Who is called as Aunty?

An aunt is a woman who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Aunts who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. Known alternate terms include auntie or aunty. The male counterpart of an aunt is an uncle, and the reciprocal relationship is that of a nephew or niece.

Why do Indians call elders Uncle?

It is because people in both societies (and probably Suriname as well) tend to refer to elders by the endearing ‘Aunty’ or ‘Uncle’ rather than by their names or as Mr and Ms. Among Indian communities worldwide, Aunty and Uncle are commonly used to refer to elders even if they are not relatives.

Do Indians use Aunty and uncle to refer to older people?

The interesting finding in my travels, is that in North America and Europe the Indians persist with using Aunty and Uncle to refer to older folks. In British Columbia and in Los Angeles and San Francisco among Fijian Indians, ethnic kinship terms and Aunt and Uncle are commonly used. Youngsters in San Francisco called me uncle at a store.

Why do people in Suriname call elders ‘Aunty’ and ‘uncle’?

It is because people in both societies (and probably Suriname as well) tend to refer to elders by the endearing ‘Aunty’ or ‘Uncle’ rather than by their names or as Mr and Ms.

Why do some people call random people uncle-Auntie?

Calling random people uncle-auntie is just a severe case of Ageism 😀 I come across even bald 30-somethings calling un-related people, who are around their own age as uncle-auntie, when exact age is not known to either of them.

Is it disrespectful to refer to someone older than you as Aunty?

A visit at a West Indian temple in Brixton, London found Bhai and Bahin commonly used to refer to each other as is the custom in America. Among Indians it is considered disrespectful not to refer to someone much older than yourself as Aunty or Uncle even in societies like the US. However, at the workplace, Mr and Ms are routinely used.