31117
Building on from [this
comment](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/25459/use-
of-%E3%81%A8-and-meaning-of-%E8%89%B2%E3%80%85-in-this-
sentence/25464#comment55273_25464),

It is possible that in English, a mother may opt to refer to herself in the
third person: using "Your mother" instead of "I" to create emphasis.

It is observed from the comment that `お母さん` is a common way for mothers to
refer to themselves regardless of the fact that she is irritated or not.

What strategies are available in Japanese to achieve the same effect? Can
changing the term of self-address cause the desired effect?

Possible Situations (please include other situations if you find them
relevant):

> If the mother typically refers to herself using:
>
>   1. お母さん
>   2. ママ
>   3. わたし
>

We cannot change from お母さん to お母さん so there is no effect there. So what are
the other options (if possible/applicable)?

Does changing from ママ to お母さん express displeasure/irritation?

Does changing from わたし to お母さん express displeasure/irritation?

**Is it possible for the person convey a stand-offish or confrontational
nuance by using a different self-address term from the one typically used by
that person?**
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question
word-choice first-person-pronouns
Change in self-address for emphasis or to express frustration or dissatisfaction
You can express it by changing お母さん / ママ to わたし or addressing the child as あなた
/ 彼・彼女(when talking to someone else). If she usually uses わたし, changing it to
indecently formal わたくし may work.
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answer
> "It is possible that in English, a mother may opt to refer to herself in the
> third person: using "Your mother" instead of "I" to create emphasis."

I know very little about the English language, but if this statement were
accurate, then I must say that it would be the complete opposite in the
Japanese-speaking world.

I could not say that I have ever seen or heard of a mother who, in natural
settings, addresses herself as 「わたし」, 「あたし」, etc. when speaking to her own
young child. Here, I am talking about "normal" situations where the mother is
neither frustrated nor dissatisfied. (It should also be noted that once the
kids reach a certain adult-like age, the mothers often switch to using the
"real dictionary pronouns" such as 「わたし」.)

> "What strategies are available in Japanese to achieve the same effect? Can
> changing the term of self-address cause the desired effect? "

I may have answered this question indirectly when I stated that it was the
opposite in Japanese a minute ago, but here is what happens.

When unusually frustrated or angry, the mother may opt to use 「わたし」、「あたし」,
etc. to refer to herself with her young child. **_For those still unfamiliar,
those are NOT the words that mothers use to refer to themselves with their
young kids. Instead, they use 「おかあさん」、「ママ」、「かあちゃん」, etc. as if those were
first-person pronouns._**

If the mother used 「わたし」、「あたし」, etc., the kid would immediately sense that
his/her mom was angry, upset, etc. because it is so obvious if the mom is
using a different word as a pronoun. There is that "tense" feeling involved in
the word choice. The mother also knows that the switch would work in her favor
in making the kid listen up.

> "We cannot change from お母さん to お母さん so there is no effect there. So what are
> the other options (if possible/applicable)?"

As I stated, the effective change is from the pseudo-pronoun to the dictionary
pronoun.

> "Does changing from ママ to お母さん express displeasure/irritation?"

I doubt that very much as a Japanese-speaker. I just cannot imagine a native-
speaking mother doing the switch. The idea sounds highly unnatural to me.

(It is true that many of the kids who grew up addressing their moms as 「ママ」
often start addressing them as 「お母さん」 in public, if not at home, around the
time they enter junior high or high schools because they feel like they could
look childish addressing their moms as 「ママ」 in front of their peers. But it is
not something the mother does herself.)

> "Does changing from わたし to お母さん express displeasure/irritation?"

As I have explained (I hope), that change is impossible, and only the opposite
is possible. You DO NOT start with 「わたし」 with your baby in the first place.

> "Is it possible for the person convey a stand-offish or confrontational
> nuance by using a different self-address term from the one typically used by
> that person?"

In a mother-to-child relationship, I hope I have explained the basics above.
It is the same with a father-to-child relationship. The key is the **_pseudo-
to-real pronoun switch_**.

In other relationships, switches do occur as well. ぼく to おれ, ぼく to わたし, etc.

I need to mention the 先生 to おれ switch, too, before I forget because that would
be unique to Japanese as well. In elementary and junior high schools, teachers
commonly refer to themselves as 「[先生]{せんせい}」 instead of using a pronoun. When
they get very angry, they often switch to おれ (and わたし in the case of female
teachers).
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answer