Month: July 2021

The Meaning of Generation Names

 

 

One interpretation of generation names, set against major events and year of birth (Image by Cmglee, CC-BY-4.0)

In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Philip N. Cohen discusses the use of generation names and their lack of real meaning. He writes:

“The supposed boundaries between generations are no more meaningful than the names they’ve been given. There is no research identifying the appropriate boundaries between generations, and there is no empirical basis for imposing the sweeping character traits that are believed to define them. Generation descriptors are either embarrassing stereotypes or caricatures with astrology-level vagueness.”

Cohen also discusses the harmful effects of stereotyping and character judgement brought about by generation names. Click here to read more from Cohen and listen to his interview in the podcast “Please, go on”.

Call for Papers: ANS 2022, Online, 21-23 January 2022

The American Name Society is now inviting proposals for papers for its next annual conference. After serious deliberation of an official proposal made on the 5th of May 2021, the Executive Council of the American Name Society unanimously voted to hold the 2022 Annual Conference online. All presentation sessions will be held online during the three days of the conference. This means that our conference will NOT be held in conjunction with the LSA meeting, which is still slated to be held in person, January 2022 in Washington, DC.

Abstracts in any area of onomastic research are welcome. The DEADLINE for receipt of abstracts is July 31, 2021. To submit a proposal, simply complete the 2022 Author Information Sheet (AIS) found here:

https://wp.me/a6e07Q-29o

Please email this completed form to ANS Vice President Luisa Caiazzo using the following address: <luisa.caiazzo@unibas.it>. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2022” in the subject line of your email.
All proposals will be subjected to blind review. Official notification of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before September 30, 2021. All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS. Please feel free to contact ANS Vice President, Luisa Caiazzo, <luisa.caiazzo@unibas.it>, should you have any questions or concerns.

A downloadable PDF of the Call for Papers can be found here.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

“Cleveland Indians” Renamed “Cleveland Guardians”

After over one year of deliberation, the “Cleveland Indians” will be known as the “Cleveland Guardians”. The announcement came this morning as the team released a video announcement narrated by Tom Hanks on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Indians/status/1418565355472101378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1418565355472101378%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fcleveland-indians-announce-franchises-new-name-the-guardians-140148762.html

On Demonyms of Major US Cities

New York City, home of “New Yorkers” and (rarely) “Gothamites” (Photo by Deitmar Rabich, CC-BY-4.0)

In an article in Popular Science, Jennifer Billock explores demonyms of major US cities and consults linguist and long-time ANS member Dr. Frank Nuessel. A “Phoenician” can refer to either an ancient person of a seafaring civilization or a resident of the city of Phoenix. Read this article in Popular Science to learn more about modern demonyms of major US Cities.

Delta Air Lines Refuses to Call it the “Delta” Variant

Delta Air Line tails at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (Photo by Aeroprints.com, CC-BY-3.0)

What happens when the latest and most virulent strain of the virus causing the worldwide pandemic shares a name with your trademark? Delta Air Lines might have to consult with Cervecería Modelo, the Mexican brewery that produces Corona Beers, for marketing advice as the delta variant of the coronavirus grips the world, accounting for 58% of cases in the United States alone. An article in Business Insider discusses Delta Air Lines’ decision to “call it the variant”.

Call for Papers: ANS 2022, Online, 21-23 January 2022

The American Name Society is now inviting proposals for papers for its next annual conference. After serious deliberation of an official proposal made on the 5th of May 2021, the Executive Council of the American Name Society unanimously voted to hold the 2022 Annual Conference online. All presentation sessions will be held online during the three days of the conference. This means that our conference will NOT be held in conjunction with the LSA meeting, which is still slated to be held in person, January 2022 in Washington, DC.

Abstracts in any area of onomastic research are welcome. The DEADLINE for receipt of abstracts is July 31, 2021. To submit a proposal, simply complete the 2022 Author Information Sheet (AIS) found here:

https://wp.me/a6e07Q-29o

Please email this completed form to ANS Vice President Luisa Caiazzo using the following address: <luisa.caiazzo@unibas.it>. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2022” in the subject line of your email.
All proposals will be subjected to blind review. Official notification of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before September 30, 2021. All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS. Please feel free to contact ANS Vice President, Luisa Caiazzo, <luisa.caiazzo@unibas.it>, should you have any questions or concerns.

A downloadable PDF of the Call for Papers can be found here.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

About Names: “With t or without, Margo royally underappreciated”

Margo Martindale (Photo by Neil Grabowsky / Montclair Film Festival, CC-BY-2.0)

Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his July 18th column, he looks at the history of the name Margo.

You may not know Margo’s name, but you’d likely recognize her face.

Actress Margo Martindale turns 70 today. She’s won Emmys playing crime family matriarch Mags Bennett in “Justified” (2011) and KGB handler Claudia in “The Americans” (2015 and 2016). She makes fun of herself by voicing bank-robbing “Esteemed Character Actress Margo Martindale” on Netflix’s animated “BoJack Horseman.”

Margo is a simplified spelling of Margot, a nickname for Marguerite, French form of Margaret (Greek “pearl.”)

Marguerite de Valois (1553-1615), daughter of King Henri II of France, became Queen when her cousin and husband became King Henri IV in 1589. He divorced her for being barren in 1599.

In 1845, French novelist Alexandre Dumas published “Queen Margot”, a novel based on Marguerite’s life. This falsely presented her as a sex-obsessed schemer, but helped establish Margot as a name in its own right.

Margot was often a nickname for Margaret when first used by English speakers. The two most famous British Margots, author and Prime minister’s spouse Asquith (1864-1945) and ballerina Fonteyn (1919-1991), were both born “Margaret.”

Want to learn more? Read on to find out more the history of the name Margo!

TV Weather Report Replaces Australian City Names with Aboriginal Names

 

Map of Australia from 1860 (Public Domain)

According to a report in the Daily Mail, an Australian television station replaced colonial city names with their Aboriginal equivalents. “Perth” was listed as “Boorloo”; “Sydney” as “Warrang”. Channel 10 journalist Kate Doak wrote on Twitter, “Respect costs nothing, though can make a huge difference for all of us, of any background.” While some applauded the station for acknowledging the history of the land and the people who inhabit it, others were confused by the absence of the familiar names. Read more reactions from the Daily Mail.

Call for Interviewees on the Baby Names Podcast – Careers in Names!

We’re seeking name experts to be interviewed on this season of The Baby Names Podcast. We’ve already featured many ANS scholars on the show and always get an amazing response. The podcast is hosted by longtime ANS member Jennifer Moss.

The Baby Names Podcast receives over 10,000 listeners PER DAY and it’s growing fast. We promote it through our site and social media and are happy to link to your social accounts and/or research.
Do you have a Career in Names? If so, we want to feature it on The Baby Names Podcast. If onomastics is a major part of your job, we want to include it on our episode in Careers in Names. Just drop us a line explaining what you do, how you started in the field, and if you’re comfortable with a recorded interview. If not, that’s okay – we can still include your story!
Email Jennifer Moss, jennifer@babynames.com, to submit yourself!

In Memoriam: Edwin D. Lawson (1923-2021)

Long time ANS member and Past President Edwin D. Lawson of Fredonia, died peacefully July 3, 2021, at the age of 97.

Ed was born in Chicago, Ill., on Dec. 23, 1923, to Anna and Abraham Levin. When Ed was seven the family moved to Boston where he was raised.

After graduating from high school in 1942, Ed matriculated to the University of Illinois, but after one semester he was called up for active duty in the U.S. Army Air Force to fight in World War II. As a tail gunner on a B-29 bomber he completed 38 missions in the Pacific and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Purple Heart.

After the war, Ed returned to the University of Illinois, where he earned a bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. in psychology. He taught at several universities, and in 1967, he joined the faculty of the State University of New York, Fredonia, where he served until his retirement in 1989.

Ed married Irene Kentner in 1949. They were united in marriage for 69 years and raised three sons together.

In addition to teaching and research, Ed published over 160 books and articles over the course of his career. He had a sabbatical year in Jerusalem, Israel in 1973-74, and was awarded a Fulbright lectureship to Yarmouk University in Jordan in 1981. In addition to his professional activities, Ed was active in the American Name Society and the 500th Bomb Group Memorial Association.

Read his full obituary in The Dunkirk Observer, and share condolences on the Larson-Timko Funeral Home page.