The Luther Burger
Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. This week’s column explores Luther.
About Names: German surname Luther takes hold in America
PARSEME General Meeting, Struga, Macedonia, April 7-8, 2016
PARSEME is the acronym given to a scholarly network of scientists dedicated to the investigation of parsing and multi-word expressions.
From the 7th to the 8th of April 2016, this organization will be holding its 6th General Meeting in Struga, Macedonia. Lexicography researchers and language technology experts from 30 member countries are invited to submit poster proposals by the 30th of November 2015.… Read More
Conference on Hebrew and Yiddish in Contemporary Education and Culture, Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 27-30 2016
From the 27th to the 30th of June 2016, the Department of Jewish Culture at Saint Petersburg University in Russia will be holding a conference on Hebrew and Yiddish in Contemporary Education and Culture. The aim of this 2nd international conference is to provide researchers specializing in Yiddish or Hebrew Studies a forum for sharing their findings and experience.… Read More
More Entrepreneurs Going for Invented Names
A recently Clutch study found that new companies are increasingly inventing new names. This is fueled in part by the want for a dot-com domain name. Additionally, an invented name isn’t restricted by the meaning of existing words. This can allow more freedom to create a memorable brand.
Pronunciation of Foreign Names Matters
This East African Western University student discusses how Westerners cannot pronounce her name and what that means to her.… Read More
What is name-blind recruitment?
In recruitment, there exists an “unconscious bias” based on applicants names. This leads to ethnic and gender discrimination in hiring. Many companies and universities are moving toward a “name-blind” application model.
St Mary’s County Genealogical Society February meeting will be about names.
On the 22nd of February 2016, the monthly meeting of the St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society will be devoted to the subject of onomasiology, the study of the origin, history, and use of proper names. The meeting will discuss the research techniques used when dealing with proper names. Members of the public are welcomed to attend.
International Conference of Near Eastern Achaeomusicology, University of Oxford, December 14-16, 2015
The International Conference of Near Eastern Achaeomusicology (ICONEA) will be holding a scientific forum devoted to all aspects of onomasiology and semasiology in the music of the Ancient World. Interested participants are invited to send in their abstracts before the 16th of November 2015. The conference will be held in the Oriental Institute of the University of Oxford from the 14th to the 16th of December 2015.
Dictionary Society of North America (DSNA) redefines membership category to be more inclusive
The Dictionary Society of North America (DSNA) is devoted to supporting scholarly and professional activities relating to dictionaries, lexicography, and lexicology.
In the summer of this year, the DSNA announced that it had voted to change the wording of its constitution to remove exclusive language. The previous constitution defined the category name of “joint membership” as belonging to a “husband and wife.” The newly revised definition stipulates that the category name pertains to a “member and partner or spouse.”
According to the report issued on the DSNA website, these terminological changes were made in advance of the US Supreme Court ruling that laws prohibiting the marriage of same-sex partners are unconstitutional.
Since Caitlyn Jenner, Renaming Ceremonies Gain Visibility
Transgender individuals frequently mark their transition by exchanging their birth name for a new, self-chosen name.
In recognition and celebration of this significant personal transformation, many progressive religious institutions have begun to offer members special re-naming ceremonies. The Congregational Church of San Mateo (CCSM) holds special baptisms for its congregation. As one CCSM member who was recently re-baptized revealed in an interview with the New York Times: “It was pretty powerful and moving […] to be able to say ‘My name is Constance’.”
Outside the United States, in an effort to better respond to the pastoral needs of the Christian transgender community, Reverend Newlands, the Vicar of England’s Lancaster Priory, has petitioned the General Synod to officially allow re-baptisms.