Chayn wrote:
> I asked her, in Hebrew, when she last breastfed her baby.
She replied that she hadn't breastfed her baby since no milk came out
when he sucked.  I explained to her that I meant, when is the last
time she had put her baby to the breast, baby latched on and sucked...
 That she had done.  It seems that there is something in the Hebrew
word for breastfeeding that specifically implies the transfer of
food.<

This is also somewhat true of British English, as opposed to the
language spoken in the USA :) In the UK it is common to hear people
speak of *feeding* the baby rather than *breastfeeding* the baby.  I
love that way of putting things, using the assumption that all babies
are fed at the breast. OTOH, you also sometimes hear the question,
*Are you feeding the baby yourself?* meaning *Are you breastfeeding?*

It is interesting that because *breastfeeding* is almost always used
to imply the transfer of milk in the UK, the word *nursing* is slowly
coming into use as an acknowledgement that breastfeeding is more than
food. This adds another complication, because *nursing* is usually
used in the context of the nursing profession or simply rocking a
young child.  A British friend of mine who had lived in the USA for
many years  was quite startled when, on a visit home, her own mother
asked if she could nurse her grandchild!

This is a great thread. I would love to learn more about the semantics
of words for feeding babies in other languages because the insight it
gives into other cultures.

norma, ex-pat Brit, now in upstate NY

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