Topics related to given names, surnames, and linguistic aspects of naming in English.
5
votes
3answers
656 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
266 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
209 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
213 views
What could the word “thumbtick” mean?
I am trying to give a piece of software a name but for non-native English speakers it's sometimes hard to avoid awkward associations with names because you don't live with the language. Sometimes word ...
0
votes
2answers
126 views
Which sounds better: “What’s in ――” or “What’s on――”?
I’m making the title of a web page with classifieds, and I’d like to name it either “What’s in (town name)” or “What’s on (town name)”.
Which one sounds better for a town classified web page?
Right ...
4
votes
5answers
734 views
Can last names be shortened just as first names?
I know first names are usually shortened in verbal communication for reasons that I am not clear about. For example, Andrew becomes Andy.
But is it also the case for last names? If yes, what is the ...
2
votes
1answer
140 views
Doctor Jekyll (Ph.D.), I presume
I am writing an analysis paper (not related to title), an need to introduce someone with a doctorate in English. Do I write "Doctor [name]" or do I use suffix?
0
votes
0answers
34 views
Foreign names: Transcription or literal spelling? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How should foreign words (with foreign characters) be written in English text?
Sometimes, you want to use the names of foreign people in English texts. This presents no ...
-3
votes
1answer
432 views
Balthazar, 'Caspar' and Melchior [closed]
The names traditionally given to the three Wise Men are Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior. But a friend of mine told me that in Australian English Caspar is not used. They use, instead, Gasper. Can ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
Express a phrase as compound [closed]
I need to express this phrase as a short compound to be used as programming variable name (this phrase is in the context of a software user interface):
the block showing current chatters
I have ...
20
votes
7answers
1k views
Why “Greater Toronto” rather than “Great Toronto”
Many big cities have their names preceded by Greater. Why not just Great? Does Greater indicate that the city is ambitious to expand itself?
Why is Greater not used for country names such as Great ...
10
votes
1answer
3k views
Which singular names ending in “s” form possessives with only a bare apostrophe?
Many questions already ask about this topic (What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? , Adding apostrophe-s to a singular noun already ending in “s”, etc.) and their answers vary, but ...
19
votes
2answers
936 views
Why is there a “riding” in “Little Red Riding Hood”?
I get the little, the red and the hood... but how does the riding fit in there?
4
votes
2answers
980 views
Is it proper to use “the” before the name of a government organization? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Definite article with proper nouns, titles followed by a common noun
Using the definite article with acronyms and initialisms
When I listen to major news programs, ...
-2
votes
1answer
78 views
Use of “of ” to separate the last name [closed]
Sometimes I enconter people with names in which the last part is separated with of. I wonder in which cases such usage like George of Bush, John of Doe, or Bill of Clinton is possible.
3
votes
1answer
122 views
The Black Country in UK
I have encountered the name The Black Country in old books. From Wikipedia:
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of ...
5
votes
3answers
246 views
Why is it that John Chrysostom is almost never referred to as “John Golden Mouth” in English?
Why is it that the sainted John Chrysostom (b. 347?, d. 407; Archbishop of Constantinople, 397–407) is almost never referred to as "John Golden Mouth" in English? ("Chrysostom" means "Golden Mouth" in ...
2
votes
3answers
375 views
What is the number written at the end of some names?
As far as I can tell there is [Title/Suffix] [First Name] [Last Name/Surname] [Number].
I am confused on two things really:
What do you call the last part of someone's name like "III" for 'the ...
3
votes
2answers
519 views
What is the correct spelling of the Arabic name سعد in English?
I need help in how to spell the Arabic name (سعد). I previously asked the question Sa'ad : Correct spelling in English and French; however, it got closed.
I added a youtube video describing how ...
3
votes
1answer
271 views
Sa'ad : Correct spelling in English and French [closed]
We are considering naming our child the Arabic name Sa'ad (سعد).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saad
The Arabic spelling has an ع which I am not sure how to spell. I have seen it spelled as Saad which ...
6
votes
2answers
243 views
When does the name prefix “Mc” take stress?
Mc (or Mac) is often used as a prefix in Gaelic-derived names.
In one class containing most such names, prefixing Mc does not affect the position of the accent somewhere on the base name. Thus Mc is ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
What is the meaning of P.S. in a name?
I have a project to parse names and there's a thing called title (mr. dr.), suffix (esq. ph.d.) and generation (ii, iii, jr.), but I don't have the faintest idea what p.s. is.
It's in the following ...
3
votes
1answer
296 views
What terms describe the various parts of someone's name?
People tend to have at least one personal name and one family name. Some people also have middle names and nicknames. What terms describe other kinds of names, e.g.:
What term describes additional ...
2
votes
1answer
197 views
What is the proper term for names typically assigned to people in countries using the first-middle-last format?
In countries where English is common, people typically have names in the format <given name> <middle name> <family name>.
Is there a general term for this structure of name, as ...
5
votes
3answers
540 views
Abbreviating names that start with a vowel
What are the rules about abbreviating names that start with a vowel? Would abbreviating "Alanis Morissette" to "A. Morissette" be correct or should it be "Al. Morissette"?
2
votes
3answers
377 views
Meaning of “cookbook” in title of instructional book
I see many instructional books where the title of the book includes cookbook! What is the meaning of cookbook in this situation? Example: Python Testing Cookbook.
8
votes
6answers
368 views
Catchall term for “Junior”, “Senior”, “the late”, “widow”, and the like?
I'm analyzing a bunch of late 16th century Hungarian names, and I need a word for those extra bits that sometimes get appended to names, like junior, senior, the late and the like. My "working title" ...
3
votes
3answers
911 views
Is there any convention for pronouncing proper nouns?
Is there any convention as to how proper nouns with origins outside English should be pronounced? I have heard claims to the effect that "a proper noun
can be pronounced however you wish"; is that ...
6
votes
1answer
120 views
Club's entry - “chain”
What is the name of the "chain" that can be found near club's entry?
e.g. http://www.vegasvipservices.com/nightclubs/bank/club-the-bank-entrance.jpg
1
vote
2answers
4k views
What is the rule for shortening people's names? (E.g. Michael → Mike) [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Changes in English names of people
How do we shorten names in general? For example, Almond → Al, Michael → Mike.
I remember seeing a Wikipedia page on which frequently ...
13
votes
2answers
737 views
Family name pluralization
When pluralizing family (last) names that also happen to be common English words, does the pluralization follow the same rules as the common word?
For example, "the Smith family" can be pluralized as ...
-1
votes
1answer
110 views
Search for a new “name” [closed]
My last name in Chinese spelling is Fang, but I find that it has a bad meaning as an English word. I tried to change it to Feng, but since they are not quite distinguishable on the pronunciation, it ...
6
votes
1answer
355 views
What is the origin of surnames based on color?
I understand the background of names such as Baker, Carver and Hammer but, what are the origins of names such as Black, Blue, Brown, Green and White? Are they based on some common structure or do they ...
5
votes
2answers
289 views
How would a native British speaker say “Betteredge”?
I am reading Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, and a prominent character in the story has the name of Betteredge. My question is (since I like to imagine the dialogue in a British-English book as if ...
11
votes
1answer
719 views
Is it true that yeast was once called “Godisgoode”?
In this article discussing beer, it is said that in medieval times yeast (possibly only brewer's yeast) was called godisgoode. Is that the case? (Searching on Google sheds very little light on the ...
11
votes
3answers
663 views
Term for adjectives attached after names
What is the term for adjectives attached after names? For example, there is terrible in Ivan the Terrible. Are these counted as post-positive adjectives?
3
votes
2answers
1k views
First name initial format “A. B. Lastname” vs “A.-B. Lastname”
Sometimes I see names abbreviated sometimes as A. B. Lastname and some other times A.-B. Lastname. Is there a difference? Does the former means it is a middle name, and the latter means it is a part ...
6
votes
4answers
273 views
Pluralization of names
If I were to use the sentence "There are lots of John Smiths" in the world, would that be the correct use for saying that there are a lot of people named John Smith in the world?
I don't think there ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
Why is Ukraine often called “the Ukraine”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using the definite article before a country/state name
Hearing the Ukraine used to make me unsure whether Ukraine was really a country. Now though I have realized ...
5
votes
3answers
806 views
Why is the letter J so common in names of people who go by their initials? [closed]
I've met a number of people who use their initials as a name. Almost all of the ones I've met have a "J" as one of the initials. I've asked a few friends, and so far, anecdotally, it seems that this ...
2
votes
1answer
198 views
Boundaries for a person's name - danah boyd
How could the name danah boyd come to pass? Why isn't it Danah Boyd? Would it be inappropriate or incorrect to refer to this person as Danah Boyd?
3
votes
7answers
228 views
Name a person who loves to do things manually
What will you call a person who loves to do things manually rather than using any technology tools.
3
votes
3answers
1k views
-1
votes
1answer
252 views
Naming a function, or synonyms for compare/contrast [closed]
I'm writing a file sync application, and I'm having trouble naming a function that compares two files that exist (or existed) in the same location on two computers. It uses the modification dates and ...
1
vote
1answer
435 views
Why is Tesco often pronounced Tesco's? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Store names & possessive
“Ear doctor's” vs “Ear doctor”
I have often heard members of the British public pronounce the name of the ...
17
votes
3answers
6k views
Changes in English names of people
Why is Robert called Bob and John called Jack sometimes? What is the history of or reason for this practice in changing the English names of people?
1
vote
3answers
385 views
How much can we trust text-to-speech pronunciation of names? [closed]
Text-to-speech software are applications which try to generate a sound based on a textual input by following linguistic rules of a language (mainly phonetics and phonology). They make a sound for ...
1
vote
3answers
189 views
Should my child's name contain “Inn”? [closed]
I have a simple but important question about naming my first child.
I named her, as Jae-in Kim. (pronunciation is , of course, same as Jane in English name) but it is so common that hundreds, maybe ...
8
votes
6answers
3k views
How should I greet two people sharing the same first name in an email?
I'm sending an email to two persons with the same first name (Steve)
Greeting them by saying "Hi Steve, Steve" seems totally awkward.
Is there a good way of writing this, apart from the obvious "Hi" ...
