Names Are Funny

Apparently, this was a bit of a "thinking week" for me...but at least this topic is a bit on the lighter side!

Amidst the other "swirling thoughts", apparently I began to think about names, particularly nick names and "names for short". I'm pretty sure I can come up with a few reasons why I've been thinking about this...

1. My sister was told yesterday that her baby will be born sometime in the next two weeks...she will be induced if he does not come on his own. My nephew has had "a name" since before they even knew he was a boy...although last night I dreamed that she and my brother-in-law changed it after he was born (not a chance, but still a funny dream!)
2. There is a line in the play I am doing where the two main characters are talking to boys who are new to the English language. At one point there is a really funny line about trying to explain to them how "Ollie" is a short name for "Olive", even though it is not actually "shorter".
3. This super funny story that was posted on facebook by one of my high school friends. (The "Cliffs Notes" version is that the executive assistant to a congressman went absolutely nuts when someone sent an email to her requesting a meeting with her boss and referred to her as "Liz" rather than "Elizabeth"...it is funny and many of the reader comments are also entertaining.)
   
4. I am just kind of weird and think of very random things like names when I should be doing things like cleaning my house.

I do actually think names are funny, as are some names that people choose to name their children (while I do not work in a newborn nursery, we do get our share of interesting ones...I will not list any here so as not to offend anyone who may have an idea to name their child "Maverick"...) However, my "puzzlement" that came this week was, as I wrote previously, about nick names and how some people get them, others do not, and how people feel about them.

For example, there are some girls at work named Emily, Jessica, Becky, and Colleen. More often than not, I find myself calling them "Em", "Jess", "Bec", and "Coll"...how lazy is that?! I mean, MY name is three syllables and no one seems to have too much trouble spitting them all out. I suppose my name also doesn't really lend itself to a shortened version like these ones seem to (although, I'm wondering how "Bec" and "Coll" feel about THOSE names...)

And what about those names, like the one in my play that are "shortened", but really actually the same number of syllables, so not ACTUALLY shortened? For instance, Nikki is not really "short" for Nicole, and Debra and Debbie are pretty much the same as well.

Or, why did I get a three syllable name, but my parents never gave me a short/nick name, but my sister was given a three syllable name, but ALWAYS called by a nick name?

Sometimes maybe it is kind of a "friendly" type thing where your "short name" is what your friends call you...I mean, Ginger is not any harder to say than Laurie, Erin, Sara, Lauren, Lisa...you get the idea... But, sometimes when my friend Ginger and I are having a friendly conversation (as friends do...ha!), she refers to herself as "Ging"...which to me, feels kind of like "aww, you're my 'bff' so I'm gonna call you 'Ging' because it's really sweet" instead of "wow, I'm super lazy and can't say your full name". However, those other names, like mine, don't seem to lend themselves very well to a one-syllable nick-name.

Some people are "okay" with their names for short, and probably they are ones that their parents called them as they were growing up. Obviously I have never had to name a child yet, but I'm thinking that is one of the things parents must consider (that is, if they actually give thought to names...as I mentioned, some parents apparently do not appear to.) Some people are very passionate about whether or not their child will be called the typical nickname (apparently, that woman in the above article did not take too kindly to the fact that someone would call her "Liz" just because her parents named her "Elizabeth"!) "Elizabeth" is, in fact, a long name, as is the four-syllable name that my nephew will have. My sister has decided that SHE will not call him by his shortened name, but to this point has not corrected others who have already chosen to shorten it. I suppose it is all in what you are used to...if someone attempted to call me the shortened version of my name, I would just kindly correct them, because it doesn't feel "right" since I was never called that.

Some people have names that can't really be shortened. Others end up shortened because people, like me, are lazy and make up names for them. Some people are given longer names and ALWAYS called by their given names. Others are always called by the shortened/nick name version of their given name. (Surely there are LOTS of Jennifers who have ALWAYS been Jenn or Jenny/Jennie/Jenni...ha!)

I'm wondering if one syllable names are the way to go...but, then there are those folks who name their children "John" and call them "Jack", so I guess no amount of syllables can save you from "nick names" or "names for short" :o)

And, I'm sure you could come up with all SORTS of funny names to call me after writing such a post!

But, in the words of Shakespeare "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Which, according to this helpful little link means "What matters is what something is, not what it is called." And, I think that says it perfectly.

Good night.