Thanks for everyone's reply to the post. Still have no ideas if the term was used in 19th century though. Eric -----Original Message----- From: david.williams4153 [mailto:david.williams4153@ntlworld.com] Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 10:56 AM To: Tennett, Eric R.; ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] Mum's the word - non-gen Hello Mam is Welsh for mother. Tad, mutates to dad, when addressing him, for father. So, I suggest that both words were taken by the English from the Welsh way, way back. Mam became mum purely down to accent. Tthat's my theory. David Williams in essex ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tennett, Eric R." <ERTennett@cvs.com> To: <ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 10:56 PM Subject: [ENG-DUR] Mum's the word - non-gen > Hi all, > > I am curious as to when the term "Mum" was first used in England. Is it a 20th term, or was it used earlier? > > We here in America call our mothers Mom, and our fathers Dad. I know that in the early 1900's, children called there fathers Pa, or at least here in New England they did. But now it's Dad. > > Eric Tennett > > > ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== > A-Z of BRITISH GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH > by Dr Ashton Emery > http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/EmeryPaper.html >

In message <DE0F6CC0BB981646AFBA712DCD1D4B7816C98400@cvsex002>, "Tennett, Eric R." <ERTennett@cvs.com> writes >Thanks for everyone's reply to the post. Still have no ideas if the >term was used in 19th century though. > >Eric Hi Eric, My dictionary (New Oxford Dictionary of English) has Mam Origin- late 16th century Mum origin- mid 17th century; abbreviation of mummy, but Mummy origin-late 18th century; perhaps an alteration of earlier Mammy. -- Helen Oram

Eric My 'Collins 21st Century English Dictionary' gives the following: mum n Chiefly Brit. an informal word for mother. [C19: a child's word] 'C19' means that the first known occurrence of the word was in the 19th century. Hope this helps. Bill Dodshon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tennett, Eric R." <ERTennett@cvs.com> To: <ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 4:08 PM Subject: RE: [ENG-DUR] Mum's the word - non-gen > Thanks for everyone's reply to the post. Still have no ideas if the term was used in 19th century though. > > Eric > > -----Original Message----- > From: david.williams4153 [mailto:david.williams4153@ntlworld.com] > Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 10:56 AM > To: Tennett, Eric R.; ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] Mum's the word - non-gen > > > Hello > Mam is Welsh for mother. Tad, mutates to dad, when addressing him, for > father. So, I suggest that both words were taken by the English from the > Welsh way, way back. Mam became mum purely down to accent. > Tthat's my theory. > David Williams in essex > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tennett, Eric R." <ERTennett@cvs.com> > To: <ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 10:56 PM > Subject: [ENG-DUR] Mum's the word - non-gen > > > > Hi all, > > > > I am curious as to when the term "Mum" was first used in England. Is it a > 20th term, or was it used earlier? > > > > We here in America call our mothers Mom, and our fathers Dad. I know that > in the early 1900's, children called there fathers Pa, or at least here in > New England they did. But now it's Dad. > > > > Eric Tennett > > > > > > ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== > > A-Z of BRITISH GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH > > by Dr Ashton Emery > > http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/EmeryPaper.html > > > > > > ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== > A-Z of BRITISH GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH > by Dr Ashton Emery > http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/EmeryPaper.html >