Topics related to given names, surnames, and linguistic aspects of naming in English.
1
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2answers
67 views
Is it acceptable to drop the Jr. suffix in a citation?
I want to cite a book written by John P. Smith, Jr. Should I write
see Smith [2009] for details.
or
see Smith, Jr. [2009] for details.
I think my question boils down to: is his surname ...
2
votes
5answers
235 views
Indefinite article and people's names
Sometimes, on the internet, particularly in online games, I see people using the indefinite article before someone's name: "I see a Joey" or "I hug a Polly". I know some of these people and I'm ...
0
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0answers
24 views
Doubts on relation - Father and Son [closed]
If I have a statement of the form George is the father of James, who is in fact the father of Thomas. Then how do I expand it ?
Is it that
James is the father of Thomas
Or
George is the father ...
0
votes
0answers
55 views
What does “I” really mean? [closed]
When we refer to a human being by "I"/"you"/"he"/"she"/"Mary", what do we really mean? The more I think about it, the more confused I get. Do we mean living body or emotional/psychological world or ...
4
votes
5answers
803 views
Are all English surnames-made-first-names masculine?
This may not be an English language question, but I've always wondered. In Sweden, it is very unusual to have surnames that can also be used straight up as first names. In fact, I can think of no such ...
0
votes
0answers
65 views
Names: Julio vs Julia [closed]
Why are the names Julio and Julia pronounced differently (Hoo-lee-oh vs Jew-lee-ah)? What is their relation to each other - masculine and feminine forms of the same base name, or something else?
5
votes
5answers
230 views
Is using the last name of a person without a title an accepted way of addressing?
I always heard people use Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms before people's names and that is how, I thought, it was done until I watched one of those Harry Potter films in which Malfoy (Sr) addresses Albus Dumbledore ...
5
votes
3answers
582 views
Objects with no name, like “the Sun”
This morning I was pondering the things in the English language which have not been given a name, such as 'the Sun' or 'the Moon'. These do not seem to fall into the same category as 'the ground' or ...
2
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1answer
170 views
What do you call a daughter with the same name as her mother?
What do you call a daughter with the same name as her mother? Is there a female equivalent for 'junior' in the english language?
-3
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0answers
43 views
Use of definite article with organization names [closed]
Is it "I work for Smith Corporation" or "I work for the Smith Corporation?"
Does the answer change if using just the organization's initials? Is it "I work for SC" or "I work for the SC?"
6
votes
3answers
539 views
When to put “River” before or after its name and why?
Unlike mountain names, where "Mount" always precedes its name, e.g. Mount Everest, I've noticed that some rivers have "River" before its name, e.g. the River Nile but others have it after, e.g. the ...
1
vote
1answer
65 views
use of articles with personal names modified by adjectives
Suddenly, to everybody's surprise, the silent Mr.Smith swung around and addressed Barbara.
The dinner was served by a silent Mrs. Keats.
I saw an infuriated Jennifer, who started shouting at ...
0
votes
2answers
176 views
Do any UK place names have non-ASCII characters? [closed]
Are they any place names in the UK that have non-ASCII characters?
I’m looking for any cities, towns, villages, etc. in the UK that use characters that aren’t in the basic ASCII range (code points ...
-1
votes
2answers
72 views
How to pronounce “Zoubin Ghahramani”? [closed]
Zoubin Ghahramani is a computer scientist and statistician. I tried Google translate but it sound a little weird. Does anyone know the pronunciation of his name? Is it from another language other than ...
-1
votes
2answers
195 views
I work in a hospital. I want to know what we should call the proof of appointment
I work in a hospital. I want to know what we should call the proof of appointment.
And I want to know the name of the place where we pay the bill after treatment.
2
votes
1answer
293 views
Could I address someone by first name in business emails if he/she addresses me by first name?
I am really not sure about when it is appropriate to use someone's first name in business emails. If someone addresses me by my first name, but signs his email officially — full name, plus title, ...
0
votes
2answers
94 views
How to refer to people and how they're related?
I'm trying to document an issue with an application, and I'd like to refer to the people using different words regardless of the relationship (father, son, etc.) being used.
To better explain the ...
-2
votes
1answer
192 views
An Ozibox user OR a Ozibox user is correct? [duplicate]
Which one is better and why?
1) Are you an Ozibox user?
2) Are you a Ozibox user?
Ozibox is the name of a web application
5
votes
6answers
3k views
Why are people from Sunderland called “mackems”?
In the north-east of England, if nowhere else, people from Sunderland are called "mackems". Does anyone know why this should be? Wikipedia suggests a number of possibilities. Are any of these correct?
...
9
votes
3answers
4k views
Should there be a space between name initials?
In writing authors' initials in research papers (either in the author by-line or the bibliography), should there be a space between intials?
R.P. Feynman
R. P. Feynman
What's the preferred way ...
7
votes
4answers
716 views
Origin & history of name “she oak” or “sheoak” (a Casuarina tree)
In wikipedia's Casuarinaceae article (and somewhat similarly in its Casuarina article), one finds:
The most widely used common name for Casuarinaceae species is sheoak or she-oak (a comparison of ...
5
votes
8answers
668 views
Should Philip have P. or Ph. as an initial?
In the context of scientific articles and technical white papers, references to other publications typically include the author’s surname with, depending on the format of the specific publication, ...
1
vote
3answers
126 views
Special name for royal titles?
Is there a name for the title/nickname that some members of royalty get? Example: King Larry the Kind
0
votes
2answers
240 views
Term for partially abbreviating names
Is there a name for the tabloid media practice of part-initializing, part-abbreviating people's names?
E.g. Jennifer Lopez -> J-Lo, Robert Pattinson -> R-Patz and so on.
3
votes
3answers
353 views
Origin of street names ending in “-hurst”
There is a large number of streets in the UK whose names end in -hurst, for example Ravenhurst, Gathurst, Oakhurst, Amhurst, Bonehurst, Eaglehurst, etc.
Is there a common meaning for this -hurst ...
-1
votes
2answers
100 views
Reversing name order [closed]
My current task is to create a (programming) algorithm which reverts a name's order. This since my country's formal name-listing order is different from international ones. The standard is often:
...
4
votes
3answers
254 views
Titles of British Lords [closed]
In an old episode of The West Wing, a British Ambassador is referred to as "Lord John Marbury". Ignoring that once he became Ambassador he'd be Mr Ambassador, what are the possible correct addresses?
...
1
vote
2answers
123 views
“Al” as a reduction of “Alexander” [closed]
Can I use Al as a reduction of the name Alexander?
Is this reduction clear to native English speakers?
6
votes
3answers
4k views
Why do people pronounce “Naomi” as “Niomi”?
The Wikipedia page for "Naomi (given name)" says "pronounced nay-oh-mee" which is how I pronounce my daughter's name, but quite often people pronounce it "nigh-oh-mee" (that is, with a long "i" ...
-1
votes
1answer
104 views
What is the meaning of the name Zacharias Mulletstein? [closed]
I saw the name Zacharias Mulletstein in a newsgroup and thought "what a peculiar yet interesting name." When I mentioned this name to a friend (because the post by this fella was amusing) they said ...
4
votes
2answers
334 views
When did we start naming our dogs Rover, and why?
One stereotypical name for a dog is Fido, from the Latin for faithful.
Another stereotypical dog-name is Rover. How long has Rover been a common name for a dog in English?
Does it have anything to ...
19
votes
3answers
1k views
Why do so many newspapers use the word “Times” in their names?
It seems that the word itself doesn't mean news or newspapers, but many newspapers use it in their names. Is there a historic reason?
18
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3answers
1k views
Is there an accepted rule for naming all of our various distant relatives (Kinship Terms)?
I’m going to the christening of my Cousin’s first son soon. What is the proper name for his relation to me?
2nd Nephew? Nephew once removed? Nothing?
Looking at the overall picture, whats the ...
1
vote
2answers
531 views
What is the possessive form of a singular noun ending with a plural s?
I would tend to treat a company name as singular and would therefore write the possessive form with 's. Now, my company refers to its international operations by placing the country name behind the ...
5
votes
1answer
520 views
What is the term for a person with same first and last name?
What is it called when a person has the exact same first and last name (and same spelling), whether named by parents or as a result of marriage? For example, Thomas Thomas.
3
votes
1answer
123 views
meaning of - rite - at the companies names
There is bunch of companies that use rite at theirs names, like Rite Aid or Shop Rite, I was thinking about it like
Right => Rite
They looks like similar to pronounce, and you could think Right Aid ...
7
votes
3answers
339 views
What is the plural form of trademarked product names, specifically of the term “WordPress”?
On the stackexchange site WordPress Answers, we recently discussed the plural form, or whether one exists at all, of the system we all use.
WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and a ...
0
votes
0answers
84 views
Meaning and usage of 'one John Doe' [closed]
In some recent reading, I have once again come across the language construct 'one John Doe', as in:
A notice was sent to one John Doe...
Of course I have seen and heard this before, but it never ...
5
votes
3answers
3k views
How do I pronounce Gaudí, the architect?
How do I pronounce 'Gaudi', in the name of Antoni Gaudí (the architect)?
2
votes
3answers
201 views
Name of the high pitch sound produced when objects are hit against each other underwater
For instance, when a spoon or ice cube hits a glass of water
0
votes
2answers
157 views
First name Constantin or Constantine? [closed]
Which is correct: "Constantin" or "Constantine"? I also encountered in texts "Konstantin" and "Kostantine". Or else is another spelling preferred?
2
votes
2answers
423 views
Why there is an “h” in proper names like Afghanistan, Baghdad and Lamborghini?
An "h" may be used to prevent the "g" from being soft, as in spaghetti, but there is no need for an "h" in the mentioned proper names.
1
vote
3answers
522 views
Possessive Form of a Proper Noun Ending in a Plural Noun Ending in “s”?
I don't think this has yet been covered in any of the other questions on similar topics. There was one other very similar question, however, it was not specifically talking about the case where the ...
6
votes
5answers
800 views
keeping maiden name after marriage
If a woman keeps her maiden name what is the proper way to address her?
Mrs, Ms, or Miss?
I have seen it done multiple ways, but am unsure what is the proper way.
4
votes
2answers
188 views
“Native” names and “western” names?
When Chinese, Koreans, and possibly other Asians migrate into countries like the UK or the US, they often take on a "western" or "anglicised" name for a number of reasons. For example, the director ...
5
votes
1answer
200 views
Was Christian a proper name before Pilgrim's Progress?
I was going to ask this on Christianity.SE but it's not really a Christian Doctrine question; hope it fits here.
I was reading John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress where almost everyone is named for a ...
5
votes
3answers
597 views
What is the name for a person who raises turkeys?
Some agricultural professions have specific names assigned to them. For example, a person who raises sheep is a shepherd and a person who raises cattle is a rancher. What would a person who raises ...
47
votes
2answers
2k views
Is there a single term for “nieces and nephews”?
I find it handy when talking about my sons and daughters I can just say my children. It's nice to say nieces instead of sibling's daughters. I wonder if there is a similar term for nieces and nephews ...
16
votes
1answer
265 views
I was raised being called “sister” by my family. What's the background on this usage?
I was called "sister", as a replacement for my name. (Oddly, my brother was not called "brother.") I never questioned this growing up in the 50's in a rural area. It says much about the culture I grew ...
0
votes
1answer
186 views
Is there a rule to what ending you use when you construct the nationality adjective? Or where did the various endings come from? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Are there any rules governing what we call people from different countries?
In the English language, you have several endings used when you construct an adjective out of ...
