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Seeking New ANS Officers for 2018

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Ever thought about getting more involved with the American Name Society but did not know how?  Here is your opportunity!  The American Name Society is currently looking for a few good people who are interested in joining the Executive Council.  Starting January 2017, new officers will be needed to fill the positions listed below.

To apply for one or more of these positions, please fill out the application form on this page.

 

ANS Treasurer (2018-2020)

The person elected to this position will be responsible for keeping official record of all funds and securities of the Society; giving and keeping receipts for moneys due and payable to the Society; depositing all moneys in the name of the Society; responding to inquiries from annual conference attendees regarding registration payments; and informing the ANS President, the members of the ANS Executive Council, and the general membership about the financial status of the Society via an end-of-the year fiscal report. The ANS Treasurer will work closely with the ANS President, Vice President, and Membership Officer as well as Taylor & Francis, the current publisher of the ANS Journal NAMES. The person elected to this position is expected to have demonstrable accounting experience and competence in using standard spreadsheets programs (e.g., Excel). Applicants for this position must be long-term ANS members in good-standing.

 

Member-at-large (2017-2020)

The person elected to this position will serve as a voting member of the Executive Council (EC) and is expected to participate actively in the legislative decision-making involved in resolutions and motions placed before the EC.  In addition to these duties, members-at-large serve on various auxiliary sub-committees to, for example, help with the nomination of new officers, coordination of the annual conference, and organization of allied conferences.  Officers in this position can renew their term of service twice.

 

Allied Conference Coordinator (2018-2020)

The person elected to this position is principally responsible for organizing the ANS session at the annual conference of the Modern Language Association. This activity involves issuing a call for papers, assembling a team of abstract reviewers, selecting three authors whose work will be presented at the MLA conference, and coordinating the presentation of the three winning abstracts with the MLA administration. In addition to these duties, as a voting member of the ANS Executive Council (EC), the Allied Conference Coordinator participates in the legislative decision-making of the Society. Although the term of service for this position is for two years, the holder of this office may be re-elected pending approval by the EC. Given the fact that this position requires close communication with the MLA, candidates who have a demonstrated expertise in literary onomastics will receive preference. Holders of this position are also eligible for election as an ANS Vice President.

 

Coordinator for 4 ANS Facebook Special Interest Group (2018-2020)

The person elected to this position is principally responsible for managing the ANS Facebook Special Interest Groups (SIGs). There are four ANS SIGs: 1) Personal Names, 2) Literary Names, 3) Trade Names, and 4) Place Names. For each of one of those SIGs, the coordinator is responsible for stimulating and monitoring discussions between users; regularly posting material of thematic interest; answering queries from the general public; and coordinating an informal gathering in-person during the annual ANS meetings. The people chosen for these positions are expected to have excellent writing skills; be a frequent and enthusiastic Facebook user; and have a demonstrable interest in the thematic area of the relevant SIG. The coordinators of the ANS Facebook SIGs will work closely with one another, the ANS President and Vice President, and the ANS Information Officer.

Call for Papers: ANS Conference Special Panel on Onomastics Beyond Academia

computer-564136_960_720The ANS is inviting abstract submissions for a special panel on “Onomastics Beyond Academia” for the 2017 annual conference to be held in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America. The purpose of the panel is to highlight professional applications of onomastics outside of the university setting.

All professional names enthusiasts are invited to submit an abstract for a 20-minute presentation. Abstracts proposals should answer one or more of the following questions:

  1. How did your training in onomastics help your professional life, outside of academia (e.g. finding a job or building your own business)?
  2. How do you work with onomastic data in your profession?
  3. What are some of the most interesting challenges which you (and your colleagues) face in using names data?
  4. What new markets are opening for names enthusiasts?
  5. What practical recommendations would you give to other names enthusiasts who are interested in working outside of academia?

To submit a proposal, simply send a 250-word abstract proposal and a 100-word professional biography to Laurel Sutton [laurel@catchwordbranding.com] by the 15th of July 2016. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2017: Panel” 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, 2015. All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS and need to register with both the ANS and the Linguistic Society of America. Please feel free to contact Laurel Sutton should you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Second Call for Papers: ANS 2017, Austin, TX, January 5-8 2017

Austin EveningThe ANS is inviting abstract submissions for the 2017 annual conference to be held in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America.  Abstracts in any area of onomastic research are welcome.

The deadline for receipt of abstracts is June 30, 2016.

To submit a proposal, complete the 2017 Author Information Sheet found here. Please email this completed form to Dr. I. M. Nick [mavi.yaz@web.de]. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2017” in the subject line of your email.

Presenters who may need additional time to secure international payments and travel visas to the United States are urged to submit their proposal as soon as possible.

All proposals will be subjected to blind review.

Official notification of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before September 30, 2016.

All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS and need to register with both the ANS and the Linguistic Society of America.

Please feel free to contact Dr. I. M. Nick should you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Call for Papers – Special Session of ANS about Texas Names, Austin, January 5-8, 2017

The 2017 annual meeting of ANS will be January 5-8 in Austin, TX. In recognition of this occasion there will be a special session devoted to Texas names.

Abstracts on any aspect of Texas names are welcome:

  • place names in Texas
  • personal names in Texas2000px-Texas_flag_map.svg
  • regional or ethnic names in Texas
  • changes of names
  • pronunciation of Texas names
  • street names in Texas
  • ranch names
  • Texas brands
  • folk etymology in Texas names
  • fanciful stories attached to Texas names
  • names of Texas radio and TV stations
  • Texas highway names
  • names of Texas politicians
  • Texas formal vs. colloquial names
  • Texas names in media
  • names of Texas newspapers
  • New England names in Texas

… the list goes on.

You need not live in Texas nor be a native or even a naturalized Texan to participate. Texans, former Texans, closet Texans, Texas wannabees, Texans from all parts of the world are welcome.

If you are interested in presenting a paper at this special session, please send an email to Edward Callary [callary1@hotmail.com] no later than April 30 expressing your interest and a general idea of your topic.

Call for Papers: ANS 2017, Austin, TX, January 5-8 2017

Austin EveningThe ANS is inviting abstract submissions for the 2017 annual conference to be held in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America.  Abstracts in any area of onomastic research are welcome.

The deadline for receipt of abstracts is June 30, 2016.

To submit a proposal, complete the 2017 Author Information Sheet. Please email this completed form to Dr. I. M. Nick [mavi.yaz@web.de]. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2017” in the subject line of your email.

Presenters who may need additional time to secure international payments and travel visas to the United States are urged to submit their proposal as soon as possible.

All proposals will be subjected to blind review.

Official notification of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before September 30, 2016.

All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS and need to register with both the ANS and the Linguistic Society of America.

Please feel free to contact Dr. I. M. Nick should you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Submit Name News to the ANS

If you see an interesting news story about names, the ANS wants to know so that we can publicize it.

Submit your new item through the ANS New Submission Form. The link to the form is located in the upper right-hand corner of the news page:

 

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Name of the Year 2015: Caitlyn Jenner

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Fictional Names: Rey, Finn, and Poe … Names from the new Star Wars movie, which all have onomastic and cultural significance in how they (1) were created, (2) represent a character, and (3) will impact baby names

Personal Name: Caitlyn Jenner … representing many LGBT onomastic issues

Place Name: Denali … Mount McKinley Will Again Be Called Denali and the onomastic debate surrounding that change

Trade Name: Charlie Hebdo … French satirical magazine attacked by terrorists, whose name gave raise to the hash tag #jesuischarlie

Name of the Year: Caitlyn Jenner

 

Caitlyn Jenner was chosen the Name of the Year for 2015 by the American Name Society at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on January 8, 2016.

The name of the athlete and reality television celebrity who was formerly known as Bruce Jenner became known throughout the world during 2015. “Caitlyn Jenner is an example of how people in modern times are asserting their own identities by choosing their own names,” said Iman Nick, President of ANS. “Many cultures have allowed people to choose their own names after important life changes, and this right is being revived today in a positive ways by those like Caitlyn Jenner.”

Caitlyn Jenner was also voted Personal Name of the Year for 2015.

Charlie Hebdo was ANS’s Trade Name of the Year. The name of this French satirical magazine whose Paris headquarters was attacked in January 2015 by terrorists has become a symbol of free speech around the world. Its iconic status was only reinforced by the more recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

Denali was voted Place Name of the Year. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell ordered the official national name of Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America, be changed to Denali last August. This put the federal designation in line with the official state of Alaska designation, but was criticized by many in Ohio, original home of President McKinley. The emotions aroused on both sides show the power of naming.

Rey, Finn, and Poe were voted Fictional Names of the Year. The names of three new characters in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” were cited for their expected impact on baby names in 2016. Rey is noteworthy for being a mostly male name given to a strong female character. Finn is significant as a name because it replaces the character’s impersonal designation, FN-2187, when he leaves the stormtroopers and joins the Resistance.

The American Name Society is a scholarly organization founded in 1951 devoted to studying all aspects of names and naming. The Name of the Year vote has been held since 2004. “Ferguson” was the 2014 Name of the Year, “Francis” for 2013, and “Sandy” for 2012.

For further information contact Dr. Cleveland Evans, chair of the Name of the Year committee, at cevans@bellevue.edu or 402-210-7458.

2016 Slate of Nominees for ANS Officers

filed under ANS Conference 2016, Featured, Member News

The American Name Society is pleased to announce the 2016 Slate of Nominees for ANS Officer positions:

  • Vice President: Dr. Dorothy Dodge Robbins, Louisiana Tech University, USA
  • Allied Conference Coordinator*: Dr. Andreas Gavrielatos, University of Edinburgh, SCOTLAND
  • Member-at-large: Dr. Jan Tent, University of Sydney, AUSTRALIA
  • Membership Officer*: Ms.
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