The University of North Dakota (UND) has joined a growing number of American institutions deciding to end their use of potentially disparaging Native American names. According to university officials, the team once known as “the Fighting Sioux” will now be called “the Fighting Hawks”. In an interview with the local news, UND President Robert Kelley explained that the change in name policy expresses “our state spirit and the fact that UND continues to ascend to newer heights.”
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Onomastic news includes conference information, calls for papers, information about names, and names in the news.
Ask the Expert: Jewish Naming Patterns – Tuesday, February 16, 2016 @ 12pm (EST)
Jewish genealogical research can be difficult and confusing because people had many given names and nicknames in various languages and alphabets.
In this Ask the Expert session, Warren Blatt, Managing Director of JewishGen.org will answer questions about the history and patterns of Jewish first names, and how to recognize names in genealogical sources.… Read More
Toponyms that become disease names
The Zika virus of the Flaviviridae family derived its name in 1947 from the Zika Forest in Uganda where it was first identified in a rhesus monkey. Since that initial isolation, viral outbreaks among humans have been tracked in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and most recently the Americas and Europe.
Given the spread of the virus and the possible link to life-threatening birth defects, African residents of the Zika Forest are worried that negative onomastic associations will endanger their vital tourist industry. Other toponyms which have served as the basis for disease monikers include the West Nile; and Lime, Connecticut.
Djokovic Names His 2016 Goal the Djoker Slam
Number one ranked tennis star, Novak Djokovic, is using the power of names to prepare himself for the upcoming French Open. As a part of his motivational strategy, the winner of 11 Grand slam trophies has devised a name for his goal to take the French Open: “the Djoker Slam”. Djokovic, or “Djoker” as he is called by friends, is not the first player to use this linguistic technique. Tennis legend, Serena Williams, called her 21st Grad Slam title, the “Serena Slam”.
2016 Olympics Games Onomastic Controversy
Although the 2016 Olympic Games scheduled for Rio de Janeiro have not even begun, the local Committee is facing blistering controversy. From the emergence of the disastrous Zika virus to public fury over the millions being pumped into the Games, the de Janeiro Committee has been beset with problems, including a juicy onomastic controversy:
One of the main sports arenas is named after João Havelange, a former Olympic athlete and ex FIFA President who allegedly accepted nearly $1 million in bribes.… Read More
Name Stories: Actor Harry Belafonte
Legendary singer and actor Harry Belafonte did not always find that his name opened doors. In the 1950’s, he, like many African Americans, was routinely refused housing in segregationist America. An ardent supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, when Belafonte found his dream penthouse apartment in Manhattan’s Upper West, he did not take no for an answer. In a clever move, Belafonte sent his White publicist to pick up the rental agreement and then signed the lease in his own name. When the landlord discovered the name “Belafonte” on the agreement, he demanded the singer give up the apartment. Not only did Belafonte refuse, but he went on to buy the entire building!
Names for those Thingamajigs
According the Merriam Webster Dictionary, thingamajig is the name given to any object for which the namer “either does not know or cannot remember” the name. In other words, a thingamajig is what you call a doohickey when you forget what that infernal whatchamahoosit is called. How many names do you know for a whatsit? Test yourself against this list of than 60 different synonyms for a thingumaboobee.
Conference: Landscape and Place Names, UK, March 18, 2017
The Essex Place Names Project Group will be holding a one day conference at the Essex Record Office on Saturday, the 18th of March 2017. The key note speaker will be Professor Stephen Rippon from Exeter University. The thematic focus of the conference will be Landscape and Place Names.
Call for Papers for the Modern Language Association (MLA) Conference, Philadelphia, PA, January 5-8, 2017
ANS Panel at the Modern Language Association Conference
January 5-8th, 2017 in Philadelphia, PA
The American Name Society invites proposals for a panel under the theme of “Names and Multilingualism.” Multilingual and multicultural communities have been developed since the ancient world. The linguistic and cultural contacts within these communities have attracted the interest of a broad range of disciplines, where in some cases different strands have emerged. Personal as well as place names (i.e. anthroponymy and toponymy, respectively) mirror the interactions and the subsequent changes in those communities, thus modern scholarship often emphasizes their significance.
We encourage submissions pertaining to this topic from diverse perspectives, drawing evidence from literature, material culture, oral tradition, etc. of any period or area. Papers may deal with any aspect of naming, e.g., personal names, place names, corporate or trade names, name theory, etc. Submissions for interdisciplinary approaches are most welcome.
Proposal submission process:
- Proposals should include a title and abstract up to 350 words.
- Proposals should be sent via email attachment (PDF format) to Andreas Gavrielatos [a.gavrielatos@ed.ac.uk] with “MLA proposal” in the subject line. Please, include the Title, Name of Speaker, Affiliation and email address in the body of the email and NOT in the abstract.
- Proposals must be received by 5pm GMT on 13 March 2016. Proposers will be notified of results soon thereafter, following blind review of proposals.
- Panelists must be members of both MLA and ANS in order to present.
- For questions, please contact Andreas Gavrielatos at the email address above.
More information about ANS and MLA conferences in available on the Conferences page of this website.