RP259 Let Me Call You Sweetheart

 RP259 Let Me Call You Sweetheart

How would you feel if someone called you a little cabbage? How about "insect" or "bear"?

You might be confused or insulted, but in different languages, all of these things are terms of endearment. They' re pet names or nicknames for people or animals we love. Mon petit chou literally means "my little cabbage" in French, but it's used just like "honey" or "sweetheart" in English. Bichito means "little insect" in Spanish, but is commonly used as a cute nickname for a baby. Beertje means "little bear," but you might hear someone on the streets of the Netherlands call her son or her boyfriend that.

Many English pet names relate to food. We call our loved ones "honey," "sugar," "muffin," or even "pumpkin." Other languages do the same. Versions of the word sweet are common in many languages.

Others aren't shared: "my poppy seed" (makovka mya) is common in the Ukraine. Meu docinho de coco, "my little coconut candy," is common in Brazil. Another cute nickname is xuxú: squash.

Treasures or valuables are also common in pet names. The Italian word tesoro, and the Hungarian kincem and aranyom, and the German schatz mean "my treasure" or "my gold." Greeks and Turks use body parts in pet names! Matia mou in Greek and benim gözlerim in Turkish both mean "my eyes," a common pet name.

Animals are also prevalent in loving nicknames. Many cultures use variations on kittens and insects. A Russian might call his girlfriend "rabbit." The French say mon canard, which means "my duck." Germans use maus, meaning "mouse." In Chile your boyfriend might call you mono, meaning "monkey." In Poland, muszko sounds sweet, though it really means "tiny fly." A Serbian might call his daughter pile malo, meaning "little chicken!"

Poppy seeds, eyeballs, gold, flies: terms of endearment take different forms around the globe. Clearly, one man's pet name may be another's insult. In the end, however, all these different words express the same feeling: love.