By Clemence Tashaya
EENHANA – These affectionate names used to express love or a close emotional connection with that one person. These special names contribute a lot in developing a strong emotional bond between you and your partner. It is a unique way to express your affection for your beloved and it gives a sense of belonging to each other.
The fascination with them is that they come from the heart. Research done in Britain last year shows that during the first five months of a relationship, couples tend to call each other using pet names. As soon as you pick the right tone, it remains until the relationship lasts, sometimes even for a lifetime. “My boyfriend is always calling me gorgeous and it’s been three years now,” says Sofia Nepembe. Being called gorgeous, she says, makes her feel like she is the most beautiful woman in the world. She has definitely been swept off her feet.
Dr Phil , an American psychologist, reckons that calling your partner with a pet name makes him or her feel content and warm within and fills the heart with joy and peace. A pet name can be one’s best therapy. Names that are often used to address each other in a relationship include “baby or babe, as some write it. The name, according to Jonathan Johannes makes his woman feel special and protected. Michael Ndakondja uses “honey” on his wife of three years. He believes it best describes his intense love for her. While Paulus Ndaitwah uses “darling”, his girlfriend Monika Mbenze refers to him as “my love”. She says that she stopped him calling her “dear” because it sounded too casual, as it can be used on a sister or brother as well.
The thing with a pet name is that it has the ability of making owners protective of their boundaries. For example, calling your woman sweetheart can be the cutest thing, especially when you grew up together and ended up married. It is yours and yours alone. For John Nakapandi, calling his wife “love” is the best thing ever as it means he has turned the word into a noun.
“I love my wife and addressing her as ‘love’ makes me complete,” he says, adding that the feeling also makes him look forward to going home after work. He explains that the pet name shows him his other responsibility.
“I am indebted to her love,” he blushes. On the other hand, she calls him ‘hubby’, short for husband.
A lecturer from the University of Namibia (Unam)’s Social Work Department who spoke on condition of anonymity says that using pet names shows appreciation and recognition of the presence and the nature the person is to you. A pet name makes people feel loved and they bring the person to that level. “They keep the relationship alive,” he states
A recent survey by Siteopia website discovered Britain’s most loved male pet names. Such names include “handsome”, to assure your man that you find him attractive. Other women prefer to call their partners “movie star”, “Cowboy”, “Hot chocolate”, “Honey bear” and “daddy”. Women prefer to be called softer names such as “muffin”, “boo” and “angel”.
Some pet names are actually cut from original names. For instance, Ron for Ronald, Lisa for Melissa and Tebby for Tebogo. All said and done, the Setswana dialect also has its own charm when it comes to pet names. Such names include mogatsaka, mmaabo and in Silozi language sinte, moratiwa among others. All these mesmerise the heart in a special way.