"Upset" & other nomenological phenomena

[Dennis R. Preston]

Since I grew up in the era of Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler (among
others), I most certainly recall that the adults around me said
"Adolf" much more frequently than "Joseph." For some reason, the
latter was always "Joe." (Of course, last name only mentions were by
far the most frequent.)

dInIs

>         "Adolf" forms a real-life example of a name tarred by
>too-close association with a single figure.  The associational
>problem seems to arise whenever a name has become closely associated
>with an actual or imaginary figure and parents consider that the
>association would be embarrassing for their child.  It doesn't have
>to be a negative association; it's been said that there is only one
>Aretha.  Note that the name must be distinctive; "Joseph" is still
>freely used, in spite of Joseph Stalin.
>
>         Historically, the tendency has gone the other way, with
>parents or godparents seeking to evoke famous figures.  Many common
>names can be traced back to some famous progenitor (or, in the case
>of John, progenitors).
>
>John Baker

--
Dennis R. Preston
Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics & Germanic, Slavic,
      Asian & African Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1027
e-mail: preston at msu.edu
phone: (517) 353-9290