What do we call the children? Familial terms of address in Polish and English Cover Image

Jak mówimy do dzieci? Familijne formuły adresatywne w języku polskim i angielskim
What do we call the children? Familial terms of address in Polish and English

Author(s): Katarzyna Dziwirek
Subject(s): Foreign languages learning
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: terms of address;children;cultural scripts;individualism;collectivism;teaching Polish as a foreign language

Summary/Abstract: The paper addresses cultural differences between Polish and English as they pertain to familial terms of address. Using corpus data, I demonstrate that Polish parents frequently address their children using hypocoristic forms of the terms syn ‘son’, córka ‘daughter’ and dziecko ‘child’. These forms convey affection and emphasize familial ties. English parents, on the other hand, use children’s names, nicknames, or terms of endearment. I argue that these differences follow from underlying contrasts in cultural scripts: English individualism and Polish warmth.

  • Issue Year: 2019
  • Issue No: 26
  • Page Range: 471-485
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: English
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