I've been thinking about this, and am rather puzzled why we don't have more linguistic matches since we share some regional similarities. I use a variety of terms, most of which indicate a rather vague fondness, and they litter both my speech and my writing.
Sweetie, sweetness, dear one, darling and even kiddo - these all have roughly the same meaning (I'm quite fond of you) but are used in different circumstances. Dear one and darling are more often used in condolences (though not exclusively) and sweetie or sweetness are often in more positive situations. Kiddo is generally used with praise or admonition, but never with people I don't like or am actively angry with.
Dearest usually refers to someone I'm feeling particularly fond of at that moment.
Using a nickname, particularly one that is very exclusive, is a strong signal of affection and not something I do lightly. Use of someone's proper given name when they typically use a standardized nickname is . . . well, a sign I find them very appealing (Michael, vs. Mike, for example, or an extreme example of affection would be Mon Saint Michel).
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Date: 2008-08-18 08:00 pm (UTC)Sweetie, sweetness, dear one, darling and even kiddo - these all have roughly the same meaning (I'm quite fond of you) but are used in different circumstances. Dear one and darling are more often used in condolences (though not exclusively) and sweetie or sweetness are often in more positive situations. Kiddo is generally used with praise or admonition, but never with people I don't like or am actively angry with.
Dearest usually refers to someone I'm feeling particularly fond of at that moment.
Using a nickname, particularly one that is very exclusive, is a strong signal of affection and not something I do lightly. Use of someone's proper given name when they typically use a standardized nickname is . . . well, a sign I find them very appealing (Michael, vs. Mike, for example, or an extreme example of affection would be Mon Saint Michel).