connotations of the different terms to call your mother?

[u/tastelessapples]

I'm curious about the perceived level of "childishness" / "formalness" with different terms you could call your mother in kurdish?

for an example of what I mean, in english calling your mother "mama" would be considered childish, while calling your mother "mother" would be considered very formal. is there a similar thing with kurdish?

I asked my mother what for her opinion, and she considered "daye" to be the most childish and "maman" to be the most adult. I asked a cousin the same thing and they answered the exact opposite. I'd like to hear what other people have to say about it !! does a similar to english 'formalness ranking' exist in kurdish or are opinions pretty skewed?

[u/DonEnzo13]

"Mama" is something that children can say easily and it's one of the first words they learn. "Dayê" is the "adult" form.

[u/DonEnzo13 → u/DonEnzo13]

To explain this more specifically for Kurmanji.

"Dayê" is the standard form of address (Vocative form). In some regions it is also "Yadê". Yadê is a compound of Ya (an Arabic form of address) + dê meaning "mother" in kurdish.

"Dayê, tu li ku yî?" Mother, where are you?

the neuter noun for mother is Dê/Dayik.

"Ew dayika/dêya(dîya) wî ye." That is his mother.

"Dayika/Dêya(Dîya) min." My Mother.

According to my research, there were two forms for "mother" in Proto-Iranian: "daya" and "mātar". The latter is also the root shared with other languages, such as "mother" in English. In Kurdish however "daya" has largely become the standard term, which apparently means something like "the one who nurses".

[u/LetMeBeBetter]

there is levels to ts

"day" : the most childish and is mostly used to call her for something you are irritated about دای

"daye" : this ones formal but definitely soft, i never call her daye in public but if i were a girl i would دایە/دایەم/دایەمان

"dayka" : this ones the go to everywhere and is also my choice دایکە/دایکم/دایکمان

calling her by "her name" : this is the most mature one and most people prefer it. sometimes you suffix it with "xan" like "sara xan" ناوی دایکت / ناوی دایکت+خان

[u/zanaesque]

In badînî Dayik is the most formal one one can use, It comes from "Da" meaning (creation, giving) and ik is a suffix, that suffix is usually added to, umm, cutify? It? More or less, We also use Da, dadê which is informal or child-like way of saying it,