Why do we give things names? It's obvious right? We give things names in order to identify them. When children are born they're given names usually by their parents. The naming is the first step in creating their identity separate from all others. As one's personality develops some people will even at some point receive a nickname to further reflect what they represent. But, what is a nickname? First regarded as an "eke-name" meaning an additional name, which later became "neke name" due to an incorrect word division mixing noun with indefinite article, and by the Middle English era nickname meant a known variant.
It seems like everyone and everything has a nickname. Nicknames can be good and bad, a good nickname can do one wonders, yet a bad one such as one given by a school bully can stick and negatively effect somebody their entire life. We don't only label other human beings with nicknames, we give everything a nickname e.g. lollipops may be referred to as "lollies" or "suckers". In cases such as this it seems that we assign nicknames because they are shorter and therefore more efficient than the original name.
Moreover, whether nicknames are providing a more expressive name to a person or making language more efficient I think nicknames are usually a good thing.
I think there's a lot to be said about the thought that goes into naming a child. Parents consider a number of factors when naming a child, including how the name will make the child seem. Something traditional (e.g. Michael, Emily) won't likely elicit any assumptions, but something old-fashioned, religious, mythological or literary, edgy, sophisticated, unique, or-- god forbid-- made up will affect how people perceive a person before they get to know them. In addition, parents must consider the nicknames that could derive from the name they give to their child that could be used negatively. For example, if a parent doesn't want their child to be taunted with the name "Dick," maybe Richard isn't the best choice.
ReplyDeleteI've always been interested in the reasoning behind the names of kids. I agree with Emily in that a lot of thought goes into the name you give your child because that is the name they are going to have for the rest of their life. You can choose a common and more traditional name or you can give them a different and more original name. Some people believe that giving their children more unique names causes them to be more creative when they grow up. As I said before, I've always been interested in names but I never even thought about nicknames before. We give nicknames to almost everything and it can either be good or bad like you said. If you have a bad nickname it could cause taunting and bullying but if you have a good nickname it can really make your day and cause you to be more friendly. Sometimes people even prefer their nickname over their real name.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those people who has a nickname for everything. When I talk about myself, I often do so in the third person, but I never say "Lam did this....", I would always refer to myself as one of the many nicknames that I have. In my case, a nickname is completely unnecessary since my name is only three letters. My nicknames are not used to shorten speech, they are used to express my personality. I think nicknames are a very good thing. You can't choose what your parents name you, but you can change what you name yourself. For example, if someone is unlucky enough to be named "Laquisha" and she doesn't like that name, she always has the option of being identified through a more socially respectable nickname.
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