What do we call the children? Familial terms of address in Polish and English

Abstract

<jats:p>The paper addresses cultural differences between Polish and English as they pertain to familial terms of address. Using corpus data, I demonstrate that Polish parents frequently address their children using hypocoristic forms of the terms syn ‘son’, córka ‘daughter’ and dziecko ‘child’. These forms convey affection and emphasize familial ties. English parents, on the other hand, use children’s names, nicknames, or terms of endearment. I argue that these differences follow from underlying contrasts in cultural scripts: English individualism and Polish warmth.</jats:p>

Suffixes -Ie and -Y in Modifying Common First Names

“…For instance, a girl could be called by the name of a much older woman that resided in another part of the village or a completely different village. Dziwirek (2019) researched familial terms of address in Polish. The results show that Polish people are more child-directed when it comes to calling the children, such as calling their children daughter, son, and child.…”

“…However, when it comes to addressing children or lovers, the communication became symmetrical (Mattiello, Ritt-Benmimoun, & Dressler 2021). Dziwirek (2019) also revealed in her research that American parents address their children using their first names and their diminutives, nicknames, and terms of endearment, while English parents use the child's name itself and their nicknames.…”