u/learningnewlanguages

It seems kind of pointless to have it if it doesn't make any sound.

I work in pediatric healthcare, and I work with a lot of Spanish speakers. I mostly work with kids that are toddler to first grade age. I've noticed that parents sometimes refer to their young kids by the diminutive of their name, but it's not all the time. I've noticed that some parents don't do it at all.

I work with some native Spanish speaking staff, and I've noticed that they don't use the diminutive form of children's names when talking to them. I'm wondering if it's socially appropriate for me to do so when talking to the kids. I want to make sure I'm not overstepping some kind of boundary.

Side note, I speak Russian, and Spanish speakers use diminutive forms of names so much less. In Russian, when talking to little kids, you use the diminutive form pretty much all the time to the point that a lot of little kids won't answer to the regular form of their name.

Is this some kind of regional thing?

I've also noticed that some Spanish speakers address someone as "usted" but use informal vocabulary for addressing someone e.g. "para tí" in the same conversation.

I've seen multiple people spell "vaya" as "baya." They are definitely not trying to say "berry."