When does Mum become Mam?

[NoEffingWay]

I'm in the midlands, and it's definitely Mum here but I can't work out where it becomes 'Mam'. Is it all over the UK, or is there a crossover somewhere near Sheffield?

Not inciting a north-south debate here, I'm genuinely interested in linguistics!

Well I’m in the south east, and I’m Mum,

well unless my DD wants something then I’m mummy, or my DS2 wants something then I’m muuuuuum or DS1 wants something then I’m maaaam

so I think it isn’t location more the wants of the child 😂

Mommaaayyy urgh

Yes, ‘our mam’ is often used in South Yorks, although Mum is heard much more regularly now. Where I lived in Tayside, it was usually Mum, although older generations used Ma or Mother too, and mainly Gran or Granny. Nana is much more heard in England, around Sheffield I’ve heard Nannan.

I wish there were places that said Mem and Mim so we could have the whole vowel set.

A schoolfriend called her grandmother Mim.

I think it's not as common as it used to be. Maybe more to do with tv than anything else?
I grew up on a council estate in a mining village in Derbyshire (derbyshire/yorkshire border) and mam was more common than mum in the 70s. Eg am off, me mam'll kill me if a⁹m late f me tea agin.

Not me though. My mother was a raging snob and me and my sister were not allowed to talk with the local accent. 🙄

Grew up in Keswick, and it was always mam amongst the people born and bred there, only ever heard mum from the incomers.

Yep, it was Mam in Hull when I was growing up.

Scotland is ‘Mum’ for lowlands, central belt and Maw for some Glaswegians. Don’t know the Gaelic. Suspect will be some Mam and Mammy for people of Irish heritage. ‘Mother’ tends to be used sarcastically or in anger by exclamatory teens etc as elsewhere no doubt.

NE Scotland and it’s a bit muddled. It’s generally mum , but you get the odd ma or mam.

As pp said, it does depend on where the parents originated and we have quite a mix due to oil industry workers moving here.

Yes, but ask the offspring of 'one of those ' what they use to clean their teeth and see what happens. 😉

(Someone brought up in South Wales will pronounce it 'tuth', English people will say 'tooooth').

I'm Mam or Mami to my now-adult DC.

West Yorkshire. I addressed my mother as Mum, Mam and Mother with no particular pattern!

Victoria Wood says 'Mam' in a bingo hall sketch with Julie Walters; "Pack it in, Mam!" and so on.

And don't forget Mom....that seems to be a brummy thing....

I’m Scottish and actually call my mum “Mutt” (pronounced “moot” 😅), shortened from the German, “Mutti”. I have no idea why, or when this started, as we have no German connections. I also have a weird nickname for my Dad that comes from someone misreading his famously illegible handwriting on a form, many years ago.

I used to live in the midlands in the 80s and it was “mom”! Then the north in the 90s and I think it becomes “mam” at about Teeside.

My 'Mum' was brought up in Meriden, between Birmingham and Coventry and her family used 'Mom'. My Dad was brought up in Coventry and they used 'Mum' In Gloucestershire here, Mum is the usual term here and never hear anyone being called Mam.

It's "Me Mam" in Yorkshire.

@TragoCardboardCopper I'm loving this Cornish example. So you'd refer to someone else's mother as "Mother", can you explain? I'm trying to work it out, but love it.

In Leeds and I sat mam but my little one calls me mum

Mum here in North Yorkshire.

Anyone not American/canadian who said ‘Mom’ would get from me…

Not in North Yorkshire it isn’t!

My user name says it all lol - Birmingham born and bred

Mum is the more common one, but some people do use Mam or ma in Liverpool.

What is it in North Yorkshire? I'm talking about Sheffield.

Husband and I grew up a couple of miles apart in South Yorkshire - same town. All his family use Mam and all my family use Mum for our mothers. Have given up trying to work out why 🤣