Amusing as it is to listen to Derek Payne tie his tongue in knots trying to pronounce some of the unpronounceable names we've had on our team sheets this season, a recent conversation has started me wondering about what match commentators can expect in the future. A friend of mine recently took over as teacher for a Kindergarten class in a school in New South Wales, and swears that her register reads as follows: Tarelei, Tayarli, Ashanti, Nashay, Jatarnie, Nyssa, Talisha, Kiarna, Lamiah, Kaleesha,Tarlia, Satrey, Latarna, Makeely, Tully, Takoda, Teliyah, Zailen and Aaliyah. Boringly, she also has a John, a Bill and a Susan - but at least those three are 'gender obvious'. At first I thought that she had possibly stumbled into a South Sea Islander enclave, but she assured me that the greater majority were from families of 'British stock'. Childrens names up here in Scotland are much more traditional - is that the same in England, or can we expect to be reading names such as these in our programmes in the near future?
BB, 'new' names in NZ get press coverage from time to time. The commentary usually results in discussions on class. Giving a unique spelling to a name, eg Mikaylah, is considered very working (or more correctly, unemployable) class. Place names seem to be popular amongst other groups. I know of children called India. Vienna and Mali. Then thee ar the surnames being used as forenames such as Taylor, McKenzie, Jackson etc. It is illegal here to name your child with an unearned title such as Lord, Justice, Prince etc. Lucifer was disallowed last year, apparently, but as long as it is not offensive and can be pronounced anything goes.
This did get me thinking about the once common practice in France of naming your child after the Saints day that they were born on. So the 1st April is St. Hugues, and you might well have called your child Hugo or Huguette depending on their gender. However if you had a reason not to like that name there are over twenty other Saints who are given today as their day. While looking at the list I came across this one that Leo probably knows all about. Tewdrig or Theodoric (5th-6th sc.) All that is known about him comes from the Book of Llan Dav (*) . The source said he resigned from his role as prince in old age in favour of his son Meurig and retired to live as a hermit at Tintern. During an invasion of the Saxons, he placed himself again at the head of his people. The invaders were dispersed but Tewdrig was mortally wounded by a spear. He died and was buried at Mathern, near Chepstow, where the church is still dedicated to him. It is also said to have founded the churches of Bedwas Llandow and Merthyr Tydfil. Francis Godwin, Bishop of Llandaff from 1601 to 1617, discovered in the church of Mathern a stone coffin containing the skeleton of the saint with a fractured skull. (*) medieval manuscript of the parish of Llan Dav (Country of Wales) , written in 1150 and giving the lives of saints.
Most Ãslandic boys names have a reletion with scandinavian names there are a few that sound or look really strange. The girls names can be very weird. Haraldur Eirik Hákan Leifur and Bjarni are some of the normal male names Viggó Amloði Friðþjórfur are more unusual These are girls names Yngveldur Urður Magnhildur Huld and Iðunn and there are many more! Sometimes unusual names can cause problems is Guðlaug a bor or girl or Valbergur? The first is female and the second male.
I must admit that that thought had crossed my mind - the area in question is well known for its Big Surf........
It causes me irrational anger. I was actually almost happy when Jordon Mutch went back to Brum. I'm sure half of these 'unusual' names are just made up combinations. 'Charnelle' is one that sticks in the mind - immediately put me in mind of charnel house - a repository for corpses and bones. I'm sure that's not what her parents had in mind. grrrr. grumpy old man.
I was under the impression that there used to be a set number of names that could be used in France. Aparently, soon after that list was abolished Kevin became the most popular boys name. Maybe Frenchie can confirm if this is true. A few years ago there was a news report that it was fashionable for native Americans in Honduras, or somewhere similar, to name their children after car parts - Ignicion, etc. We were discussing this at work and a rather humourless German collegue started going on about how stupid it was to do this. He was even less amused when someone pointed out that his name was Axel.
My sister has lived in Germany for 25 years - even married one of them! When her son was born, she had the devil's own job getting permission to christen him with a name of her choosing & not one from the Official Book of German Boy's Names. She was eventually allowed to name him something other than Gunter - after putting forward six names which weren't to the authorities liking, they deemed Daniel to be sufficiently Germanic. But even then she had to compromise - they would not allow her to follow our family tradition and give him our clan name as a a middle name. Mind you, after our recent managerial shenannigans, I'm considering changing all my boys' middle names.
I answer to your question NZ, since 1993 French parents have been free to call their children whatever they like within reason. Should you choose something that the registrar thinks will be detrimental to the child he can refer it to the court for them to decide. This is very rare these days although I did read that one couple had been stopped from calling their daughter Vanilla.
They still have an official book of German names, though it has become larger and more International in recent years including, for example, all accepted Turkish names, - the ruling tends to be that a name has to have a precedent to be accepted. Also, names used as political statements are not allowed - such as Adolph (An old German name but now no longer accepted) also Osama was not allowed recently. What the Germans do have is an astonishing variety of family names which sound odd, to say the least, in English e.g. Holzenbein (Woodenleg), Schweinsteiger (Pig climber) , Mondwurf (Moonthrow) , and Hasenschwanze (Hare's Tail). There is also a Herr Klohocker - I'll leave that translation to someone else! Unfortunately, humour not being Germanys' most famous product, they have difficulty laughing at themselves.
We could do with bringing a similar law in Blighty, it might stop some of the ridiculous names some poor children get stuck with...Chardonnay anyone?
There are children named Chardonnay here. I suppose all names start sometime. I wonder how people reacted to others calling their daughters Wendy after the name was created in Peter Pan.
or Chavdonnay more likely I had an argument with my wife over the naming of our daughter - she wanted to call her Verandah because that's where she was conceived! Just as well she gave in as, five years later, our son was born as the result of a dallience in our swimming pool.......
