What's with everyone writing 'Mom?'

[Ottersmith]

Why is everyone writing Mom in their thread instead of 'mum'? Are you American? Are you from the Midlands? If neither of these then stop doing it. It's everywhere and it's so annoying.

Of course they are pronounced differently, that's why we use phonetic and phonemic symbols.

Which are understood with Received Pronunciation.

No.

Received Pronunciation has nothing to do with phonetics or phonemics, though of course we can use the relevant symbols to show what RP sounds like.

RP is interesting though. Nowadays, apart from the fact that it's dying out - none of the younger royals use it, for example, and the Princess of Wales' accent is more RP than William's because she's been taught to use it, whereas he hasn't, it's really just another accent.

I find the symbols confusing too. Spanish is easier. Te in Spanish would be the same RP vowel as ‘hay’ but someone from Belfast would use to say ‘light’.

I think of it in terms of mouth/tongue position. RP short ‘a’ as in apple is a high back of the tongue creating a letter-box shaped narrow opening at the back of the mouth, then if you smile like that you make an ‘ee’ sound and if you drop the jaw to make a wider opening at the back you get ‘ah’.

What accent are you imagining when you write ‘dog’?

Spanish phonology is easier because it's a more phonetically regular language (as is Italian) with far fewer vowels.

And yes, tongue position in the mouth is how vowels are produced.

I use mom and say mom.

When I write "dog" I'm not imagining any accent in particular.
I'm just writing "dog". 😳

The second is a bogstandard short /ɒ/ (dog)

When you describe the ‘bogstandard’ vowel sound of ‘dog’ - which accent is the bogstandard one?

This is how my grandma got her name! It started with her kids taking high school German and moved to the next generation and even her friends in the retirement home. 🥰

Is there anybody out there (in a wholly English-speaking place/context) who calls their dad 'Vater'?

If so, is it just because of the German word, or...?!

RP is just another accent. No better or worse than any other. It's not a template that we should all hold ourselves too.

I've wondered this for ages. Had no idea it was a Midlands thing.

How do you pronounce it? What does it sound like?

I mean it's hardly tricky.
It rhymes with
Tom
from
prom

How else would it be pronounced ?

Do you think it will completely blow the OP's mind when she finds out that here in the Midlands, your Mom's Mom is often called Nanny ?

OP and her supporters have never explained how they know where every other poster comes from, in order to decide if they're 'allowed' to use mom or not.

Mmm… So would, say, an American, pronounce Tom, from, prom, the same way as RP English, or how a Glaswegian would?

Different accents pronounce vowels differently.

My "from" does not rhyme with mom.

When I was a kid, people used to refer to the ‘Queens English’ to be definitive, and I am pretty sure the monarchs of the UK spell it “mummy” with a U. So that would apply to the whole of the UK.

You don’t seem to understand the difference between misspelling of specific words and different shortenings/diminutives of a word.

If you’re going to get pedantic, “mummy” isn’t a real word, unless you’re talking about the Egyptians. It’s slang; a shortening of “mother”. As such, there is no difference in validity between “mummy” and “mommy”.

”Definately” is a misspelling. “Dental practise” is confused spelling, as is “Violin practice”. What you are talking about fits neither category.

(Brummies will also bang on about the yam yam accent not being the brummy accent - they usually can't hear how similar it sounds to an outsider.)

We are not “banging on” and we do understand it sounds similar. That doesn’t mean it sounds the same or is the same.

@thecatsthecats what a shame you’re leaving the West Midlands before you’ve had a chance to get your ear in. Because, believe me, if you’d ever heard someone speaking proper Black Country, dialect and all, you’d be in no doubt of the difference.

because I can assure you, ar bay a brummie. HTH.

Well I’m originally from Nottingham and it’s definately Mum or me mam, as we used to say more often.
Mom is American.

Mine too

Summertimer Yesterday 00:02

It’s the same as ‘high school’, most real people say secondary school or senior school

I have to disagree, in the Northeast, it was first school, middle school and then high school. Some did do infants, junior and then high school. That was in 1981 for me.

Edited to add info...

Mom is American

My Nan called her mother Mom - she’s not 105 Born and bread Brummie - it’s been in used for centuries.

Please do not insult us Moms sue to your lack of knowledge - I’m proud to be Mom.

And can you clarify if that's your pronunciation of the word mum, or is it the distinct word mom?