One of us, Bethany, was behind in the grocery store a long time back and trying to catch up. She shouted out” “Mo”!” and was frustrated when half of the women turned around, while the other half ignored her, thinking it was another child.
How would Bethany get her mother’s attention to do something? She knew that a trick would definitely work: her mom had a different name. She said”, “Deni”e!” Magically, only her mother (the other of us) turned.
Why do most kids call their parents the same? As scientists, we love to investigate questions like this.
The Sounds Heard Around the World
The words “mom,” ‘dad,” ‘grandma,” and ‘grandpa,’ are nearly identical in every country. Some words don’t sound the same.
Take” o” as an example. Take” og” for instance. Most people understand the word” o” in any language. You know that the words”,” which are similar in all languages, can be pronounced” apa” and”” ab’,”” and a variety of other words?
Scientists have also noticed this. George Peter Murdock, an anthropologist (a scientist who studies cultures and people), was a scientist. In the 1940s, Pete, or as his friends called him, collected data about families around the world. He found 1,072 words that were similar to”o” or” ad.” Pete gave this data to linguists, who are scientists who study languages and asked them to explain why the words sound similar. Roman Jakobson is a famous literary theorist and linguist. Then, I wrote an entire chapter about” am” &” apa,” These sounds are quickly followed by other sounds that can be easily seen: The next sounds to be heard are t and d. As infants make these simple sounds (mamamamama), or while nursing or drinking a bottle from a cup, their mothers may hear” am.” She will then smile and say,” Ama.” You said,” Ama.” The baby will repeat it if the mother is happy. Bingo!” Adam’s born. The baby may also repeat” dada dad,” papa,” or” ad” in response to thepaparents’reactions.
The words nana and tata are often used to refer to grandparents who play a significant role in the lives of babies.EvEveryone’srole is important to reinforceThThere’smore. Why don’t children call their parents Ella or Zoheb? Or Dipankar, Denise, Dipankar, Denise, Denise, Denise, Denise, Denise, Denise, Denise, Denise, and Denise, once they can make many sounds?
We all follow the rules. These rules are related to our culture, our society, and even our family. There are rules about how to greet someone (shake hands or hug), how to use chopsticks or forks, and what to call your teacher ” rs. We have rules for how to greet people (shake hands, hug), what to call our teacher ” rs.
These things aren’t” rules”; they’re just there. In most families, the rule is that the parents are in charge of the home, and the children should listen to them. It is helpful to call parents” o” a” or similar terms. This helps everyone stay in their respective roles.
Some parents believe that calling them by their first names makes you think that they’re not the boss (and most parents don’t like this). Every family is unique, and that’s what makes the world so interesting. Some families have different rules than yours.
Some kids do not call their mother” om,” and that is okay. Our kids might contact us, Denise and Mom Bethany, for example.
Watch how many mothers will turn to you when you say” om” next time, whether in New York or Paris, Hong Kong, Durban, or anywhere else. This is due to a combination of biology (easy sounds you can see and hear), environment (parents smiling and being pleased that you said it), and culture.
What do you want your children to call you when they grow up?
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age, and the city where you live.WeWe’dlove to hear from you, adults. Curiosity knows no age limits. We will try to answer as many questions as we can, but not all.
