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ArchivesRe: NY Times article on English names in Zimbabwe
in reply to a message by Cleveland Kent Evans
Thanks for the interesting article!
During my times in Africa, I came across some interesting names, but none that I can recall that are like the phrase names (Trymore, Godknows, etc.) from the article. A few of the more interesting virtue names I came across are Happy, Immaculate, Patience, Innocent, and Divine.
I think the similarities in the significance of names between (some) African cultures and Biblical (Old Testament) culture are very interesting. In both cultures, names can be given because of something in the parents' or person's life. For example, Rebecca naming her son Esau because he was hairy, or Naomi changing her name to Mara to show the bitterness of her life.
During my times in Africa, I came across some interesting names, but none that I can recall that are like the phrase names (Trymore, Godknows, etc.) from the article. A few of the more interesting virtue names I came across are Happy, Immaculate, Patience, Innocent, and Divine.
I think the similarities in the significance of names between (some) African cultures and Biblical (Old Testament) culture are very interesting. In both cultures, names can be given because of something in the parents' or person's life. For example, Rebecca naming her son Esau because he was hairy, or Naomi changing her name to Mara to show the bitterness of her life.
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Replies
I know a woman whose husband tended to beat her up over weekends; nothing personal, just the consequence of being paid weekly. And one weekend she had to go into hospital to have a baby -- their only son -- which was fortunate, so she called him Lucky, although the luck was actually her own.
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OMG - that is so sad!
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