Uncle/Aunt + surname

Question

Uncle and Aunt are normally followed by a given name, eg. Uncle Stephen or Aunt Jennifer.  Is it accepable to say Uncle/Aunt + surname?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

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No, it is not, even when one has aunts and uncles from both sides of the family.
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Sitifan · Answer

Which is correct - "Father + surname" or "Father + given name"?

PS: Father refers to a Catholic priest.

Yoong Liat · Answer

The former.

Mister Micawber · Answer

.

Which is correct - "Father + surname" or "Father + given name"?

Actually, I believe that I have heard both used, Sitifan. I am not Catholic, though, so have not had many conversations with priests. From Ms Google:

Father John O'Reilly was awarded Australian Catholic University's (ACU National) highest honour, Doctor of the University, honoris causa at the University's Melbourne Campus (St Patrick's) graduation ceremony at the Melbourne Town Hall on 28 April. Father O'Reilly was a foundation member of the Melbourne Catholic Education Board in 1963, and is currently the nominee of the Canonical Administrators on the Council of the Victorian Catholic Schools' Association.

Father C. John McCloskey, III, STD is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei. He currently is Research Fellow of the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington DC. Father John explains why we need spiritual reading and offers advice on what and how to read.
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Dunchee · Answer

I followed a link provided by sitifan in a forum to this thread. In the other post he questioned a usage of "Uncle Chang" in an English text book used in Taiwan. I assume he's using this thread to draw the conclusion that the text book is wrong, so I'll ask the following question here:

Is it acceptable to write or say "Uncle Chang" (in Taiwan)?
(Chang is a family name in Taiwan.)

Just in case there's a cultural barrier, I'll explain a little bit about the custioms in Taiwan. In our customs, we address an older member in our society with his/her family name (together with a proper title), and it is considered rude to address him/her with his/her first name (with or without title).

Thanks,

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One example I found is "Uncle Ho"(*1), the nickname for "Ho Chi Minh".
(If I understand correctly, "Ho" is his family name.)

Another example is a cartoon character in "Jackie Chan Adventures": Uncle Chan (Chan is his family name).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan_Adventures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jackie_Chan_Adventures_characters#Uncle_Chan

(Both examples aren't very good, I know...)

(*1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle#Idiom

Uncle Ho, a nickname for the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh

and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh

Six years after his death, when the communists were successful in conquering South Vietnam, several North Vietnamese tanks in Saigon displayed a poster with the following quote, "You are always marching with us, Uncle Ho".

It sounds like "Uncle Ho" is more like a translation (than is actually nicknamed and addressed in the US).

Nona the brit · Answer

It must depend on the local culture.

In the US and Europe, you would use their first name. It may be different elsewhere.

Dunchee · Answer

nona the britIt must depend on the local culture.

In the US and Europe, you would use their first name. It may be different elsewhere.

Many thanks.

Exodejavu · Answer

nona the britIt must depend on the local culture.

In the US and Europe, you would use their first name. It may be different elsewhere.

Hi,
I was reading a short story about King Edward VIII, or the Duke of Windsor.

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But then, in 1966, the Duke and Duchess met Queen Elizabeth (the daughter of King George) at a small party in London. After thirty long years it was time to forget the past. Elizabeth kissed the Duchess and touched her arm. Then she turned to the Duke and said: 'Wallis is so beautiful, uncle. I think you're a lucky man.'
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(Dainty, Peter. The Love of a King. Oxford University Press, 2000)

I am a bit surprised that it is a small u instead of a capital u.
So...I gather royal family members have to use forms of address to call their relatives. Is it so?

Sitifan · Answer

"Hey, mom," said Billy, "what's that around your neck?"

COLLINS COBUILD ENGLISH LANGUAGE DICTIONARY, First published 1987, Reprinted 1988 (twice), 1989

She lives with her Mom and Dad.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Third edition with New Words supplement 2001

http://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/viewtopic.php?f=199&t=27860&p=209092#p209092

Cobra olive 968 · Answer

Is it "What is Auntie Pinkies last name?"  or "What is Auntie Pinkie's last name?"

Uncle/Aunt + surname

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