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Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpg A '''name''' is a label for a noun, normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single th...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]]
A '''name''' is a label for a noun, normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a class or category of [[things]], or a single thing, either [[unique]]ly, or within a given [[context]]. A [[personal]] name identifies a specific unique and identifiable [[individual]] [[person]]. The name of a specific entity is sometimes called a proper name (although that term has a philosophical [[meaning]] also) and is a proper noun. Other nouns are sometimes, more loosely, called names; an older term for them, now obsolete, is "general names".
The use of personal names is not unique to [[human]]s. Dolphins also use [[symbolic]] names, as has been shown by recent [[research]].[1] Individual dolphins have individual whistles, to which they will respond even when there is no other [[information]] to clarify which dolphin is being referred to.
Care must be taken in [[translation]], for there are ways that one language may prefer one type of name over another. A feudal naming [[habit]] is used sometimes in other languages: the French often refer to [[Aristotle]] as "le Stagirite" from one spelling of his place of birth, and [[English]] speakers often refer to [[Shakespeare]] as "The Bard", recognizing him as a [[paragon]] writer of the [[language]]. Finally, claims to preference or [[authority]] can be refuted: the British did not refer to Louis-Napoleon as Napoleon III during his rule.
==Etymology==
The word "name" comes from Old [[English]] (OE) nama; akin to Old High German (OHG) namo, Latin nomen, and Greek ὄνομα (onoma), possibly from the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE): *nomn-.[2]
==In [[mythology]]==
In multiple and different world mythologies and folklore, knowing the name of a [[thing]] is considered to have [[power]] over a thing (to varying degrees).
In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthurian_mythology Arthurian mythology], part of the code of honor and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalry chivalry] practiced by knights is that a knight who loses a duel must reveal his name to the victor. It is considered a breach of honor or decorum to reveal one's name before combat. A frequent topos is that a defeated knight will, after revealing his name, ask the victor what his name is: if the victor turns out to actually be a much more strong and famous knight (e.g. one of Arthur's knights) the loser actually saves face, because he was beaten by a knight obviously held to already be stronger than him, and thus there is no shame in defeat. However, if a strong and powerful knight is defeated, and the victor turns out to be a [[relative]]ly unknown and not particularly strong knight, it is a grave humiliation. As a result of this [[pattern]], it is considered extremely odd within the rules of Arthurian [[society]] when a knight refuses to take off his helmet or reveal his [[identity]], even after he has won a duel. Sometimes this results from the victorious knight simply not knowing his own name, as was the case with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancelot Lancelot] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percival Percival] during their early careers; this inability to reveal their own name even in victory led many to incorrectly assume they were trying to [[intentional]]ly insult the vanquished. A major exception to this rule is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain Sir Gawain]: Gawain considers himself to be the greatest of his uncle Arthur's knights, and he feels that his honor is so great that he does not need to hide from revealing it. Thus at the opening of any duel Gawain will simply openly announce "I am Gawain", as it will not diminish his honor to reveal it.
==In religious thought==
In the ancient world, particularly in the ancient near-east ([[Israel]], Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia) names were thought to be extremely powerful and to act, in some ways, as a separate [[manifestation]] of a [[person]] or [[deity]].[3] This viewpoint is responsible both for the reluctance to use the proper name of [[God]] in [[Hebrew]] writing or speech, as well as the common understanding in ancient [[magic]] that magical [[ritual]]s had to be carried out "in [someone's] name". By invoking a god or [[spirit]] by name, one was thought to be able to summon that spirit's power for some kind of [[miracle]] or magic (see Luke 9:49, in which the [[disciples]] claim to have seen a man driving out demons using the name of [[Jesus]].) This understanding passed into later religious [[tradition]], for example the stipulation in Catholic [[exorcism]] that the demon cannot be expelled until the exorcist has forced it to give up its name, at which point the name may be used in a stern command which will drive the demon away.
===Biblical names===
In the [[Hebrew Bible|Old Testament]], the names of[[ individual]]s are [[meaning]]ful; for example, Adam is named after the "[[earth]]" (Adam) from which he was created. (Genesis 2)
A change of name indicates a change of status. For example, the patriarch Abram and his wife Sarai are renamed "Abraham" and "Sarah" when they are told they will be the father and mother of many nations (Genesis 17:4, 17:15). Simon was renamed Peter when he was given the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 16).
Throughout the [[Bible]], characters are given names at birth that reflect something of significance or describe the course of their lives. For example: Solomon meant [[peace]], and the king with that name was the first whose reign was without [[war]]fare. Likewise, Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh (Hebrew: "causing to forget") as a [[gesture]] of [[forgiveness]] to his brothers for selling him into slavery.
Biblical Jewish people did not have surnames which were passed from generation to generation. However, they were typically known as the child of their father. For example: דוד בן ישי (David ben Yishay) meaning, David, son of Jesse. In a sense, they used their fathers' first names as their own last names, a majority [[practice]] in the Muslim world today. Similary to Jewish names, the "ben" is in place by "bin" or "ibn" for males, "binte", "binti" or "ibnu" for females to Muslims. Sometimes, names include "Al-", "Ali-", "-allah", "-lah/-llah" or "-ullah" as it means "a servant to god" or "god's servant". They would sometimes indicate the place they or their child live in.
===Talmudic attitudes===
The Babylonian [[Talmud]] maintains that names exert a [[mystical]] influence over their bearers, and a change of name is one of four [[actions]] that can avert an evil [[heaven]]ly decree, that would lead to punishment after one's death. Rabbinical commentators differ as to whether the name's influence is metaphysical, connecting a person to their [[soul]], or bio-socio-[[psychological]], where the connection affects his [[personality]], appearance and social capacities. The Talmud also states that all those who descend to Gehenna will rise in the time of [[Messiah]]. However, there are three exceptions, one of which is he who calls another by a derisive nickname.
==Technical names for names==
[[File:Names.jpg|center|frame]]
==Literary names==
In [[fiction]], proper names of people or places are often [[unique]] to the work in which they appear. Although, within the work of fiction proper, the name may nontheless be said to have a certain ethnic [[origin]], the name itself may not actually exist. For example, the character of Ororo Munro (Storm of the X-Men franchise) is of African descent. Her first name, however is not an authentic African name. Names may also be created to either represent ethnic neutrality or corruption of a name with the passage of [[time]]. This is a common [[technique]] used by [[science fiction]] and fantasy writers who may also employ alternate spellings of existing names. Also, many science fiction operates on the premise that racial and ethnic boundaries will cease to exist in the future thus producing names that appear to be mixes of different ethnic sources. Yoshiyuki Tomino (creator of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam) is notable for creating [[character]] names that are unusual, exotic, and sometimes silly sounding. Examples include Char Aznable (which is actually based on a real person), Bright Noa, Quess Paraya, and Marvel Frozen. The science fiction writer Isaac Asimov has also created names which may or may not be variants or corruptions of existing or ancient names. Examples include Dors Venabili, R. Daneel Olivaw, and Giskard Reventlov. The Star Wars and Dune franchises contains many character names that juggle existing names with created ones; Leia Organa, Ben Kenobi, Paul Atreides, Vladimir Harkonnen.
==References==
# "Dolphins Name Themselves With Whistles, Study Says". National Geographic News. May 8, 2006.
# "Online Etymology Dictionary". Retrieved 2008-09-20.; The asterisk before a word indicates that it is a hypothetical construction, not an attested form.
# "Egyptian Religion", E.A Wallis Budge", Arkana 1987 edition, ISBN 0-14-019017-1
==Further reading==
*Matthews, Elaine; Hornblower, Simon; Fraser, Peter Marshall, Greek Personal Names: Their Value as Evidence, Proceedings of The British Academy (104), Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0197262163
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/btg/btg41.htm Name and Form - from Sacred Texts Buddhism
==External links==
[http://www.mynameinarabic.com/ My Name in Arabic Names] in Arabic Calligraphy for Free
[http://www.namgyal.org/articles/names.cfm Names in Tibetan Culture] - Namgyal Monastery, Institute of Buddhist Studies
[http://www.jimwegryn.com/Names/What%20is%20a%20name.htm What is a Name?]
[http://www.behindthename.com/ The entomology of first names]
[[Category: General Reference]]
[[Category: Languages and Literature]]
A '''name''' is a label for a noun, normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a class or category of [[things]], or a single thing, either [[unique]]ly, or within a given [[context]]. A [[personal]] name identifies a specific unique and identifiable [[individual]] [[person]]. The name of a specific entity is sometimes called a proper name (although that term has a philosophical [[meaning]] also) and is a proper noun. Other nouns are sometimes, more loosely, called names; an older term for them, now obsolete, is "general names".
The use of personal names is not unique to [[human]]s. Dolphins also use [[symbolic]] names, as has been shown by recent [[research]].[1] Individual dolphins have individual whistles, to which they will respond even when there is no other [[information]] to clarify which dolphin is being referred to.
Care must be taken in [[translation]], for there are ways that one language may prefer one type of name over another. A feudal naming [[habit]] is used sometimes in other languages: the French often refer to [[Aristotle]] as "le Stagirite" from one spelling of his place of birth, and [[English]] speakers often refer to [[Shakespeare]] as "The Bard", recognizing him as a [[paragon]] writer of the [[language]]. Finally, claims to preference or [[authority]] can be refuted: the British did not refer to Louis-Napoleon as Napoleon III during his rule.
==Etymology==
The word "name" comes from Old [[English]] (OE) nama; akin to Old High German (OHG) namo, Latin nomen, and Greek ὄνομα (onoma), possibly from the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE): *nomn-.[2]
==In [[mythology]]==
In multiple and different world mythologies and folklore, knowing the name of a [[thing]] is considered to have [[power]] over a thing (to varying degrees).
In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthurian_mythology Arthurian mythology], part of the code of honor and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalry chivalry] practiced by knights is that a knight who loses a duel must reveal his name to the victor. It is considered a breach of honor or decorum to reveal one's name before combat. A frequent topos is that a defeated knight will, after revealing his name, ask the victor what his name is: if the victor turns out to actually be a much more strong and famous knight (e.g. one of Arthur's knights) the loser actually saves face, because he was beaten by a knight obviously held to already be stronger than him, and thus there is no shame in defeat. However, if a strong and powerful knight is defeated, and the victor turns out to be a [[relative]]ly unknown and not particularly strong knight, it is a grave humiliation. As a result of this [[pattern]], it is considered extremely odd within the rules of Arthurian [[society]] when a knight refuses to take off his helmet or reveal his [[identity]], even after he has won a duel. Sometimes this results from the victorious knight simply not knowing his own name, as was the case with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancelot Lancelot] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percival Percival] during their early careers; this inability to reveal their own name even in victory led many to incorrectly assume they were trying to [[intentional]]ly insult the vanquished. A major exception to this rule is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain Sir Gawain]: Gawain considers himself to be the greatest of his uncle Arthur's knights, and he feels that his honor is so great that he does not need to hide from revealing it. Thus at the opening of any duel Gawain will simply openly announce "I am Gawain", as it will not diminish his honor to reveal it.
==In religious thought==
In the ancient world, particularly in the ancient near-east ([[Israel]], Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia) names were thought to be extremely powerful and to act, in some ways, as a separate [[manifestation]] of a [[person]] or [[deity]].[3] This viewpoint is responsible both for the reluctance to use the proper name of [[God]] in [[Hebrew]] writing or speech, as well as the common understanding in ancient [[magic]] that magical [[ritual]]s had to be carried out "in [someone's] name". By invoking a god or [[spirit]] by name, one was thought to be able to summon that spirit's power for some kind of [[miracle]] or magic (see Luke 9:49, in which the [[disciples]] claim to have seen a man driving out demons using the name of [[Jesus]].) This understanding passed into later religious [[tradition]], for example the stipulation in Catholic [[exorcism]] that the demon cannot be expelled until the exorcist has forced it to give up its name, at which point the name may be used in a stern command which will drive the demon away.
===Biblical names===
In the [[Hebrew Bible|Old Testament]], the names of[[ individual]]s are [[meaning]]ful; for example, Adam is named after the "[[earth]]" (Adam) from which he was created. (Genesis 2)
A change of name indicates a change of status. For example, the patriarch Abram and his wife Sarai are renamed "Abraham" and "Sarah" when they are told they will be the father and mother of many nations (Genesis 17:4, 17:15). Simon was renamed Peter when he was given the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 16).
Throughout the [[Bible]], characters are given names at birth that reflect something of significance or describe the course of their lives. For example: Solomon meant [[peace]], and the king with that name was the first whose reign was without [[war]]fare. Likewise, Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh (Hebrew: "causing to forget") as a [[gesture]] of [[forgiveness]] to his brothers for selling him into slavery.
Biblical Jewish people did not have surnames which were passed from generation to generation. However, they were typically known as the child of their father. For example: דוד בן ישי (David ben Yishay) meaning, David, son of Jesse. In a sense, they used their fathers' first names as their own last names, a majority [[practice]] in the Muslim world today. Similary to Jewish names, the "ben" is in place by "bin" or "ibn" for males, "binte", "binti" or "ibnu" for females to Muslims. Sometimes, names include "Al-", "Ali-", "-allah", "-lah/-llah" or "-ullah" as it means "a servant to god" or "god's servant". They would sometimes indicate the place they or their child live in.
===Talmudic attitudes===
The Babylonian [[Talmud]] maintains that names exert a [[mystical]] influence over their bearers, and a change of name is one of four [[actions]] that can avert an evil [[heaven]]ly decree, that would lead to punishment after one's death. Rabbinical commentators differ as to whether the name's influence is metaphysical, connecting a person to their [[soul]], or bio-socio-[[psychological]], where the connection affects his [[personality]], appearance and social capacities. The Talmud also states that all those who descend to Gehenna will rise in the time of [[Messiah]]. However, there are three exceptions, one of which is he who calls another by a derisive nickname.
==Technical names for names==
[[File:Names.jpg|center|frame]]
==Literary names==
In [[fiction]], proper names of people or places are often [[unique]] to the work in which they appear. Although, within the work of fiction proper, the name may nontheless be said to have a certain ethnic [[origin]], the name itself may not actually exist. For example, the character of Ororo Munro (Storm of the X-Men franchise) is of African descent. Her first name, however is not an authentic African name. Names may also be created to either represent ethnic neutrality or corruption of a name with the passage of [[time]]. This is a common [[technique]] used by [[science fiction]] and fantasy writers who may also employ alternate spellings of existing names. Also, many science fiction operates on the premise that racial and ethnic boundaries will cease to exist in the future thus producing names that appear to be mixes of different ethnic sources. Yoshiyuki Tomino (creator of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam) is notable for creating [[character]] names that are unusual, exotic, and sometimes silly sounding. Examples include Char Aznable (which is actually based on a real person), Bright Noa, Quess Paraya, and Marvel Frozen. The science fiction writer Isaac Asimov has also created names which may or may not be variants or corruptions of existing or ancient names. Examples include Dors Venabili, R. Daneel Olivaw, and Giskard Reventlov. The Star Wars and Dune franchises contains many character names that juggle existing names with created ones; Leia Organa, Ben Kenobi, Paul Atreides, Vladimir Harkonnen.
==References==
# "Dolphins Name Themselves With Whistles, Study Says". National Geographic News. May 8, 2006.
# "Online Etymology Dictionary". Retrieved 2008-09-20.; The asterisk before a word indicates that it is a hypothetical construction, not an attested form.
# "Egyptian Religion", E.A Wallis Budge", Arkana 1987 edition, ISBN 0-14-019017-1
==Further reading==
*Matthews, Elaine; Hornblower, Simon; Fraser, Peter Marshall, Greek Personal Names: Their Value as Evidence, Proceedings of The British Academy (104), Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0197262163
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/btg/btg41.htm Name and Form - from Sacred Texts Buddhism
==External links==
[http://www.mynameinarabic.com/ My Name in Arabic Names] in Arabic Calligraphy for Free
[http://www.namgyal.org/articles/names.cfm Names in Tibetan Culture] - Namgyal Monastery, Institute of Buddhist Studies
[http://www.jimwegryn.com/Names/What%20is%20a%20name.htm What is a Name?]
[http://www.behindthename.com/ The entomology of first names]
[[Category: General Reference]]
[[Category: Languages and Literature]]