[INDOLOGY] mAtAjI

[Luis Gonzalez-Reimann]

on 5/23/2013 10:30 AM Andrew Ollett wrote:
> calling a younger person "mama" or "papa" is very common in latin 
> american communities, at least in new york.

This is very common in Mexico, where it is often used in the diminutive: 
"mamita," "papito."

Luis González-Reimann
_____

>
> On Thu, May 23, 2013 at 7:12 PM, Richard Salomon 
> <rsalomon at u.washington.edu <mailto:rsalomon at u.washington.edu>> wrote:
>
>     On the other hand, this usage is not /exclusively /South Asian.
>     For instance, in Yiddish a little girl is referred to/addressed as
>     "mamele" = "little mother." I would imagine there are (many?)
>     other such casesfrom other languages/cultures.
>
>     Rich Salomon
>
>     On 5/23/2013 9:53 AM, Dipak Bhattacharya wrote:
>>     Perhaps this is not pan-Southasian. In my school days a Sikh
>>     batchmate asked me why Bengali fathers called their daughters or
>>     girls of their daughter's age 'Ma!'
>>     Calling a young woman 'Ma' is of course an honour as well as sign
>>     of responsibility of protection. This is characteristic of
>>     Bengali Muslims too. I have pleasant experience of that. Long ago
>>     travelling for a night in the Madras Mail I got an 'Instant
>>     ticket'. An 'Instant ticket' at that time assured entry without
>>     the guarantee of a berth. A Muslim gentleman watched us checking
>>     from berth to berth and at last assured my daughter on his own,
>>     'For mother there will be no problem of a berth'. To me he said,
>>     'Why! Your daughter is not my daughter?'
>>     There is a famous story about Shvaji that a Muslim young woman
>>     was captured by his men and brought before him. Shivaji told her,
>>     'If my mother were like you I would have been a handsome man.'
>>     That guaranteed protection.
>>     Best
>>     DB
>>
>>
>>     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>     *From:* Suresh Kolichala <suresh.kolichala at gmail.com>
>>     <mailto:suresh.kolichala at gmail.com>
>>     *To:* Howard Resnick <hr at ivs.edu> <mailto:hr at ivs.edu>
>>     *Cc:* Indology List <indology at list.indology.info>
>>     <mailto:indology at list.indology.info>
>>     *Sent:* Thursday, 23 May 2013 7:28 PM
>>     *Subject:* Re: [INDOLOGY] mAtAjI
>>
>>     This phenomenon is pan-South Asian. It is very common to address
>>     women as 'mother' 'maa/amma/aayi' and men as 'father' 'baapu,
>>     ayya, appa'. It is also common across linguistic families to
>>     address sons and daughters endearingly as 'mother' and 'father'.
>>
>>     Suresh.
>>
>>     On Thu, May 23, 2013 at 9:31 AM, Howard Resnick <hr at ivs.edu
>>     <mailto:hr at ivs.edu>> wrote:
>>
>>         Thank you, Matthew, for raising these key questions. Gaudiya
>>         [Bengali] Vaishnava communities, expanding around the world,
>>         typically follow and teach this "rule" of addressing women as
>>         'mother.'  Are they merely propagating a Bengali Hindu
>>         custom? Or does it include Bengali Muslims? Is the custom, to
>>         any degree, pan-Hindu? pan-South Asian?
>>                 Thanks to Jonathan and Somadeva for their information.
>>
>>         Howard
>>
>>
>>         On May 23, 2013, at 4:33 AM, Matthew Kapstein
>>         <mkapstei at UCHICAGO.EDU <mailto:mkapstei at UCHICAGO.EDU>> wrote:
>>
>>         > This thread included the comment that in Bengal men address
>>         even their daughters as Ma, and so far as I know this is
>>         indeed the case.
>>         >
>>         > Two questions:
>>         >
>>         > Is this so widespread outside of Bengal?
>>         > Among Bengalis, is the use confined to Hindus or is it
>>         current among Muslims as well?
>>         >
>>         > Both of these questions, of course, are pertinent to the
>>         issue of whether or not this should be
>>         > considered 'Hindu' usage?
>>         >
>>         > Matthew Kapstein
>>         > Directeur d'études,
>>         > Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes
>>         >
>>         > Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
>>         > The University of Chicago
>>         >
>>         > _______________________________________________
>>         > INDOLOGY mailing list
>>         > INDOLOGY at list.indology.info
>>         <mailto:INDOLOGY at list.indology.info>
>>         > http://listinfo.indology.info <http://listinfo.indology.info/>
>>         >
>>         >
>>
>>
>>         _______________________________________________
>>         INDOLOGY mailing list
>>         INDOLOGY at list.indology.info <mailto:INDOLOGY at list.indology.info>
>>         http://listinfo.indology.info <http://listinfo.indology.info/>
>>
>>
>>
>>     _______________________________________________
>>     INDOLOGY mailing list
>>     INDOLOGY at list.indology.info <mailto:INDOLOGY at list.indology.info>
>>     http://listinfo.indology.info <http://listinfo.indology.info/>
>>
>>
>>
>>     _______________________________________________
>>     INDOLOGY mailing list
>>     INDOLOGY at list.indology.info  <mailto:INDOLOGY at list.indology.info>
>>     http://listinfo.indology.info
>
>     -- 
>     ----------------------
>
>     Richard Salomon
>     Department of Asian Languages and Literature
>     University of Washington, Box 353521
>     Seattle WA 98195-3521
>     USA
>
>
>     _______________________________________________
>     INDOLOGY mailing list
>     INDOLOGY at list.indology.info <mailto:INDOLOGY at list.indology.info>
>     http://listinfo.indology.info
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> INDOLOGY mailing list
> INDOLOGY at list.indology.info
> http://listinfo.indology.info



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology/attachments/20130523/bb975d1b/attachment.htm>