Worldbuilding/Culturebuilding Notes: Still More on Naming Freelance Traveller (18 May 2016 23:45 UTC)
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Re: [TML] Worldbuilding/Culturebuilding Notes: Still More on Naming
William Ewing
(19 May 2016 08:17 UTC)
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Re: [TML] Worldbuilding/Culturebuilding Notes: Still More on Naming
Freelance Traveller
(19 May 2016 22:20 UTC)
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Re: [TML] Worldbuilding/Culturebuilding Notes: Still More on Naming
tmr0195@xxxxxx
(19 May 2016 22:29 UTC)
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Re: [TML] Worldbuilding/Culturebuilding Notes: Still More on Naming
William Ewing
(25 May 2016 05:17 UTC)
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Worldbuilding/Culturebuilding Notes: Still More on Naming Freelance Traveller 18 May 2016 23:45 UTC
Honorific Name Changes Although English uses separate titles, not made part of a name, it is not unknown in other languages/cultures for a name to change because the bearer attains noble status. In Traveller itself, a character that attains the social standing and noble title of "Count" may prefix his family name with "hault"; the Zhodani indicate noble status with a suffix to the name. Historically, German nobility was often signalled by a prefix of "von", while the use of "de" was not unknown in Dutch (along with "van" and "ten"), French, and Spanish. There are similar examples in fiction; the one that most immediately comes to mind is in the universe of Miles Vorkosigan, where if the Emperor of Barrayar makes you a Count (the highest level of noble), you prepend "Vor" to your family name - Kosigan -> Vorkosigan; Patril -> Vorpatril; Barra -> Vorbarra; et cetera. Such honorifics need not be solely for nobility; in the Hell's Gate series by David Weber with Linda Evans and Joelle Presby, veterans of the Imperial Ternathian Army are entitled to use "chan" before their surnames; this extends even to the Imperial family: The Grand Princess Andrin, who is yet too young to serve, even if the ITA allowed women to serve, is "Andrin Calirath", but her elder brother, who served in the Army, was "Janaki chan Calirath". On the other side of the war in those novels, the two highest castes in Mythalan society, the shakira [mages] and the multhari [warriors], similarly used "vos" and "mul", respectively, and those members of lines that were both shakira and multhari were entitled to use "vos and mul". In the /Klingonaase/ of John M. Ford's /The Final Reflection/, attaining the rank of starship captain allowed the viewpoint character to change his given name from Vrenn to Krenn. (The same novel also showed us that the "line name" was not used as we might; he was Captain Krenn, rather than Captain tai-Rustazh. One assumes that Kang, Koloth, Korax, Kumara, et alia, were similar usages.) Both Japanese and Korean use suffices to indicate some relatively common honorifics. Going somewhat farther afield, there are occasions where there is an actual name change that fit the broad definition of honorific: Male Sikhs generally take the name "Singh" as a surname or 'pre-surname' upon formal induction to the Khalsa; females use Kaur. In the Roman Catholic Church and the Coptic Christian Church, a newly-elected pope chooses a regnal name. While not often exercised, the option exists in several European monarchies to select a regnal name different from the given name. -- Jeff Zeitlin, Editor Freelance Traveller The Electronic Fan-Supported Traveller® Fanzine and Resource xxxxxx@freelancetraveller.com http://www.freelancetraveller.com http://freelancetraveller.downport.com/ ®Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises, 1977-2014. Use of the trademark in this notice and in the referenced materials is not intended to infringe or devalue the trademark. Freelance Traveller extends its thanks to the following enterprises for hosting services: CyberNET Web Hosting (http://www.cyberwebhosting.net) The Traveller Downport (http://www.downport.com)