is from 1823, mummy 1839, momma 1884, mom 1894, and mommy 1902." All after the Revolution.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
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Not according to the OED, which has a 1595 citation, nearly 200 years before the US War of Independence. ?1595 in N. & Q. (1994) Dec. 454/2 Poore little Moll, poore helples needy mum A fathers & a husbandes hart doth grone In diepe conceipt of your distressed mone. 1653 M. WHITELOCKE Let. 25 Nov. in R. Spalding Contemp. B. Whitelocke (1990) 442 Samm..sayes dad is gon in the boate to fawly Court[.] H[e]..sees me soe malencholly, he says he will have a new Mum. 1781 J. MOORE Let. 12 June (Hampshire Rec. Office: IM44/147/6) 3 [I] conclude by assuring you I remain as usual Your Ever Affectionate Mum.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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Etymonline is not the most reliable source.
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Joined: Oct 2005
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addict
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addict
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So you can bother to use the OED to refute etymonline, but not do the one more look up to answer the original post's question? (^_^)
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I can personally vouch that it has been spelled Mom but pronounced mum in Canada for several decades.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
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So you can bother to use the OED to refute etymonline, but not do the one more look up to answer the original post's question? (^_^) Actually I did, at the same time. It agrees with etymonline on 1894 as the first written record of "mom".
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I can personally vouch that it has been spelled Mom but pronounced mum in Canada for several decades. Well, except for Québec where it is pronounced Maman. 
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