The return of the mononym

[Wilson Gray]

As the punch line of the old joke goes, "Y'all done caught de ol'
coon, dis time, Mistuh Chollie." [Lest any Northener unfamiliar with
the joke misunderstand, the speaker in the joke is addressing *two*
people, hence, "y'all," though he calls only one of them by name.]

-Wlison.

On 2/22/07, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: The return of the mononym
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Wilson, I KNEW you were going to say that!
>
> --Charlie
> _____________________________________________________
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:59:15 -0500
> >From: Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> >Subject: Re: The return of the mononym
>
> >
> >Not "binym," but "dionym."
> >
> >-Wilson
>
> >
> >On 2/22/07, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> >> Subject:      Re: The return of the mononym
>
> >>
> >> Isn't there a significant difference between mononyms for individuals who have well-known second (usually sur-) names, like Hillary, Elvis, and Che, and those who don't (the ESSENTIAL mononymites), like Pele, Madonna, and Dagmar?
> >>
> >> Is "Ann-Margaret" a mononym or a binym?
> >>
> >> --Charlie
>
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Sam'l Clemens

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