Mum? Mom?

[Airspeed]

I see that although I've always felt that Mom is an Americanism, it's been in the English language since the 1500s.

I've also noted that some of our UK contributors use the "o" version.

Way down south in Middlesex, 'Mom" was never heard; is it more common in the UK than I imagined, or another "Bostin"? (Which I didn't know was a word until I saw it on this forum.)

[Kevin Farnell]

I was born in Staffordshire (although the house that I was born in is now in the West Midlands) and have always used the spelling and pronunciation 'Mom'. I always thought of 'Mum' as old fashioned, but find it much more common here in Cambridgeshire.
'Bostin' originates in the Black Country (a heavily industrialised area, defined by the Staffordshire coal seam to the north and west of Birmingham) it means 'Excellent' or 'The Best' (my Dad used to say ''you can't get better than bostin').
Spoken Black Country is a true dialect and thought to be one of the last examples of early English still spoken today.
A good Black Country Dictionary can be found at - http://www.sedgleymanor.com/dictionaries/dialect.html. I'm familiar with about two thirds of the words and phrases listed within it, having heard them used by my parents, grandparents and even at school.
Interestingly, it states that in Black Country dialect the sound 'a' is replaced by 'o' such that 'sand' is pronounced 'sond', 'hand' as 'hond' and 'man' as 'mon'. I wonder if this is where the 'Mom' pronunciation originates? 'Mam' being an old pronunciation of 'Mom/Mum'.

Kevin

[Tako_Kichi]

I was born in North Staffordshire (N-u-L) and we used bostin up there too. Bostin was anything that was good when I was a child, a typical phrase might have been "Mike got a bostin new bike for his birthday!"

I always used Mum rather than Mom but I did use a different variation of Grandmother when referring to my Father's Mother. As a small child I had difficulty saying 'Grandma' and it always came out as 'Grommar' and then got shortened to 'Grom'. My parent's and older brother also started to use the term too and she became known as 'Grom' in our house after that. She was 'Grom' until she died aged 99 in 1999.

[DaveB]

Once a South Staffordshire lad until the Tories changed the boundaries some years ago when we got swallowed up into the new Metropolitan Borough of Walsall I used to think Aldridge and Brownhills Urban District Council had a much nicer 'ring' than Walsall Council Also better for the workers to have ABUDC on the back of their jackets than WC!

Grandad was always that (Granddad if you will) and remains so. My Grand Mother was always nan or nanna but when referring to her now.. it's either nan or Grand Mother.. depending on who is on the other end of my voice Alison is nanna to the grand kids.. I'm gran-gran (the speaking grandchild is only 2.. the other one can't speak yet). She'll get there in the end

I use 'Bostin' to this day.. rather more so since I moved back to the Midlands

I'm sure Kevin will remember Daw (correctly pronounced Door) End Lane which runs from Rushall to Aldridge. Everyone here calls it Dow (doe) End Lane.. this to highlight how we embellish and enhance the English Language

Oh.. and mom was always mom
ATB
DaveB

[Molyned]

Over in my part of the country 'bostin' has a very different meaning, as in 'I'm bostin for a sl*sh.
Cheers
Dave M(oly)

[DaveB]

Yep.. that works here too

ATB
DaveB

[nigelb]

Fascinating stuff gents! I always thought "mom" was strictly an American Colonial pronunciation. She was always "mum" to me growing up. You learn something here every day!

Nigel²

[Kevin Farnell]

I'm sure Kevin will remember Daw (correctly pronounced Door) End Lane which runs from Rushall to Aldridge. Everyone here calls it Dow (doe) End Lane.. this to highlight how we embellish and enhance the English Language
ATB
DaveB

Absolutely!

I went to school in Aldridge and my best friend lived in Barr Common Rd. The quickest cycle route home to Bloxwich was via Bosty Ln and Daw End Ln. The times I've cycled that route.
Alternatively, when cycling to/from the Air Cadets (425 Sqn Aldridge), I'd go Pelsall (via Mouse Hill), Shelfield and Stubbers Green (now seen frequently on TV's 'Car SOS', when test driving cars).

Warning - the following is only likely to make sense to DaveB or anyone that knows the Bloxwich/Walsall area.

The house that I said I was born in, was 64, Stafford Rd Bloxwich, directly opposite the main entrance to the King George V Playing fields. My Great Grandfather built that house, along with all of the others as far as Wallington Heath pool.
My Dad and my Uncle designed and built 22 and 23 Wallington Heath, Bloxwich and also 6 Wallington Close, Bloxwich (my family home for 50 years and only sold 2 years ago).
The old peoples flats (diagonally opposite to the Bell Pub) at the Stafford Rd/Lichfield Rd junction in Bloxwich, were built by my Dad.
And if anyone ever visited, or heard of Digbeth Hardware in Walsall (through the arcade, past the fishmongers and out at the rear entrance), that was owned and managed by my Dad and my Uncle.

Hopefully, I haven't bored anyone.
Also, sorry for taking the thread off topic. My Grandparents were always 'Grandad' and 'Nan'.

Regards

Kevin

[Airspeed]

Thanks for your comments, Gents!

Kevin, if you look at a nut or bolt, the thread goes round and round, and comes out in a different place to where it goes in.
I'm happy for people to take it where it appeals to them. (I've even been known to hijack a thread myself once or twice, or two thousand times.)

[Tako_Kichi]

I'm sure Kevin will remember Daw (correctly pronounced Door) End Lane which runs from Rushall to Aldridge. Everyone here calls it Dow (doe) End Lane.

I read the first part of that line Dave and immediately thought about how I would have pronounced it back home in the local 'Potteries' dialect and yup it was 'doe'!

A door was always a doe...as in ... "Shut that doe will ya, wass bown inna barn or wot!"

Twenty-five years over here means that my accent as changed considerably from the old local dialect I spoke when I arrived. I had to change as nobody could understand me!

I now consider myself to have a mid-Atlantic accent, part British and part Canadian but locals say I still sound very British and Brits can still detect some northern/midlands content even though I don't speak in the old dialect anymore.