Short form of "Honey"

[Tom]

Hi

First of all, I would like to know the term/ terminology for the given words with which we call somebody!

Dear
Honey
Buddy
Darling

Could you tell me some more? Secondly, is Hun the short form of 'Honey'? If so, how should we pronounce it? Is it always written with a capital H?

Thanks in advance

Tom

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

I'd call those terms of endearment and I wouldn't capitalize them. "Hon" (short form of honey) rhymes with "fun" and might sometimes be spelled "hun".

The word "Hun" (i.e., spelled with "u" and capitalized) has a completely different meaning:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Hun

Generally speaking, I'd say the terms honey and darling can only used with someone with whom you have an extremely close relationship (family/spouse). Dear is similar, but probably a little less restricted. Buddy can be used with friends.

Note:
If a term of endearment is used inappropriately, it may be understood as sarcasm.

Amy.
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Jamie (K)]

The short form of honey is hun, or sometimes it's spelled hon.

Honey, like all those other words you gave, is usually used with one's spouse or children. In the US, unmarried people usually don't use them, and their friends might make fun of them if they did.

There is a certain sector of society that calls nearly everyone hun. It's generally middle-aged or older working-class women, or women from certain parts of the country. I get angry when they call me this, and sometimes I chew them out for it. From the time I was a teenager, feminists have made it nearly criminal offense for men to call women coworkers or customers "honey", "hun", "sweetheart", "dear" or by any similar endearment. Men can get into serious trouble at work for this, and if I did this in my classroom, I would eventually have to go talk to the dean, and if I continued to do it, I might be fired.

So, because most of my life I have had to avoid using affectionate names for women I liked, and was not even allowed to tell women when their clothes were attractive or anything of that sort, I really resent it when women call me by those names. In my ideal world, everyone could use those names with anyone, but here in the real world I feel that if I am forbidden to use those names with women, then women should be forbidden to use them on me.

[Yankee]

[Jamie (K)]