I quite agree!  in US, 'bubba' is another word for a male who is fairly dumb, and fat.  There are many different cultures here, a huge melting pot of Nationalities, which is really cool. However, we are American, Living here, and our predominant language is English...at least for most of my life time.  Now, if you don't know Spanish, well you're in the dust, as we have it on phones, busineses, advertizements, paper instructions, its everywhere! Another thing the gets my goat is the letter "g" is dropped when using the "ing" at the end of a word. And Lordy, don't get me started on the music of "rap" and how it degrades women....ugh...sometimes progress is not progress at all!...sorry about my rant....just how I feel

Australians speak Australian not English...('tis a fact that must be lived with. LOL!) If people want to use alternate words amongst family groups and alike, why on earth would it bother someone who is not involved in the conversation?

Languages get changed all the time, they are not stagnant. Each culture has different slang words that can be used in replacement of others. Children can be taught that multiple words mean the same thing in the same way a second language can be taught from birth provided they understand the context (not content) in which it is used. For example, your point about the "naughty" man. This was spoken to a child and was understood by that child. Bad and naughty are acceptable and interchangeable terms describing the action of said man within the context of the conversation you describe, solely because the recipient was a child and that happened to be what the child understood. Had the recipient been an adult, this would not be the case. Saying that man was naughty would seem like a child's conversation from the recipient's perspective and would infer a lack of respect for the recipient's understanding of what was being conveyed.

To understand a language you must first realize that not all the answers come from a dictionary. Some understanding is just experience. I am sure it is frustrating to hear constant violations of what you have learned to be true English in Australia, but with time, you may learn to love it's unique qualities. ::)'s for the article and although i do not agree i could only spot the one wording mistake, well done! -becca!

Thanks for sharing this sound advice and do agree that proper english should be taught to every child.....but in saying that i don't see any harm in the word  bubba and is normally used only  for a short time.

Cheers Janice

good advice. we also use bubba and dadda we dont really corret it. as the english language is full of slang terms some of which have even made it into the dictionary no matter what way we use words these days they dont have the same meaning as they did back in the day lol.

naughty for example was used in the middle ages for example     to talk about something unpleasent ,unhealthy,bad, inferior so if we were to use it in its proper text would sound a bit silly these days hence the reason why it has evolved with time

im not sure if i explained my self properly lol but hopefully you get my drift.

5 stars from me as it is good advice

LOL, this is well written and a good 'tongue in cheek' look at an important couple of topics.  I totally agree with using the correct words for things... Though since we were Mumma and Dadda, we did use Bubba (just for our personal family thing).  It may be cute to hear your child say keelee flute instead of kiwi fruit, and serlial, instead of cereal; however it is even cuter when they can be understood by everyone else as well.

Great stuff, I really enjoy your writing, what is your first language?

thanks 4 sharing this

I guess we aren't the only ones influencing our kids in what they say, so it can be hard to police and i think people just try to explain things to a level of what the child understands, although they usually understand more than what we give credit for. 

I don't use Baby Talk much and it can be a little annoying when you hear an older child saying it, but that is just me, of course in the grand scheme of things when they are teenagers we probably won't understand a word they are saying...lol.....

By the way, i would never have guessed that English isn't your first language, well done!

Julie

Great points to consider. I think, as parents, we definately need to consider what messages our language is conveying to our children.

I just wanted to comment on "bubba", though.   I would say that it is not so much a word that we only use to talk to small children about babies, but a slang word common in every day usage for many Australians. I probably would call a baby a "bubba" or a "bubby" before I would say "baby". We are a nation of people who love our slang; I definately don't envy you the task of figuring it all out!

sorry but i think aussie slag is a great part of our culture and it makes aussies....well AUSSIE!

naughty for me means bad behaviour to be discouraged in general even though im sure you are right about the proper definition.

and as for bubba? well my uncle is 50 and is still called uncle bubby its the same as any pet name.

for the baddy thing you may be right but in childrens tales for centuries there has always been a baddie, its normally someone like the witch in hansel and gretal and although it would be proper for a child to adress them as the bad person who makes ill informed choices its often easier to shorten it into a broader term.

I agree with you about the adding of Y to the end of words. My mother does it all the time and it pees me off royally. Things like schoolly coolly, milky fro a drink of milk etc. However now she just does it to annoy me I think.

The use of words like bubba is to allow a child that is beginning to sound words an easier option. Sounds like B-U-B is in the natural range when they start, not the A sound or the Y (E) sound in baby. It doesn't hurt the child either as it is practising the letter and sound formations.

As to the comment on naughty. This is not specifically used for children. The meaning is as follows: 1. disobedient; mischievous (used esp. in speaking to or about children): Weren't we naughty not to eat our spinach? 2. improper, tasteless, indecorous, or indecent: a naughty word. 3. Obsolete. wicked; evil.

Adults can display naughty behaviour. Also the fact that a child can relate to the word naughty as for doing something wrong. Just because an adult is being rude, or misbehaving it doesn't make them BAD.

1. not good in any manner or degree. 2. having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible

bad. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved February 22, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bad

Great advice, well written for someone whose first language isn't English. Hope I didn't sound too critical I didn't mean to.

Great advice,, but i have to say that if i heard anyone say baddy to my childreni be the first to correct them, as that is so wrong.. sorry if i offend anyone over that..

I do have to admit i say bubba , but saying that my children do correct me...

xxx cazza

great advice,, its so nice your concerned, the thing is we can teach children the right way to speak but they will still pick up slang at school my little one goes to private school,, yet she still comes home with slang words and i do correct her. great stuff you have wrote xxxshar

food for thought

excellent article, will chew this over and get back to you

love your work!

rue