Can Ma here be short for Ma'am? Can you address someone unrelated as Ma?

It's not a common form of address, but people go by all kinds of nickname, including non-existent family relationships. Many people call their friends "Bro", or "Brother". My neighbours, as a child, were "Uncle X and Auntie Y" - no relation. Elderly people are often "Gramps" or "Gran", or similar. As it says in the text, that's what Bateson usually calls her.

It happens in some cultural contexts that other women are called by maternal nicknames. Don’t absorb it as something for your active vocabulary. It’s REALLY colloquial

To answer your question: no. Ma means mother or someone who is a mother figure. Now, in Nuyorican, specifically, but, in Hispanic NYC generally, "Ma" is a term used to address an attractive woman who is usually on the younger side. Or, any woman that a man finds attractive and wants to get her attention.

Ma is a short form for mother. He's saying hello to his mother, or someone who he considers his mother.

It's definitely not short for ma'am. The text immediately after the greeting explains what's going on: \> *for in such a fashion did Len Bateson usually address her.* This particular man usually calls her "ma". This also implies that it's not a usual from of address towards her but that it is this man's specific way. \> *He was a friendly soul, with a cockney accent and mercifully free from any kind of inferiority complex* This seems to be explaining that he is not the kind of person who normally respects hierarchical customs for address. He sees himself as equal to others and addresses everyone in a overly-familiar way I do believe he is saying "ma" as in "mother". I've not read this book yet but it seems like the woman is probably an older, motherly figure, and the man is simply referring to her affectionately in that way despite social norms.

There’s also that her name is Mrs Hubbard and we have the nursery rhyme “Old Mother Hubbard.” I think someone refers to her as old mother Hubbard at some point in the book (it’s been a while since I read it). So that could add to him wanting to call her Ma Hubbard or Ma. It’s not respectful, it’s familiar but largely affectionate. She orders meals and mediates disputes between the young adult students who live there.

It’s most likely short for mom. If she’s the matron of a boarding house, she’s filling the role of a mother figure to the students that live there(away from their parents). I wouldn’t be surprised by some students calling her ‘ma’

As someone else mentioned: There are some English speaking cultures where referring to older women by a maternal term is accepted/expected. "Auntie" is another very common one. However, it is usually weird to do this if you're not part of that demographic, so I wouldn't suggest using it yourself.

From what I recall, “ma’am” is short for “madam”, which in turn is a French style contraction for “ma dame” (my lady)

If someone has Mom energy and is older than me, I call them ma. If they look like a grandma, it's grams.

Ma is a southern version of mom

'Ma' is *very* common for 'mother' in northern England and Ireland; it's not limited to cockney.

1) it kinda seems that way, but that is not a normal/common use of ma. 2) Ma is not really a word, it's short for mom. I call many of my close friends' mothers mom, but they're like... chosen family that I also spend holidays with.