...if anybody's interested. The common word for breastfeeding is  
amning which, too, is quite new in Swedish (originally German, I  
think), introduced about 100 years ago. It seems to have replaced  
older Swedish words as tutta, tissa, boppa, patta. The meaning of  
amning is more like nursing - it doesn't explicity refer to eating.  
In the older words the child played the active role. The word amning  
was spread at the same time as breastfeeding became the mother's  
initiative (or the clock's rather :-/ ) and breastfeeding on demand  
got out of practice. Correctly the mother ammar (breastfeeds) and the  
child ammas (is being breastfed). If the child is to be the subject,  
you'd have to use the word "dia". That is what animals do, which  
makes many hesitate to use it for humans. When breastfeeding on  
demand again became more common, in the 80's or so, people began  
using the word the other way round, with the child as the subject OR  
the mother as the subject, depending on the meaning. I don't think  
it's officially accepted but don't doubt it will be.
As to children's wors, my older son said "nanga" which is  
onomatopoetic, had it been audible. My younger son says "nanna" which  
has a totally different explanation, that was his first word for good- 
night.

Marit Olanders
editor of Amningsnytt in which both mothers and children "ammar"!

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