Abstract. Some terms for family members, such as Maman and Papa, have common characteristics, different from other "ordinary" nouns. We call them kinship terms of address, distinguishing them from "ordinary" kinship terms such as mère and père. Without a determiner, they automatically designate the family members of the speaker. They are also used in non-vocative form. In this case, they are not detached from the clause but belong to it, functioning like its obligatory components. However, in this non-vocative usage, the referents of kinship terms of address are more varied. For example, in Comment va maman? 'How is Mom?', maman 'Mom' can be the equivalent of ma mère 'my mother,' but the question, if addressed to a child, can also refer to the child's mother.