To hate the word ta

[chocolatekimmy]

Always pronounced with that aaaahhhh a

(instead of thank you that is)

Drives me nuts, especially when after a child is used to it the mum insists on them saying thank you and correcting them each time!

There are many words a child won't be able to say or pronounce at a young age but we just wait don't we

[harpsichordcarrier]

I have taught my dds to say it almost unconciously I think because that's what I was taught as a child.
along with bobo for horse . that one really winds my MIL up, though, I later found.
we say it in our family, "ta" that is. I think it is

[DANCESwithnewlytannedlegs]

I don't like it.

[sarahhal]

I don't mind it when they are first learning to speak but as soon as they can say thank you i prefer that!!

One thing my mum and other older relatives do which i can't stand, is to say "Dirty" in this really annoying way eg "De-tee" whenever a baby picks up something a bit grubby and puts it in their mouths. Why can't they just say " That's dirty"?????

[2shoeswhoismshadowsnumber1fan]

hate why taech a child a word that is not real?

[gess]

just wait?

ds1 is 8 and has a few approximation of words - I'll accept nanig for mummy and mmdan for toilet, so I'm more than happy to accept ta for thank you from 2 year old ds3. Sometimes he says ta sometime he says tan yoo. Either will do, I have this funny way of thinking that the communication is more importatnt than the word.

"mothere-ese" (ie baby speak) has been used since the beginning of mankind to talk to babies- babies tune in more to high pitched baby voices. Even young children adjust their speech to be higher pitched and babyish when talking to babies. It's natural, it's good mothering for want of another word.

Agree with harspichord carrier/ Aloha and expat etc. COuldn't have our children sounding common could we?

[mylittlestar]

I use ta myself. Always have done.

So sometimes ds says ta, sometimes he says thank you.

Is it really a big deal?

[OtterInnit]

its annoying

[sheepgomeep]

my dd has an exceptional vocablary at age 4 and we started off by encouraging her to say ta.
Now she says thank you all the time and is extremely polite. As is ds aged 7

I would much rather a child say 'ta' than look at you all soft. Some manners at least are better than no manners at all surely?

[LostPuppy]

Good grief.

Ta means thank you. If you think it is annoying you are a head case. What other things trouble you, people who say 'Hi' instead of 'Hello'?!

[Aloha]

Ah, this is all SO smug and snobby though, isn't it?

[babyblue2]

I don't dislike ta but prefer to use thank you.

[Aloha]

Oh, come on, of course it is about class and of course it is snobbish!

[barbamama]

I agree, my ds learnt to talk perfectly easily without ever having to say ta. He just said tchu tchu for thank you for a while which sounded really cute (as opposed to dim) and eventually led to the actual words thank you. i can't see how ta becomes thank you.

[babyblue2]

I don't believe its necessarily snobbishness, its perhaps what people were brought up with and how you happen to speak.

[lionheart]

Yes, you probably ABU.

[MotherRedcap]

Lol at this utterly snobbish thread. I say 'ta' to my babies AND I call their maternal grandma (my mother) 'Nana'.

Both drive my PILS to distraction

[chocolatekimmy]

My gripe is the way its said, often as taaaaaa ah several times, very slowly like the child is an idiot.

Vocabulary will come with time, as will manners. Not being taught to say taaaaa ah prior to being capable of saying thank you or ank you or similar does not mean a child has no understanding of manners or is impolite.

Manners are taught by parents/siblings/carers etc setting a good example from very early on.

Not sure why so many people have labeled themselves as common if they use the word?

[barbamama]

I agree, I don't think it is a snobbery thing, I just think it sounds horrible and is an unecessary confusion as you eventually have to substitue another word. I know some adults say ta informally but you are not going to say "ta very much for offering me the job" at an interview are you?

[SweetyDarling]

I have just discovered that Nanna is a "lower class" thing in England. Is there anything that isn't class related here FGS!
Anyway, am rather a snob and "Ta" is considered common even in Aus. I don't use it and would correct my DC if they used it, but everyone else can do what they like!
Hey, at least I admit I'm a snob!

[LostPuppy]

Nana isnt lower class at all. My nana was called nana to distinguis her from my grandma, that's all.

And neither were common!!

[snowleopard]

I teach DS to say thank you, but I say ta all the time (am from Yorkshire) and won't mind if he picks it up. It's only because of mumsnet that I've discovered that some people think "ta" sounds common (also "kids", which i never had any idea some people think is rough, prior to using MN!)

(And leaving your washing out overnight too. God i'm the MN definition of common)

[ProfYaffle]

I don't mind 'Ta', I say it myself but haven't taught it to dd. Like someone else said, I hate the way it's said to babies 'Taaaaa', that grates for some reason.

What drives me fing insane though is my Dad, who for some bizarre reason says to dd1 'Doggie shout!' for 'that dog is barking, did you hear it?' She's 3 ffs, it's not like she's 18mo and just learning to talk. Aaaargh.