Naming Conventions or How Many Ways Can You Spell Mohammed

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Naming Conventions or How Many Ways Can You
Spell Mohammed?

• Office of International Programs
• University of Kansas Medical Center

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Who We Are

• Julia Shaw,
• Associate Director, International Programs
• University of Kansas Medical Center
• Kerry Allen, Sr Coordinator
• Academic English and Cultural Studies
• University of Kansas Medical Center

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What is in a Name?

• Common to all mankind
• Self
• Possible associations include
• Gender
• Family
• Social status
• Generation
• Spirituality or religion
• Region or area
• Heritage / Race
• Wealth
• Occupation
• Caste

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What Do These Names Say to You?

• Bobbi Sue Taylor
• Floyd and Iris Miller
• Reggie White
• Olga Johansen
• Salvatore Sal Falco
• David Levi Solomon
• Basil Thibodeau
• Tiffany Hart
• Miguel Garcia
• Mohammed Shirazi

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How Many Ways Can You Spell Mohammed?
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Transcription Transliteration

• The translation from one writing form to
  another.
• Transcription is a more phonetic interpretation
• Transliteration represents the letters exactly
• Why transcription instead of transliteration?
• Some English vowel sounds dont exist in the
  other language and vice-versa
• Some English consonant sounds dont exist in the
  other language and vice-versa
• Some languages are not written with letters

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Issues Related to Transliteration Transcription

• Lack of consistent rules for some languages or
  varying sets of rules
• Country variations in choice of rules
• Country/regional variations in pronunciation
• Same name may be transcribed differently even
  within the same family
• More confusing when common or religious names
  cross over several countries with different
  scripts (Islam - Mohammed)

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Arabic Transcription

• There are three letters with vowel sounds a, i,
  u.
• Short vowel sounds are not written.
• The letter hamza is a glottal stop, it has no
  sound and is not pronounced
• Consonant sounds not found in English include
  kh and q or gh
• Arabic is written from right to left

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Use of Arabic Script
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Use of Arabic Script

• Middle East and Central Asia
• Kurdish and Turkmen in Iraq
• Farsi (Persian) and Baluchi in Iran
• Dari, Pashto and Uzbek in Afghanistan
• Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz in northwest China
• South Asia
• Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Kashmiri and Balochi in
  Pakistan
• Urdu and Kashmiri in India
• Southeast Asia
• Malay in Burnei
• Malaysia, Indonesia, southern Thailand, Singapore
  and the Phillipines for religious purposes
• Africa
• Bedawi or Beja in Sudan
• Hausa in Nigeria
• Tamazight and other Berber languages

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????

• M-H-M-D
• Vowels and their pronunciation depend on region
• D and T interchangeable and depend on region
• Middle M sometimes repeated when transcribed
• How do you spell ?
• Mehmed
• Mahomet
• Mahmed
• Mahmud
• Muhammed
• Mohammed
• Mohammet

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Gadhafi

• Common spellings of Libyan leader Moammar
  Gadhafi's name
• Qaddafi
• Qatafi
• Quathafi
• Kadafi
• Kaddafi
• Khadaffi
• Gadhafi
• Gaddafi
• Ghadafy
• All names listed above with al-..

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Cyrillic Script

• The Cyrillic alphabet is actually a family of
  alphabets, subsets of which are used principally
  in Slavic, but also other, languages.
• Not all letters are used in every language this
  is written with it.
• Common spelling variations in names occur with
  the sounds/letters
• Y J I
• Gh G H
• Zh - J

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Cyrillic to Latin Alphabet

• After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in
  1991 some countries transitioned to the Latin
  alphabet
• Uzbekistan
• Azerbajian
• Turkmenistan
• In other countries the Cyrillic alphabet is also
  written in the Latin alphabet
• Serbia
• Croatia
• Bulgaria
• Belarus
• Bosnia

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Use of Cyrillic Script
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Chinese Languages Transcription

• The major Chinese languages (Mandarin
  Cantonese) are based on images and syllables,
  known as monosyllabic logograms, rather than
  individual letters
• There is no Chinese alphabet
• Pinyin style is the type of transcription used in
  mainland China
• Wade-Giles is the type of transcription used in
  Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.
• Uses hyphens between syllables
• Wang Mao-hsin or Liu Mei-lai

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Transliteration of Chinese Names

• Names of the Worlds Peoples A Comprehensive
  Dictionary of Names in Roman Chinese
• Complied by the Proper Names and Translation
  Service of the Xinhua New Agency
• Based on Mandarin
• Provides standardization of names

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Japanese Transcription

• The Japanese language is expressed through
  characters and uses more than one writing system
• Kanji Chinese characters
• Hiragana Japanese writing form used when Kanji
  characters dont exist curvy letters
• Katakana Used to write foreign names and
  words and names of other countries sharper more
  square like-letters
• ??????????
• Any name may have several written forms
• A name written in kanji may have more than one
  common pronunciation. For example, Nakata and
  Nakada have the same kanji -??
• ?? ?? Ono Yoko may be written in English as
  Yooko, Youko or Yoko. Her name is pronounced
  Yoko not Yooko

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Naming Conventions
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Definitions

• Given name
• Personal name
• American first name
• Name a person calls oneself
• Christian name
• Second name
• American middle name
• Surname
• American last name
• Family name
• Name typically associated with the family but
  this can vary by country
• In this presentation we provide examples of the
  naming practice by using American names

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US and Europe Naming

• Susan Elizabeth
  Jones
• Given name Second name
  Surname
• Second or middle names more common in US
• Women typically take husbands family name upon
  marriage
• Some women drop maiden family name and replace
  with husbands family name
• Some women drop second name, and use the maiden
  name as the second name ( Hilary Rodham Clinton)
• Some women choose to keep their maiden name or
  hyphenate the maiden and married surnames
• In Eastern Europe and Russia
• Women take husbands surname, however it carries
  a feminine ending
• Example Trotsky becomes Trotskya, Davidov
  becomes Davidova
• Names ending in ski or owicz are typically
  Polish
• Names ending in sky are Russian, Ukrainian,
  Czech or Slovak

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Hispanic Naming

• Susan Elizabeth Jones
  Brown
• Given name second name fathers family
  name mothers family name
• Hispanic names consist of both the paternal and
  maternal family names
• If you wanted to Americanize the name it would be
  
• Susan Elizabeth Jones
• What may appear as a given name and a second
  name, may actually be the given name. Example
  Luis Miguel, Juan Carlos, Luz Maria
• Nicknames are very common in Mexican culture.
  Some people are known to others only by their
  nicknames.

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Hispanic Naming (contd)

• Susan Elizabeth Jones Brown
• Given name second name fathers family name
  mothers family name
• Women traditionally retain their names after
  marriage. In some areas the women might add her
  husbands family name to her own. There are
  regional variations
• Example Susan marries Juan Garcia Chavez. She
  may change her name to
• Susan Elizabeth Jones Brown de Garcia
• Susan Elizabeth Jones de Garcia
• Susan Elizabeth Jones Sra. de Garcia
• Childrens names will differ from both the
  parents.
• Susan Jones Brown and Juan Garcia Chavezs
  children might be named
• Jose Garcia Jones
• Marcia Garcia Jones

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Brazil Portugal Naming

• Susan Elizabeth Brown de
  Jones
• Given name second name mothers family
  name fathers family name
• Like Hispanic names, consists of both the
  paternal and maternal family names, however in a
  different order
• A preposition of de, del or de la is common
  prior to the fathers family name
• If you wanted to Americanize the name it would be
  
• Susan Elizabeth Jones

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Filipino Naming

• Susan Brown
  Jones
• Given name mothers family name
  fathers family name
• Hispanic influence in many names, but do not
  follow Hispanic naming conventions
• Second name is mothers family name
• When a woman marries, fathers family name
  becomes middle name and husbands familys name
  becomes last name
• Susan Brown Jones marries Joe Smith. She drops
  the Brown and becomes Susan Jones Smith

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East Asian Naming

• In many east Asian cultures the family name or
  surname is first in the naming order
• Japan
• China
• Korea
• Vietnam
• Laos
• Hmong
• Cambodia

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Vietnamese Naming

• Jones Elizabeth
  Susan
• surname
  second name given name
• Vietnamese names are written in an order opposite
  of western names
• There are reportedly no more than 300 family
  names with the most common being Nguyen
  (pronounced similar to win). Other family
  names include Tran, Le, Vu, Vo, Huynh, Pham,
  Ngo, Troung, Doan, Trinh, Dang, Bui, Lam
• Many Vietnamese names are related to Chinese
  clans or family names
• The second name identifies the gender of an
  individual. The second name may remain the same
  for all male members of the family
• Common middle names for men are Van, Huu, Duc,
  Dinh, Xuan, Ngoc, Quang, Cong
• Women retain their names after marriage

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Chinese Naming

• Jones Susan
• surname given name
• The order is reversed with surname first then
  the given name
• Li, Wang, and Zhang are the most common Chinese
  family names. Most family names are only one
  syllable long
• A familys hopes are often reflected in a childs
  given name. Zhifu (getting rich), Xinghau
  (rejuvenate China)
• Mens names typically imply honor to ancestry,
  militaristic bearing or virility, such as Gang
  (steel) Jinsong (sturdy pine), Ren Youcheng
  (accomplishment)
• Womens names include words related to beauty,
  jewelry, flowers or birds, such as Hua (flower),
  Yan (beautiful), Mei (enchanting)
• Women retain their names after marriage

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Korean Naming

• Park Susan-Elizabeth
• surname given name
• Korean names consist of a surname followed by a
  given name.
• Only about 250 Korean family names are in use.
  Almost 50 of Koreans have the family name of
  Kim, Park or Lee
• Lee and Yi are the same name in written Korean
• The surname is usually one syllable and the given
  name is usually a two-part hyphenated name
• Koreans have no middle names. You may see two
  names written together or hyphenated and these
  represent the given name
• Women keep their names following marriage

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Japanese Naming

• Jones Susan
• surname given name
• In Japanese names, the surname is first and then
  the given name. There are no middle names
• Most names are written in Kanji with a variety of
  possible pronunciations
• Suzuki, Takahashi and Kato are common surnames.
  There are as many as 100,000 surnames in use in
  Japan and their usage varies by region. The
  Japanese government regulates names written in
  Kanji. Only Kanji which appear on the government
  list (about 2,230) may be used in given names
• The Japanese usually address someone by his or
  her surname followed by san or often refer to
  someone by his or her title rather than name
  (sensei, sacho, etc.)
• Male given names often end in ro (son) or ta
  (great) or ichi (first)
• Female given names often end in ko (child) or
  mi (beauty)
• Women do adopt the husbands surname after
  marriage

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India Naming

• Indian names are based on a variety of systems
  and naming conventions, which vary greatly region
  by region
• Names are influenced by religion, caste and
  occupation as well as other cultural influences
• British
• Portuguese
• Caste names include Nair, Reddy, Patel, Gandhi

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India Naming Religious Influence

• Sikh names often use Singh as the surname or as a
  suffix to the surname however, Singh is a clan
  name and, therefore, not used exclusively by
  Sikhs
• Jains often use the surname of Jain. Like Singh
  this is a surname used by other Indians as well
• Most Hindu names consist of a given name,
  possibly a second name, and a family based
  surname. The second name may be the fathers
  given name
• Indians of the Christian faith follow British
  naming conventions
• Indians of the Moslem faith follow conventions
  similar to Arabic naming conventions

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Southern India Naming

• Chicago Robert ____ Paul
  
• Region or village fathers given name
  given name
• In the southern states of India (Andhra Pradesh,
  Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala), naming
  conventions are not consistent and vary
  considerably by region
• Typically there is no family name
• The names are often abbreviated, with the
  exception of the given name
• Example C. R. Paul
• Women take the husbands given name after
  marriage, and it replaces the fathers given name
• Women use initials also. However, before marriage
  they use the fathers initials with her given
  name. After marriage she uses her husbands
  initials with her given name

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Arabic Naming

• Susan Jones
• Given name Surname
• Naming conventions vary region by region and by
  religion (Moslem, Jewish, Christian)
• The use of honorific, patronymic, and tribal
  names is common
• Abu Karim Muhammad al-Jamil ibn Nidal ibn
  Abdulaziz al-Filastini
• Father of Karim, Muhammed, the beautiful, son of
  Nidal, son of Abdulaziz, the Palestinian.
• The use of titles is common al Haji
• Al or El, a common prefix to family names,
  may be used in the name or may be dropped
• Masculine given names are often feminized by
  adding an a ending
• Sohail becomes Sohaila
• Arabs often adopt Western conventions when
  traveling or living in Western countries.
  Constructing a first name/surname model from
  their full Arab name.
• Farsi, Dari and other languages share Arabic
  script but are not Arab languages. Naming
  conventions are different then Arabic.

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African Naming

• Naming practices vary greatly based on religion,
  tribal or ethnic group, and region
• Christian and Moslem naming practices can be seen
• Children may have a tribal name and a Christian
  name
• Names for children may include the day they were
  born, especially if it was a holiday or
  celebration day
• Children are often named after relatives, tribal
  elders, legendary gods or respected persons.
  Children may also be named after aspirations or
  values such as Joy or Justice.

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African Naming (contd)

• In Ghana, the surname is not the same for all
  persons in a family. Each child may have a
  different surname.
• For Akan speakers in Ghana, a naming ceremony is
  held seven days after birth. The father chooses
  the name of a respected relative for the child.
• In Nigeria, in the Yoruba community, babies are
  given a name which describes the day of their
  birth, born in the rainy time. Later the child
  is give a praise name which expresses hopes for
  their future. Dunsimi means dont die before
  me. Titilayo means eternal happiness.
• The Urhobo community in Nigeria, believe that a
  child lives up to the the meaning of their name.
  Many names therefore have a spiritual or
  religious significance. Eseoghene or Ese means
  Gods gift. Efemini of Efe means Lets see how
  wealthy you can be. Typically grandparents
  receive the honor of naming the new child.
• In Kenya, to Swahili speakers, the babies first
  or birth name refers to the childs appearance.
  Later, up to 40 days after the birth, a name is
  chosen for the child by his parents and paternal
  grandparents.

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Welcome to the US!

• Names are often misspelled or mispronounced
• The accent marks, tilde, or umlauts are often
  lost
• The order of ones name may be reversed
• Many change the order of their names to conform
  with American naming conventions
• Many adopt American nicknames

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For more information

• This presentation was constructed as an
  introduction to naming conventions or practices
• You can find much more detailed information
  regarding these various practices

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Comments Questions?