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Monday, September 12, 2005

Auntie Uncle

So I learn recently that in Canada: Auntie Uncle only applies to direct siblings/ cousins of your parents. That explains the weird reaction I got from people when I used it here and there for older people....... For example a guy X at my work had a baby and I congratulated him by writing on his congrats card ...

" Now that your a Dad I can call you Uncle( old man) now"....

Someone else (Y) read that and was like are you related to X? I said no...Wondering why "Y" was asking me this....

And so some how this Auntie Uncle topic came up with a friend of mine and he enlightened me with the definition of Auntie Uncle as it used in Canadian Spoken English...I was so embarrassed......!!!

Of course in South Asia...Uncle auntie is used for any family friend etc. etc... who is a bit older....And actually when I was young ( Grade 6/7/8/9) and my older cousins ( Bajees) got married I would bug them by calling them " Auntie"

I just wonder why Auntie uncle is used the way it is in Pakistan....What's the history to the twist that my ancestors put to these words?

5 comments:

omair quadri said...

i'm actually pretty surprised that you didn't know that in Canada not everyone is your, as you put it, Auntie Uncle.

Din said...

lol...

I live and learn bro..live and learn

Ozair said...

LOL, you have to adapt to the situation. Only in a family gathering, i'm uncle auntie to everyone, otherwise I am not. Using this strategy you can have the best of both worlds.

Din said...

haha...Thanks Ozair~!
I'll keep that advice in mind..

Anonymous said...

not all that surprising though if you consider that uncle is a direct translation from the urdu/hindi "chacha ji", which is used as a catch all phrase to respectfully address people older than you who you do not have a direct relation to. no?