Do other languages use pet names?
I have a consistent habit of using pet names when speaking to people in English, especially if I'm trying to be nice. I tend to call people "doll", "darling", "dear", "hun", etc. If I were to use these types of names for people if they are not native speakers, would it be considered rude or strange?

I love interacting with people that are learning English, but I want to make sure that I'm not going to be confusing or offending anyone.

Question

Do other languages use pet names?
I have a consistent habit of using pet names when speaking to people in English, especially if I'm trying to be nice. I tend to call people "doll", "darling", "dear", "hun", etc. If I were to use these types of names for people if they are not native speakers, would it be considered rude or strange?

I love interacting with people that are learning English, but I want to make sure that I'm not going to be confusing or offending anyone.

Answer

It depends on their culture and the open-mindness of the person.  I would always ask first before calling them by a pet name.  For example, as far as I know Japanese and some other Asian cultures are very strict about titles and names.  So, it can be considered pretty rude to call someone by a pet name unless you are very close.  It is definitely be safer to explain pet names (it may be a foreign concept to some people) and then ask if they are okay with it.

Answer

Not a native speaker of English here. When I visted GB for the first time, as a teenager, I was totally surprised to be suddenly addressed as "love" by a middle aged woman (who, to me, back then, seemed really old), and I couldn't make head or tail of it. This sort of vocabulary is not part of what you learn in school. :-)

So it would be probably better not to use such expressions, at least not with people you don't see often enough to explain it to them.

Answer

Not a native speaker of English here. When I visted GB for the first time, as a teenager, I was totally surprised to be suddenly addressed as "love" by a middle aged woman (who, to me, back then, seemed really old), and I couldn't make head or tail of it. This sort of vocabulary is not part of what you learn in school. :-)

So it would be probably better not to use such expressions, at least not with people you don't see often enough to explain it to them.