Dear Lonny Meinecke,

I really loved the way you looked at the whole issue. I also believe that the labels we pass on to future generations are accidental imposition of traditions  upon our minds provided by sociopolitical forces within which we are brought up.As you repeatedly say, they are not  naturally occurring at all.In fact, we are as a great thinker once said , "wantons" to the circumstances that one way or the other influence our lives from outside.These are what you beautifully envisage as, " expenditures of energy" that we cannot undo. They seem to enslave us putting us within formidable restrictions that we are not even aware of.

Wish you lots of good luck on your research.

Best regards,

R.Biria

I think we name our children mainly as a way of labeling them; it facilitates calling them and talking about them. Any anxiety stems from our desire to use names that may confer some slight advantage in life. Should we use a name steeped in family tradition? The name of a wealthy relation or patron? One associated with traits we value? Etc.

As for the "famous, legendary names:" I'm not sure to what what sorts of people you refer. I'm pretty sure, say, that Abraham Lincoln, Sigmund Freud, and Amelia Earhart were named by their parents long before their names became iconic. But Mark Twain, George Sand, Leon Trotsky, and Rock Hudson were names assumed by adults who wished either to conceal their true identity or gain some advantage from using a cooler moniker. And when it comes to truly legendary figures (Arthur Pendragon, say), they are probably composites of several individuals captured under one overarching narrative.

There seems to be a personal thread running through your thinking, a thread that is so obvious (or central) to you that it seems unnecessary to state it clearly. But the sense is less than pellucid to an outsider.

Hello Dr. Biria, thank you for your kind words... these are especially meaningful to me, coming from someone who is in the field of applied linguistics. (Were I not in cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics would be my choice). Human language and human cognition seem to be like siblings, having grown up together across the ages. I love looking into the possible origins of words when I have time, since it says so much about us and our past worldview.

From what I have read by Noam Chomsky and NVB theorists, utterance is inner urgency unable to express itself fully without exposing itself somehow. What do you think? That's partly why I wonder if the naming of children is far, far deeper in meaning than passing on lineage  with a surname, or coming up with a fond first name. It seems more urgent than simple distinction from parent or age cohort. It's more like "I was here, I meant something". Do you think this might be possible?

Your dissertation topic is a fascinating one and it resonates for me and our family.  As a Latina stepmother and grandmother, I have enjoyed watching our family grow.  I married a widower, a man who is of mixed Latino/white/native american heritage.  His first wife was white.  Their children were therefore of mixed heritage as well but identify, primarily as Latino while passing as white.  The naming of grandchildren has been interesting for many reasons.  One of the fairest children, the youngest male grandson, is named Alejandro Cristobel, very Latino, which punctuates our heritage.  He was given this name at birth and it was quite a mouthful for his siblings and cousins to handle.

For our family, names carry significance...demonstrating ethnic pride and/or sharing the memory of a beloved relative or ancestor.

Best wishes on your dissertation research.  Let me know if you have any questions I can assist you with regarding our family context.  Ours is complex and a little unusual, I believe.

Regards,

Gloria Bravo-Gutiérrez, Ph.D.