Attention my dear C1 students! This post is for you.
Names can be tricky. A name that is attractive and refreshing in a country might be old-fashioned and boring somewhere else. Names are also deceitful because they sometimes hide weird or unexpected information, which is why I'm still baffled that most people are completely unaware of the actual meaning of their own names. Let's face it. How many Claudias know that their name means “limp” in the original Latin? How many Kennedys realize their last name used to mean “misshapen head” in Irish?
The video below these lines is a nice summary of some of the ideas that came up in the classroom. Those conflicting studies that reveal latent forms of racism may only confirm that we all have mixed feelings about certain social trends. We should also “update our prejudices”. Some names that used to give away information about the parents’ background have become so mainstream that they are no longer useful.
To know that Eugene, Walter and Sheldon are not exactly sexy, that Amanda and Brooke are hot, that Kevin is alright in the US but carries certain connotations in the UK requires the kind of language experience that belongs to the world beyond the C2 level. For the time being, we should be happy if we manage to understand the lexical differences between such diverse terms as pseudonym, moniker, stage name, assumed name, pen name, given name, maiden name, forename or nickname.
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