The use of the word 'Mom' in the UK.

[MrsPeacockInTheLibrary]

I was having a debate earlier with a friend regarding the use of Americanisms in the UK and how certain words seem to have taken over or crept in. This is not the topic to debate here - but my general point was that lots of the words people complain are American are actually an Old English or similar word that were taken over by the settlers.

Anyway, I am sure that I have read on here ages ago that there are people who use the word 'Mom' in the UK. Possibly in the Midlands or the Black Country? I am not from anywhere near, or anywhere that does, but I thought I would post and ask to make sure I had not imagined it!

Yes the two people I know who use it are south Birmingham and Walsall.

Definitely a Birmingham/West Mids thing. My DC call me mom even though I refer to myself as mum.

Ooh @Sparklingbrook are your family posh? I'm guessing you are from the western part of Worcestershire rather than the Bromsgrove/ Redditch area?

I’m from Black Country originally and we say mom, live in south coast now and my kids say it too.

Actually they call me mommy, I’m not ready for mom yet

Some of our elders are Warwickshire, well Black Patch, and they/us use Mam for mother, mammy for grandma and big mammy for gr grandma.
Papa, Pappy and grandy.

To South Africans it's "mom" too. Maybe imported in the early 1800s?

@shinynewapple21

Ooh *@Sparklingbrook* are your family posh? I'm guessing you are from the western part of Worcestershire rather than the Bromsgrove/ Redditch area?

B47 area.

Yes some American English words have evolved from Old English but so what? That doesn't make it less weird or annoying to hear Americanisms used in the UK. You don't hear British people forsoothing and thou arting all over the place, do you, and that's Old English too.

'Mom' is perfectly acceptable in some regional dialects from around the Midlands but it's also true to say that it's becoming more and more commonplace across the rest of the country too and that is purely because of the widespread influence of American popular culture, not because everyone is suddenly emulating Brummies.

I read an article in a British magazine the other day that talked about 'swapping out' foodstuffs instead of just using the word 'swapping' which has served us adequately in the UK for centuries. I find it incredibly irritating and pretentious but there's nothing that can be done about it.

@YouJustFoldItIn

Yes some American English words have evolved from Old English but so what? That doesn't make it less weird or annoying to hear Americanisms used in the UK. You don't hear British people forsoothing and thou arting all over the place, do you, and that's Old English too.

'Mom' is perfectly acceptable in some regional dialects from around the Midlands but it's also true to say that it's becoming more and more commonplace across the rest of the country too and that is purely because of the widespread influence of American popular culture, not because everyone is suddenly emulating Brummies.

I read an article in a British magazine the other day that talked about 'swapping out' foodstuffs instead of just using the word 'swapping' which has served us adequately in the UK for centuries. I find it incredibly irritating and pretentious but there's nothing that can be done about it.

Perhaps the topic for another thread another time. But my point is exactly that - and remains so, that words people consider as Americanisms have in fact existed in English for hundreds of years. So it is strange to talk about them as if it somehow means a decline in some sort of purity of English. When, in fact, what about loan words like jodhpur etc from the countries we've colonised. Or all those French words from when we were invaded - and what that did to English. Language evolves and shifts as technology, cultures and people grow and evolve. I find it somewhat insular when I see this perceived notion of English that is reductive at best.

Always mom here!! Even generic cards from card factory etc say “happy Mother’s Day mom” and “happy birthday mom”

YouJustFoldItIn

No, I absolutely disagree with you, the time has finally come where other parts of the UK want to be like a Brummie! It's our time to shine!

DH (Brummie) says Mum but writes Mom.

@NutellaEllaElla

While it is definitely a thing here in the west midlands, it is still a very different sound than the American "Mom" which is more like an aah sound. Here it really is Mom like Tom.

Americans also pronounce it like Tom. Of course, there are regional accents. In the upper Midwest it probably sounds closer to an “a” sound due to their Scandinavian influenced accents.