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Help[Opinions] Invented name Nalis, thoughts?
Hi all! It’s been a bit since I was on here :) I’ve been kicking this name around for a while, so I thought I’d get some outside perspectives. Nalis is a name I’m using for a character of mine, it’s derived from a longer fake name that got shortened via nickname in-universe (she used to go by the scientific name for a plant, so it comes from Officinalis), but I’ve basically just used it as a solo, stand-alone name for a while.
Anyway, I was wondering if it sounded like a real name, or if it just sounds too random or like it’s clearly a clipped version of a longer name. Or just, what do you all think of it as a proper name in general :D
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Aspiring writer—I like odd names too much (◡‿◡✿)
Anyway, I was wondering if it sounded like a real name, or if it just sounds too random or like it’s clearly a clipped version of a longer name. Or just, what do you all think of it as a proper name in general :D
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Aspiring writer—I like odd names too much (◡‿◡✿)
Replies
I actually think it looks quite artifical, although given the below feedback maybe it's just me. It did strike me as a made-up name and I got a bit of an...artificial vibe from it, like it's the name of a company or something. Something felt quite cold and clinical about it.
I also at first glance thought it said 'nails' as well, and upon second glance still had to remind myself it did not say 'nails'... might have added to the 'artificial' vibe I got from it, that my brain struggled with reading it right.
I also at first glance thought it said 'nails' as well, and upon second glance still had to remind myself it did not say 'nails'... might have added to the 'artificial' vibe I got from it, that my brain struggled with reading it right.
I thought it said nails at first.
Yeah, it sounds real enough. Namey enough for English speakers, without evoking anything else. Like Alice with an N. Or like Valis.
The only issue could be that it sounds a tiny bit like malice? But I felt the stretch, when I reached for that.
IIWY I would abandon the lore about it coming from a plant scientific name ___ officinalis, unless you are writing a sort of comic-edged story. It seems too silly and odd if you mean it to be realistic.
The only issue could be that it sounds a tiny bit like malice? But I felt the stretch, when I reached for that.
IIWY I would abandon the lore about it coming from a plant scientific name ___ officinalis, unless you are writing a sort of comic-edged story. It seems too silly and odd if you mean it to be realistic.
This message was edited 9/11/2024, 5:58 PM
It’s not necessarily a comedy, but the character in question is a kind of edgy 14 year old girl who’s rebelling from her family, then her friends end up shortening her lengthy dramatic chosen name, so I was aiming for a slightly ridiculous name with an acceptably usable nickname—whether it’s still too silly to use may be up for debate haha but I’m happy that it sounds name-like and not silly in and of itself.
Thank you for the feedback! :D
Thank you for the feedback! :D
I think that it totally works, and that it's a very cool, pretty name! How is the name Nalis pronounced? I like it said as "Nah-liss," similar to the name Nala! ETA: It doesn't sound remotely masculine to me at all; before I read that your character was female, I assumed Nalis as female.
This message was edited 9/11/2024, 9:29 AM
Oh thank you very much! The detailed response is very helpful! I’ve grown very fond of the name myself, but I’m glad that it sounds like a legit name and even a really nice name for a female character to other people :D
And it’s pronounced just about how you pronounce it, though I go back and forth between [na-liss] and [nah-liss], short A or long A sound :)
And it’s pronounced just about how you pronounce it, though I go back and forth between [na-liss] and [nah-liss], short A or long A sound :)
I'm not a fan of the name. Also it sounds masculine to me.
In English I read it like “Nails.”
This message was edited 9/10/2024, 2:02 AM