Familects: Why ‘Wrong’ Words Feel So Right!
When a well-meaning aunt introduced her 7-year-old nephew to Sasquatch in our Cryptid Case Files, he proclaimed that his mom told him “Sasquatch” was a “bad word.” This made the family break out in laughter, but it also led to an educational discussion about how Sasquatch was a perfectly acceptable word choice in mixed company!
However, it didn’t take long for the family to start using “Sasquatch” as their own personal swear word, either!
Of course, using “Sasquatch” as a swear word isn’t exactly standard. But it’s a good example of a familect.
Familects are fun! They’re a special set of words and jokes that develop inside a small group.
Think of it this way: a dialect is particular to a region. But a familect is particular to a small inside group — like your friends or family.
For another example, think of a word that sounds like “pasketti.” That can be a familect that grows out of a common toddler mispronunciation for the word spaghetti.
Parents and grandparents can find a toddler's mispronunciation or misunderstanding charming or funny, so they repeat it. And then, it becomes part of family lore, and the constant parroting of the phrase makes it special to your family.
But familects don’t just arise from childhood mispronunciations. Adults have our moments, too!
When grandpa calls the WiFi “whiffy” or Mom says she’s going to “googoo” something when she uses a search engine, they may have just created a familect. When their unusual word choices are repeated, they can become a part of a family’s unique vernacular.
In the US, familects frequently arise in families where adults don’t speak English as their first language. An adult family member may use a familiar word for an object or activity in their native tongue, and that word becomes the word toddlers use around the house.
An abuela might say, “Let’s make pila of blocks” instead of “a pile of blocks.” It’s not exactly standard usage, but it reinforces cultural heritage.
Now, you might find yourself thinking, “Wait — familects aren’t standard language usage. Should parents and grandparents actually be encouraging this kind of in-joke behavior?”
And the answer is “YES!” First of all, familects are fun! And second of all, they can be powerful tools for bonding, language development, emotional security, and uncovering context cues.
There’s always an origin story at the root of using a familect. And explaining how the familect started becomes part of family lore. By hearing the stories behind unique phrases, children strengthen their sense of belonging, heritage, and identity.
How many familects do you use around the home?
