Topics related to given names, surnames, and linguistic aspects of naming in English.
4
votes
4answers
835 views
Do people's names have meanings in English? [closed]
Do people's names have meanings in English?
If so, where can I look up names to find their meanings?
If not, where did these names come from originally?
6
votes
1answer
181 views
Is there a name for adjectives that are based around someone's name?
Some examples would include:
Shakespearean
Christian
Mesmerized
Pavlovian
Newtonian
Boolean
Darwinian
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Where do we get the word “peanut”?
Alternative names, like groundnut and earthnut, make sense. In German, peanuts are called Erdnüsse, literally, earth nuts.
Where did the word "peanut" come from, and how did it become the dominant ...
6
votes
3answers
4k views
How to pronounce New Orleans
I presume this must be an exception to "pronounce it like the locals", since what I hear is something like 'Norlin'. Or is this just the movies?
Is it a mistake to attempt to pronounce it like a ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
How to pronounce Louis Armstrong
I think the standard Irish/British pronunciation is as in Louis the king. But musicians seem to say "Lewis".
I've heard people say Joe Louis as in the king as well. Is this wrong?
2
votes
1answer
663 views
Family name, given name and middle name confusion in latin name [closed]
I currently live in a Latin country, where we have names which have two last names. For example,
John Perez Espinosa
I am filling a DS-2019 Form because I am moving to the U.S. but for the name ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
How to pronounce English names quickly and correctly [closed]
How can you pronounce a name quickly and correctly? They may or may not conform to regular patterns. Currently I'm using "online website" to do the speaking each time.
Are there any shortcuts that I ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Is the apostrophe (') supposed to be omitted in names like 'King's Cross', 'King's Singers'? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it common for place names to lose the possessive?
I've always thought it should be 'King's Cross, London' as in a possessive sense. However the wiki page for King's ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
“John Doe”, “Jane Doe” - Why are they used many times?
I posted a question ( http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/92215/john-doe-jane-doe-why-are-they-used-many-times ) and they told me to post that question here. So I'm doing it.
I received ...
4
votes
1answer
132 views
Is there a term for expressions usually rendered as names but are meant to be humorous?
The expressions about which I am asking are used often on "Prairie Home Companion" when the narrator delivers a list of "fake" credits at the end of the show or at the end of a comic bit.
For ...
4
votes
3answers
310 views
Why names such as Hastings-on-Hudson?
This question is either about etymology or language generally, as names have this feature in other languages too, but I'm just curious how the practice of naming towns in proximity to bodies of water ...
11
votes
1answer
326 views
If we say “Socrates”, “Hippocrates”, etc, why don't we say “Aristoteles”? Why “Aristotle”?
If Σωκράτης is transliterated as "Socrates", and Ἱπποκράτης is transliterated as "Hippocrates", and other Greek names ending with -ης are transliterated as ending with "-es", why isn't Ἀριστοτέλης ...
2
votes
2answers
506 views
Do all syllables belong to open syllable or closed syllable?
Is there any other category for a syllable which is neither an open nor closed syllable?
2
votes
0answers
259 views
Why and since when does William = Bill and Richard = Dick? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Changes in English names of people
For example Bill Gates and Bill Clinton are actually Williams.
I guess if you first make it short for Will then you can go from there ...
22
votes
3answers
737 views
Is there a word for refusing to call things by their name out of fear?
Some examples:
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" or "You-Know-Who" for Voldemort of Harry Potter fame
Him in the Powerpuff Girls
Any of the various monikers for Yahweh
possibly "She Who Must Be Obeyed" for ...
1
vote
0answers
90 views
Region-specific game names [closed]
I grew up in a small town in Eastern Kentucky, and we played a game called sookie (soak e). This game is very similar to dodge ball except that it is every man for himself. Adults taught us this game ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
Names of tools for shaving hair
I was wondering what differences there are between shaver, razor, trimmer and clipper?
For head hair cut that does not make head bald, what tools are used?
For shaving facial hair, what tools are ...
14
votes
4answers
1k views
Why does the name 'John' have an 'h' in it?
I have always wondered this since I was little, and nobody seems to have asked or answered this before anywhere on the internet. What is the origin of the 'h', and why is it still with us?
4
votes
2answers
497 views
Is there a schwa in the middle of Coleridge?
How many syllables are in the name Coleridge - two or three?
I.e. is it [koʊləɹɪdʒ] or [koʊlɹɪdʒ]?
17
votes
4answers
1k views
If Christopher is a “carrier of Christ” then what is Jennifer carrying?
I was told in a Latin class that the name Christopher has Greek roots that mean "one who carries Christ". I assume that the Latin connection here is fero, which is the verb to carry.
With that in ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the meaning of “Dick” when it is a person's name?
Some people are named "Dick". What does "Dick" mean when it is a name?
2
votes
3answers
271 views
Why are names abbreviated in translations? [closed]
Often when reading English translations I will encounter names of places or people that have been abbreviated. An example is in Catherine Hutter's translation of Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young ...
-2
votes
3answers
279 views
Pronunciation of the name “Kyrylo”
Can someone provide a transcription for the name "Kyrylo" - how it will actually sound?
3
votes
3answers
226 views
Why was the 'hoodie' given the name 'hoodie'?
There were plenty of pieces of upper-body garments/clothing, which had a hood, before the 'hoodie'.
Was it simply that no one had thought of the name up until then? Or was there something ...
1
vote
2answers
3k views
When to call first name or last name? [closed]
For example, a man's name is Jeff Smith.
My question is:
When should I call him "Jeff"?
When should I call him "Smith"?
When should I call him "Jeff Smith"?
in western.
2
votes
2answers
188 views
Use of 'The' in names containing 'Of'
Names, often, are related to places or regions like
Mahmud of Ghazni
Christopher of Bavaria
My questions are:
Are such names always related to people from political backgrounds (Kings, ...
9
votes
3answers
921 views
What's the meaning of the symbol ‡?
I am trying to get the meaning of the symbol ‡. I saw it a couple of times: as a tattoo in a little boy finger, and on Wikipedia.
How is this symbol called in English?
1
vote
1answer
614 views
Does the “@” symbol have a name? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to pronounce @ symbol?
In Spanish, @ is called arroba.
I saw this question, and it says it's called "commercial at" according to Wikipedia. A lot of languages have ...
3
votes
5answers
3k views
What is a good phrase to name a periodic excellent employee award?
My company has annual work performance awards with typical names like "Excellent Employee/Team" (3~5 recipients) and "All-star Employee/Team" (1 recipient).
We're looking to create a smaller award ...
7
votes
2answers
334 views
Why is the Dostoyevsky novel “The Brothers Karamazov” not translated “The Karamazov Brothers”?
In most cases I would say that the family name should come first, as in "the Ringling Brothers circus" or "the Bronte sisters", but then there is the Dostoyevsky novel "The Brothers Karamazov".
Why ...
0
votes
2answers
1k views
What is another name for Dick?
Coming from "Changes in English names of people" telling:
Richard → Dick
Can I substitute Dick by Richard?
I need it to know because my Emails with the use of name Dick are being returned by ...
2
votes
2answers
515 views
A collective noun when referring to a group of people with the same name?
How can I refer collectively to a group of people with the same name, for example:
Having so many Johns around is confusing.
or
Having so many John's around is confusing.
Which one is the ...
2
votes
4answers
353 views
What's the recommended way to refer to the September 11 attacks in formal writing?
September 11 attacks, September eleven attacks, September eleventh, Nine-eleven? None of the above?
What's recommended for formal writing?
6
votes
4answers
1k views
Pronunciation of names that end in “h”
In Britain (or perhaps just Scotland) the names "Sara" and "Sarah" are pronounced different.
Sara: Sah-rah ("a" as in "bat")
Sarah: Se-rah ("a" as in "air")
In the US and Canada, Sarah ...
2
votes
1answer
412 views
What is the origin of the place name “Unthank”?
I was reading this question What is the reciprocal verb of "to thank"?, and naturally the (non existent, but surely quite useful) word unthank came to mind. I then recalled there are several places in ...
3
votes
2answers
96 views
plural of 'Davidovici'
I know someone named Davidovici, pronounced /dəˈvɪɾəvɪtʃ/ (i.e., rhyming with witch. It's from Romanian). How is it pluralized (as, to refer to the family): Davidovicis or Davidovicies?
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Do these river names mean anything?
I was planning a little trip the other day when I noticed that a number of rivers in Britain have common names. The ones I spotted were Avon, Ouse and Esk. Is there a reason for this? Are these names ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Different pronunciation between Thomas and Theodore
Disclaimer: I'm no native speaker.
Thomas gets pronounced with a starting "T" (the "h" is silent), while Theodore with a "Th". What rule is followed here?
9
votes
3answers
476 views
Why one place on stack exchange is called “area51”?
Why this place on stack exchange is called "area51"? Is it a special idiom in English for some places where things are being developed? Does 51 have some special meaning besides being just a number?
...
0
votes
1answer
117 views
J.A. Gagarin's flight vs J.A. Gagarin flight
1) Is it Ok to leave the initials or would you drop them? Writing his name in full seems odd since it isn't Gagarin who is the point of discussion.
2) Is it Gagarin's or Gagarin? Is there any ...
8
votes
1answer
354 views
What does “week” mean in place names?
I visited darkest Devon recently, and happened to pass through a couple of places named "Week". On studying the map I found several others, such as James Week, Mary Week, Chawleigh Week, and so on.
...
