Why do you call fathers dad but mothers mum?

Answer 1

2 different sources of basic language, dad derived from an infants verbal ability "da-da" or "ma-ma" but the formal use for dad is father, as we learn later in life.

quote:

actually it is a pretty common phenomenom that infants use the term/sound "dada" for dad. There have been cases where they have studied in different countries and still found the infants using "da-da".

So while we in America say "Father"... and get "da-da"

in a latin country they could say "Padre" and still get da-da.

Americans accepted this "da-da" and thus it evolved into Dad.