...that women talk to their own children in a different manner than to children of somebody else? Even if they in general like these children, there is still a difference so that one always can distinguish between a caregiver and a real mother (DISCLAIMER: I'm not talking about foster parents, which is quite a different situation).
It's sort of like nurses who always try to address their patients in that pretend cheerful tone:) They mean well, but no one ever talks to his family in this way...
Maybe when they were young, but now that my older is older, I don't speak differently at all. And when they were younger, I spoke a lot of baby talk, but not to other little children.
ReplyDeleteIt's not so much the words or even the tone of the voice, but rather the manner. When it's your family it's different, of course.
ReplyDeleteBeing from the American south originally, I certainly do speak in a different manner with just about everyone. I'm a lot more "southern" sounding -- natural -- with my family. With people I don't know well or when I'm conducting business on the phone, to avoid a lot of "Pardon me" and "What did you say?", I avoid southern slang and try to neutralize my accent. Maybe it is kind of like the formal and informal ways of speaking.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's what I meant:)
ReplyDeleteThat is to say, the distinction between more or less formal ways of speaking.
ReplyDelete