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ArchivesRe: Indian MNs
in reply to a message by Juli
The rule that surname comes first in mainland Asia and last in Asian islands only really applies to China and Japan, to my knowledge (which is pretty imperfect, unfortunately). Chinese surnames come first - like Chairman Mao. But Japanese names are in the order we find usual in the West.
The parts of India where Indo-European languages are spoken will be likely to use the given-name-first, surname-last convention. Other parts of India ... don't seem to feel the need of a rule.
Someone whose name I forget (long and complicated, it was) got selected for the Indian cricket team about ten years ago; he came from a village in southern India where surnames just weren't used at all. But as an international sportsman he needed one! If memory serves, he just used the name of his home village.
The parts of India where Indo-European languages are spoken will be likely to use the given-name-first, surname-last convention. Other parts of India ... don't seem to feel the need of a rule.
Someone whose name I forget (long and complicated, it was) got selected for the Indian cricket team about ten years ago; he came from a village in southern India where surnames just weren't used at all. But as an international sportsman he needed one! If memory serves, he just used the name of his home village.
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