Joe wrote:
> R A Brown wrote:
>
>>
>>> "standard" baby-talk: bilabial consonant + open(ish) vowel.
>>>
>>>> But where did "Dad" come from?
>>>
>>>
>>
>> From the same source as Welsh & Breton 'Tad' (Cornish is 'tas' or
>> 'taz' according to your preferred spelling convention).
>>
>> Also BritE is not universally 'Mum'; 'Mam' is used in some parts of
>> Britain.
>>
>> In Welsh, Breton & Cornish, 'mam' is not just a hypocorism for one's
>> mother; they are the standard word for "mother". Likewise the standard
>> word for "father' is 'Tad' (Tas/Taz).
>>
>> These words are derived from Romano-British 'mamma' and 'tata' both of
>> which pre-date the Norman French 'madame' by several centuries.
>>
>
> Really? So 'Mum' and 'Dad' are actually borrowings from Celtic? That's
> pretty interesting.
Not Celtic - the Celtic forms are preserved in Irish _athair_ (father)
and _máthair_ (mother). In Welsh related forms survive in _athro_
(teacher) and _modryb_ (aunt). The modern Brittonic names are derived
from Romano-British. They are derived from _Latin_.
In the Classical language _mamma_ and _tata_ are recorded only as
hypocorisms for "Mum' & 'Dad'. But in some places they became the
standard forms. e.g. Romanian _mam@_ and _tat@_ (@ = a-breve).
Quite why they supplanted the earlier inherited IE forms in the
Brittonic languages and persisted as hypocorisms even among the Germanic
settlers is anybody's guess. I suppose it shows the persistence of
hypocorisms :)
> You don't know when the earliest usage of
> Mum/Mam/Mom or Dad was, do you?
'fraid not - tho I think one can be certain it was being used for quite
a time before it ever got recorded in writing.
--
Ray
==================================
ray@carolandray.plus.com
http://www.carolandray.plus.com
==================================
"A mind which thinks at its own expense will always
interfere with language." J.G. Hamann, 1760