Names for body parts and bodily functions (merged)

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mumoo

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 2:41 pm

Technically, if a little girl hurts herself, it would probably be the vul-va (exterior) that is hurt. I would be extremely worried if her va-gina (interior) were hurt. Do you 'real name' proponents use the proper term?

(anyway, my 4 year old wants to wear a "ze-bra on her pillows" when she gets to be a mommy. I am reluctant to correct such cuteness.)

Clarissa

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 2:47 pm

mumoo wrote:

I only have boys, so we haven't gotten into discussing vulva, but we have told them, once they reached a certain age, the different names for the boy parts. And when one of them asked me, at a tender young age, what I have instead of a --nis, I said a --gina and also a urethra, since the two work in combination in place of what he has. If that makes sense.

Ruchel

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 2:48 pm

YALT wrote:

DH grew up thinking his part was called "kiki".

He is French?

Many mothers use "pipi" (French word for pee too) for the "down there" of both boys and girls. Kiki is for boys only, but rather outdated. It can also mean "neck". When I first heard someone saying "I hate him, I want to crush his kiki until he dies", I was shock

because I thought he meant the ever! embarrassed

GAMZu

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 2:53 pm

Clarissa- you see, I'd answer that I have girl parts instead.
I think that if a boy is old enough to ask a mother what she has instead of a p.enis, it's not really appropriate to give an whole anatomy lesson on female parts. Especially so detailed.

Excuse me? p.enis is censored to aiver? And v.agina is private part?

Clarissa

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 2:57 pm

Well, what may not be appropriate for your family may be appropriate for mine. We're fairly open and comfortable with such things. I think there's far too much discomfort with normal bodily functions, including s*xual organs, and that if we're comfortable talking about it, down the road they'll be able to live with a minimal amount of shame and discomfort, whether with doctors, spouses, or even in their own minds.

Believe me, my kid is well aware of appropriate behavior in terms of privacy, respecting himself and others and our expectations of him, in terms of being a Jew and also just being a member of society.

But I'm a firm believer in to each her own...

greenfire

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 3:22 pm

mumoo quite a cutie indeedy ... Nervous

as for the "tushy" it's proper name is a "buttocks" ...

and we do not have to be that brainy either to need to say cerebellum ... either ... What

to know that our equilibrium is out of balance ... couldn't we just be dizzy Shaking

Tamiri

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 3:46 pm

My 2.5 year old was a bit confused as to why the whole family besides Imma has a bool-bool (you understand, no girls here but me) so I figured I'd teach him boys have a bool-bool, girls have a **gina. Not that he'd necessarily get it now but to make it natural. I also told him those things are private, no one is allowed to touch them but the owner etc... never too young for that lesson.
Last week he was admiring his chest and said "look I have padynas like Imma". My husband and I tried to ignore (this was before his "nipples on chest" lesson) but he kept saying "I am like Imma". He used to call female chest parts pupiks but we told him that there is only one and it's further down. I guess we didn't fill in the missing blank as to what they ARE called.
Anyhooo.... after a few padyna statements, I finally told him that he does NOT have padynas, those are nipples on his chest. He took another few looks at them... and the light went on in his eyes: "oooooh Imma, look how cute they are...they look like leetle stahrs (he has a bit of a Hispanic accent).
That one threw us and my husband and I could not hold it in anymore and we burst out laughing at this chayndalah. They certainly ARE cute compared to what *I* have to deal with embarrassed

amother

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 9:49 pm

my son calls bras "mommys yarmulkas"

Mommastuff

Thu, Oct 11 2007, 11:38 pm

Clarissa wrote:

My kids know enough not to loudly announce these words at school or anything, but they're comfortable using the words in private conversation with us or with doctors.

How do you get a 2 year old, who talks loudly and is very prowd to say aloud what she knows, to not shout the word v**ina? In a private discussion, I think it's fine to use the right words, but the kids have to be mature enough to not go around screaming it - even if its just to annoy/embarress you!! Wink

He*Sings*To*Me

Thu, Nov 15 2007, 8:56 pm

Soapbox time: it irks me to no end when people refer to external female private parts as the v*gina. Ladies, the v*gina isn't a body part, it is the birth canal. It is up inside of you. It does not show. It is one of our "hollows".

While there are specific names for all of our external parts, there is a word for the sum total of those parts, also a "V" word: fill in the asterisk with the letter "u", as it is "v*lva". This is the term my daughters know. This is the word that will most accurately tell a physician "where", and by using that word, conveys that the child knows the difference between "outside" and "inside" herself...G-D FORBID, but if she is ever touched or injured, it will be much easier for all involved if she knows the difference and can use accurate terminology.

mod

Sat, Nov 17 2007, 9:33 pm

threads were merged

amother

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 4:38 am

I got pretty confused with such a long thread and I'll admit I only skimmed it – we call #1 "ktanim" and #2 "gdolim" with the kids and also those associated (private) parts.

Motek

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 5:27 pm

for those who aren't going to read from the beginning, I'll repost some of what I posted:

the Rambam, in Moreh Nevuchim 3:8 explains that lashon ha'kodesh is called kodesh because it contains no words for private body parts, nor for the act that leads to conception, nor does it have precise terms for urinating and defecating. Rather, other Hebrew terms are used euphemistically when someone needs to refer to these concepts.

The reason is (says the Rambam) that these are things that "ein ra'ui l'zachram" - it is not fitting to mention them, that they should be given names, but they are things that we need to be quiet about, and when the need arises to refer to them, we get around it by using euphemisms.

The Rambam goes on to say that the euphemisms for the male organ are gid and shafcha and he explains the reason for the other words that are euphemistically used.

the point is there is no word for the male organ in lashon ha'kodesh or the wording in the Gemara and later sources

they use "eiver" (limb) for the man
and "ze ha'makom" or "oso makom" for the woman (also a Rashi in Chumash)

we see "lashon nekiya" (clean language) in parshas Noach, about how the impure animals are referred to as "animals that are not pure" rather than "impure animals". And that's just with the words "tamei" and "tahor"!

isn't it incredible that when the Torah gives the mitzva of circumcision, it doesn't say what body part the circumcision is done on? Rashi tells us (17:14) that from the words "arel zachar" we learn that "the mila is done in that place where you can see the difference between a male and a female. "

Not only does the Torah not use the word, but neither does Rashi, when explaining it.

amother

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 5:44 pm

Motek wrote:

All I can say is that I'm glad I live in a day and age when I can be comfortable calling things by their real names. I've never been a fan of euphemisms. They make me feel like a four year old.

Crayon210

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 5:56 pm

Yeah, BH we've moved on from the times of the Rambam. Rolling Eyes

And isn't society all the better for it?

amother

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 5:58 pm

Crayon210 wrote:

Yeah, BH we've moved on from the times of the Rambam. Rolling Eyes

And isn't society all the better for it?

Society wasn't perfect then, and it's not perfect now. I still don't like euphemisms.

Crayon210

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 6:07 pm

I'm sure you don't have a source to back up your "don't like", and I'm glad you feel comfortable disagreeing with the Rambam.

cassandra

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 6:20 pm

Motek wrote:

The Rambam himself uses the proper Arabic terms to show that there is no parallel in lashon ha-kodesh!!!! So where is the proof that it is not ok to use in English? Furthermore, if you really want to internalize the Moreh into your daily life, as a Lubavitcher I would stay far, far away since it will be much more trouble than its worth.

amother

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 6:24 pm

Crayon210 wrote:

I'm sure you don't have a source to back up your "don't like", and I'm glad you feel comfortable disagreeing with the Rambam.

A source for the fact that I don't like euphemisms? Let me ask my source, which is me.

Do you like euphemisms?
No.

Straight from the source. I don't like 'em.

Motek

Sun, Nov 18 2007, 6:53 pm

cassandra wrote:

The Rambam himself uses the proper Arabic terms to show that there is no parallel in lashon ha-kodesh!!!!

Where do you see this?

Quote:

So where is the proof that it is not ok to use in English?

How do you understand the Rambam I quoted?

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