There are many other combinations of sounds that denote mother, however, and again, none of them is actually inherent to mothers. And because babies are not congitively able to denote why they chose to make a given sound, we don't know if the people around a person, calling them the mother or father, influcences the sound of mama to be used for a mother. I would suggest that it absolutely does.
I also would have been more corret to point out that onomatopoeia could be classed as inherent to what they describe, but the letters that make up the words, and the words made up of those letters, and the grammar that organizes those words is still all arbitrary.
None of that belies the point that so long as the hearer understands what is spoken or written (though this discussion is about pronunciation) , the necessary intent of communication is properly accomplished.
This is a subject I am quite passionate about, because language has been used as a tool of oppression since we've had recorded history. It is particularly onerous when used to characterize a dialect that is not accepted by any given ruling class, as evidence of that dialect proving lower intelligence of the speaker.
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