Ned

>
> >Tia,
> >Is it common for Canadians to use 'mummy' and 'mum'?
>
> Most still do, though everybody is influenced by American TV. But they
> spell it mommy and mom, which makes no sense to me. So I don't. <g>
> Tia

I use Mummy and Mum, and spell them that way, too. My impression is that the
change in spelling has arisen in the last 25 years or so and is, as you say, Tia,
influenced by the U.S.A. The predominance of American reading materials may
explain this, as well as the push in Canadian newspapers and magazines to
harmonize our spelling with the U.S. I read something a few years ago that
shamelessly asserted that spelling 'em with a "u" is incorrect. Tsk.

Quite a few friends have one American parent (usually the dad), and I notice that
a few of them say Mummy until they're a little older, then switch to Mom. Our 13
year old calls me Mum, unless he's in the throes of need, when he switches to the
more effective, sung "MO-OM!" I've just checked something he wrote, and sure
enough, he spells it Mom.

We always called our parents Mummy and Daddy and grandparents Granny and Grampa.
My own parents are Nanny and Grampa. My husband (from South Dakota) calls his Mom
and Dad, and his parents are Gramma and Grampa to the grandchildren.

Joan in Ontario