[Lingtyp] query: teknonymy and gender asymmetries

[David Gil]

(The following query is on behalf of a friend.)

Dear all,

Teknonymy is the phenomenon in which a parent is referred to by the name 
of his or her children.  For example, my father was addressed and 
referred to by his Arabic-speaking friends as "Abu Daud", or 'father of 
David'.  Teknonymy is attested in many different cultures around the world.

In at least some Arab societies, teknonymy interacts with gender in the 
following way.  Whereas men, once assigned a teknonym, may still be 
addressed or referred to by their original name, women who are assigned 
a teknonym may no longer be addressed or referred to by their original 
name — their original name is simply lost.

My question: Is anybody familiar with similar cases of gender asymmetry 
in teknonyms in other languages/societies?

I would also be grateful for any pointers to discussions in the 
literature of teknonyms from the perspective of gender.

Thanks,

David



-- 
David Gil

Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany

Email: gil at shh.mpg.de
Office Phone (Germany): +49-3641686834
Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-81281162816