Call for Papers: Non-bare Proper Names: Proper Names with Determiners and Modifiers in a Cross-linguistic Perspective

Non-bare Proper Names. Proper Names with Determiners and Modifiers in a Cross-linguistic Perspective

Date: 16-May-2024 – 17-May-2024

Location: Köln, Germany
Contact Person: Carolina Oggiani
Meeting Email: detmod.pn@gmail.com
Web Site: https://easyabs.linguistlist.org/conference/Non-bare_Proper_Name

Linguistic Field(s): Morphology; Pragmatics; Semantics; Syntax

Call Deadline: 12-Dec-2023

Meeting Description:

Proper names have been widely studied from a philosophical and a linguistic perspective (Frege, 1892; Russell, 1905; Strawson, 1950; Searle, 1958; Donnellan, 1970; Kripke, 1980; Soames, 2002; Elbourne, 2005; Fara, 2015; Matushansky, 2006, 2008, 2014, 2015, among others). Over the last decades, they have become an important subject of investigation with respect to the semantics of reference and the syntax of the nominal phrase and, more specifically, to the different types of determiners and modifiers they can combine with, such as indefinite and definite articles (von Heusinger & Wespel, 2007; Gomeshi & Massam, 2009; Bernstein et al., 2019; Camacho, 2019; Saab, 2021; Oggiani & Aguilar-Guevara, forthcoming), honorific particles (Saab, 2021), and adjectives (Sigurdsson, 2006; Bernstein et al., 2019). There is also a growing interest in the cross-linguistic perspective (e.g. Caro Reina, 2020, 2022; Becker, 2021; Caro Reina & Helmbrecht, 2022).

In this context, the research project “Proper Names with Determiners and Modifiers in a Cross-linguistic Perspective” aims to contribute to this discussion by bringing together researchers working on proper names with determiners and/or means of modification from a morphological, syntactic, semantic, or pragmatic perspective. The starting event of this research group will be the workshop “Non-Bare Proper Names: Proper Names with Determiners and Modifiers in Cross-Linguistic Perspective”. The workshop will take place in Cologne, Germany, in May 2024, and will be followed by later academic events in Mexico and Uruguay.

We invite contributions on proper names with determiners, quantifiers and/or any means of modification, as well as honorifics, diminutives, classifiers, and other affixes, from a morphological, syntactic, semantic, or pragmatic perspective. The main questions this Workshop seeks to answer are:
i) What categories can accompany proper names in natural language?
ii) What is the meaning contribution of these categories? How does it combine with that
of proper names?
iii) What kind of syntax do determined and modified proper names project?

Call for Papers:

We invite submissions for 30 min presentations (plus 15 min for discussion) in English. Abstracts should be anonymous and not longer than two pages (Times New Roman 12 pt., single space, 2,4 cm margins). They should be submitted in pdf format to: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=nbpn2024

Submissions open: Aug. 1, 2023 – Dec. 11, 2023

Abstract review period: Dec. 12, 2023 – Jan. 15, 2024

Call for Book Chapter Proposals On Names, Naming, and Diversity in Youth Literature

Children’s Books (Photo by: Robyn Budlender, CC0 1.0 Public Domain)

Call for Book Chapter Proposals On Names, Naming, and Diversity in Youth Literature

Recent years have seen a significant increase in works of fiction that champion and celebrate diversity and inclusion for young readers.  This literary evolutionary literature has also introduced children, to the enormous diversity of.  The current call is for book chapters that examine how youth literature use names to present that child, adolescent, teen, and tween readers ethnic, cultural, linguistic, neurological, religious, diversity.  Proposals centered on the use of names and naming in youth literature dealing with individuals, families, and communities from the following groupings are particularly, but by no means exclusively welcomed:

  1. ethnoracial minorities, including those with mixed heritage
  2. The differently abled
  3. LGBTQ+
  4. communities of faith
  5. Immigrants and asylum-seekers

Although the proposals must be in English, the works selected for examination may include other languages. Proposals will be judged upon their thematic fit and potential to make a substantive contribution to the fields of onomastics and literary studies.  All Interested authors are asked to submit formal proposals using the following guidelines.

Proposal Submission Process

  • Abstract proposals (max. 500 words, excluding the title and references) should be sent as a PDF email attachment to Professor I. M. Nick (nameseditor@gmail.com)
  • For organizational purposes, the proposals must include “DIVERSITY” in the subject line of the email
  • All proposals must include an abstract, title, and a preliminary list of references;
  • The full name(s) of the author(s) and their affiliation(s) must appear in the body of the email. These details should NOT appear in the attached proposal.
  • In the case of multi-authored submissions, one person must be clearly designated as the primary contact
  • The DEADLINE for proposal submissions is November 15, 2023. All proposals will be submitted to a double-blind review process. Authors will be notified about acceptance on or by December 15, 2023
  • Final chapters (max 7,000 words, excluding abstracts and references) will be due April 15, 2024

For further information about this call, please feel free to contact Professor I. M. Nick (nameseditor@gmail.com). We look forward to receiving your proposals!

About Names: Dr. Evans on the name “Daryl”

An individual cosplaying as “Daryl Dixon”, a popular character from the TV Series “The Walking Dead” (Photo by Marnie Joyce, CC-BY-2.0)

Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his September 10th column, he discusses the name “Daryl”.

‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” debuts on AMC this evening. This spinoff of “The Walking Dead” (2010-2022) finds popular character Daryl (played by Norman Reedus) stranded on a French beach without knowing how he got there. He’ll trek across France trying to find his way back home.

Daryl’s a respelling of Darel and Darrell, surnames brought to England in 1066 by knights from Airel, a town in Normandy whose name meant “open courtyard”.

Darrells were prominent among Tudor nobility. Elizabeth Darrell (1513-1556) was maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon. Sir Marmaduke Darrel (1559-1631) was a jailer of Mary Queen of Scots, and later escorted Anne of Denmark from Scotland to London when her husband James I succeeded to the throne.

Anglican clergyman John Darrell (1562-1603) made a name for himself as an exorcist. Though he claimed he proved Puritans could cast out devils as successfully as Catholics, he was imprisoned as a fraud.

The 1850 United States census found 99 persons with last name Darrell and 14 Darrels. There were 10 men with first name Darell and 12 Darrells.

Best-selling English novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon published “Darrell Markham” in 1853. There Darrell’s true love Millicent is forced to marry George Duke. When George is murdered, Darrell gathers evidence proving Millicent innocent. They marry on the last page.

In 1867 English judge Sir Douglas Straight (1844-1914) began publishing memoirs and fiction under pen name “Sidney Daryl”, one of the first examples of that spelling.

All spellings stayed rare until the 20th century. Darrell first shows up among the top 1000 boy’s names in 1891, Darrel in 1905, Daryl in 1920, and Darryl in 1932.

Daryl was occasionally given to girls by 1900. In 1921, silent film “Love, Hate and a Woman” featured heroine Daryl Sutherland (Grace Davison) pretending to be a society belle to catch a husband. However, Daryl only made it into the top thousand names for girls between 1945 and 1957. Surprisingly, the 1980s fame of actress Daryl Hannah (born 1960) didn’t popularize it.

Nebraska-born movie producer Darryl Zanuck (1902-1979) helped found 20th Century Fox in 1935. His name being featured in film credits, along with the 1940s fame of child star Darryl Hickman (born 1931) propelled their formerly rare spelling upward. After Hickman was featured on brother Dwayne’s “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” in 1959, Darryl became the most common spelling for seven years, peaking at 68th in 1965.

About Names: Dr. Evans on the name “Clyde”

A timid orange ghost might be the most famous “Clyde” in video game history (Photo: Monsoleiiil, CC-BY-3.0)

Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his August 27th column, he discusses the name “Clyde”.

‘Clyde’s” making sandwiches at Omaha Community Playhouse through Sept. 17.

In Pulitzer Prize winning author Lynn Nottage’s play, Clyde runs a sandwich shop employing ex-cons who she belittles and abuses. The 2022 Broadway production earned “This is Us” actor Ron Cephas Jones, who died Aug. 19, an Emmy nomination.

Glasgow, Scotland, sits on the River Clyde, sacred to Celtic goddess Clota. It’s unclear if the river was named after the goddess or vice versa.

Clyde’s a rare Scottish surname indicating one’s ancestors lived by the river. In the 1850 United States census, 375 persons with the last name Clyde are found. Seven had Clyde as a first name — not surprising given the then-new custom of turning surnames into given names.

The first name Clyde didn’t stay rare: 7,179 men were named Clyde in 1880, while only 832 Americans had the surname.

Various factors may have contributed. In the 1850s, poem “Clyde” by John Wilson (1720-1789) was republished. Wilson celebrated a masculine river, writing “Clyde’s wide bed ten thousand torrents fill, His rage the murmuring mountain streams augment.”

In the 1850s Philadelphia-based Thomas Clyde (1812-1885) owned the Clyde Line, America’s biggest steamship company.

About Names: Dr. Evans on the name “Nancy”

Jazz Singer Nancy Wilson (Photo: Public Domain)

Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his August 13th column, he discusses the name “Nancy”.

Nancy’s leaving the small screen next week.

“Nancy Drew,” the third television series based on the classic young adult detective novels, ends its four-year run on the CW Aug. 23.

Nancy was originally derived from Agnes. In medieval England Agnes was pronounced “Annis,” with nickname “Ancy.” In some dialects, “mine” was used for “my”. “Mine Ancy” eventually became “my Nancy.” Nell developed from Ellen and Ned from Edward the same way.

Annis was often confused with Ann. Soon Anns as well as Agneses were called Nancy. When literacy increased after 1600 and the “g” in Agnes started being pronounced, Nancy switched to just being a nickname for Ann.

By 1800, many thought of Nancy as being a separate name. That’s shown in the 1850 United States census, where despite most entries not including middle names, 2,411 women were listed as “Nancy Ann.”

The total number of Nancys in 1850 was 263,261 — over 10 times as many as in Britain’s 1851 census, when total populations were similar.

After 1860, Nancy receded. In 1880, when Social Security’s yearly baby name lists start, it ranked 62nd. Its lowest year was 1909, at 118th.

Nancy’s big revival coincided with the fame of Nancy Astor (1879-1964). Virginia-born Nancy Langhorne married Waldorf, son of Viscount Astor, in 1906. He entered Parliament in 1909, but had to resign in 1919 when his father’s death made him Viscount. Nancy won election to his seat, becoming the first woman in Britain’s Parliament.

‘Food-Name Rules’: Rising Tensions Between US Producers and EU Regulators

“Greek Feta”, a public domain image by Jon Sullivan. But do we really know its provenance?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal explores the tensions between US cheesemakers and the regulated cheese market in the European Union. The names of nearly 300 cheese are protected, among 3,500 food and beverage names. One US producer, Klondike, is unable to export its feta to Europe because they would have to call it “white-brined cheese, or some variation that doesn’t mention the word feta.” To be named “feta”, the cheese must be produced in Greece according to EU regulation.

Read more over at The Wall Street Journal.

Call for Book Chapter Proposals: “Names, Naming, Gender, Sex, and Sexuality” (DUE 15 August 2023)

Call for Book Chapter Proposals

LAST CALL: ONE WEEK REMAINING

Names, Naming, Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Edited by I. M. Nick and Sharon N. Obasi

Recent years have seen a significant increase in public awareness of and sensitivity towards the diversity of individual and group identities where gender, sex, and sexuality are concerned. These developments have also been accompanied by the introduction of many new names for individuals and groups to label these developments. At the same time, in many places around the world, there has been a marked backlash against recognizing the complexity of identity where gender, sex, and sexuality-are concerned. These counter movements have also been marked by onomastic developments. The current call is for book chapters that specifically explore the interplay between names, naming, gender, sex, and sexuality. Possible subjects to be explore include, but are by no means limited to the following:

  1. Law and regulations governing the personal names of individuals by gender, sex, and sexuality
  2. Names for diverse individual and group identities (e.g., cis, trans, bi, LGBTQ+).
  3. Naming customs in cultures that recognize three or more genders
  4. National and international trends in gendered names and naming
  5. Naming, gender and artificial intelligence bots, virtual assistants, etc.
  6. Inferring gender based on phonology (phonoonomastics)
  7. Researching names and gender: perspectives on compliance and integrity
  8. Naming and gender policies in education
  9. Names and gender in advertising and health messaging
  10. Historical and/or cross-cultural investigations into (in)official names for gender and sex

Proposal Submission Process

  • Abstract proposals (max. 500 words, excluding the title and references) should be sent as a PDF email attachment to Professor I. M. Nick (nameseditor@gmail.com)
  • For organizational purposes, the proposals must include “Gender2023” in the subject line of the email
  • All proposals must include an abstract, title, and a preliminary list of references;
  • The full name(s) of the author(s); the author(’s’) affiliation(s) must appear in the body of the email. These details should NOT appear in the attached proposal.
  • In the case of multi-authored submission, one person must be clearly designated as the primary contact
  • The DEADLINE for proposal submissions is August 15, 2023. All proposals will be submitted to a double-blind review process. Authors will be notified about acceptance on or by September 15, 2023
  • Final chapters (max 7,000 words, excluding abstracts and references) will be due April 15, 2024

For further information about this call, please feel free to contact Professor I. M. Nick (nameseditor@gmail.com). We look forward to receiving your proposals!

Naming Heat Waves

Residents of Hampstead taking refuge in the shade during a heat wave, Historic photo by Photographer Conrad Poirier (Public Domain)

An article in the Washington Post explores the debate surrounding the naming of heat waves, presenting evidence that reflects “a desire in Europe to start attaching names to extreme heat events — which are becoming so common that they sometimes blur together in people’s consciousness. But what naming system to use, which forecasts warrant names and who should make the calls are far from settled.”

Read more over at The Washington Post.

Call for Papers: “Medieval Onomastics: Crisis or Stasis?” (Leeds, 1-4 July 2024)

From Tristan Alphey:

Onomastics, the study of names and naming, has long proved popular with medievalists. This CfP seeks to explore the interaction between onomastics and the theme of this year’s conference – Crisis. We’re looking for 20-minute papers on the role of names and naming within the medieval period, from any geographical region. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Change in naming practices (or lack thereof) as a result of periods of social/cultural/economic change. This might look at philological change, change in distribution (by gender, race, socio-economic group etc.), change in the rituals of naming.
  • The renaming of an individual, during their life or in their remembrance.
  • The interaction between time, place names and the (built) environment.
  • Crises within the discipline of medieval onomastics, new approaches in the study of onomastics, and the role of interdisciplinary thinking.

Please submit an abstract of no more than 200 words and a short biography including academic affiliation and contact details to the email address below. Deadline: 15th September 2023.

“Taco Tuesday” Trademark Claim Abandoned

Clip art illustrating the basic contents of an American-style taco: protein, lettuce, tomato, and cheese wrapped in a crispy corn tortilla.

Taco clip art (Photo: public domain)

Though the battle with Taco Johns may be over, the war for the “Taco Tuesday” continues on in New Jersey. According to an Associated Press piece, Taco Johns has abandoned its claim to the “Taco Tuesday” trademark as rival Taco Bell challenges the smaller chain. Mead Gruver writes, “In a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Cheyenne-based Taco John’s gave up any further claim to “Taco Tuesday” in 49 states, ending a high-profile spat with Taco Bell. But the dispute looks to keep simmering on the Jersey Shore, where Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar in Somers Point promised to keep fighting Taco Bell over the exclusive right to hold “Taco Tuesday” promotions in New Jersey. “We’re hanging in there. We’re sticking by our guns,” Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar attorney Stephen Altamuro said.”

Read more over at apnews.com.