Tell me if I am generalizing here but I haven't seen this confusion in Pakistan. Do you think it's a "western desi confusion" thingy.. like mixing up aap and tum.
maybe some kids don't grasp the **concept **of an aunti versus a baji.
I have seen some household where you don't take the elders name. Everyone is a chacha, mamo, khala, aunty, uncle - even they are not related to you.
I think my children are confused too because they keep reffering to their desi elders as "so and so's mom".
hmmm...you've got a good point. it seems that titles like chachi, khala, aapi, baji are used within family only so we think you have to be a blood relative to get one of those titles. i personally can't use the term appi or baji without feeling reallly awkward unless its for my first cousins whom i grew up calling baji. to me baji means someone who is close to your age and who shares all your secrets, jokes around with you, takes you out for ice cream, etc. Not necessarily a stranger who looks a bit too young to be declared aunty.
here
*If you are addressing a middle age female, and you do not know her name, in South East Asia, Singapore, or Malaysia, the spelling is Auntie. In some North American Native cultures the use of the name “Auntie” for any woman older than you (usually between the ages 20 to 50) is a sign of respect and affection.
If you are addressing the sister of your parent, then it is a slang term. The proper word to use would be aunt. If you choose to use the slang, both spellings are listed in the Encarta World English Dictionary. *
tlk uncle that would be khala