naming people/Druni

TA MISHTARATOS PE DRUNAN - NAMING ON DRUN

The Druni have three forms of personal names: short, medium, and long,
depending on the grade of individuation needed in any given situation.

SHORT FORM:

Most often a two part hyphenated name chosen by the parents at the birth of
the child. It usually consists of an adjective plus noun (with adjectival
ending dropped) or two nouns. If the components are small they can be written
without a hyphen as one word. Most names can be used as either male or female
except those ending in "-or" (male) and "-el" (female):

"Lahad-Madj" (Ready-Hand)
"Tsirtsir-Ram" (Fire-Foot)
"Pulan-Shuv" (Disciplined-Storm)
"Kountas" or "Ko-Untas" (White-Bear)
"Dzarel" (Mountain-Woman)
"Zirinor" (Black Cloud-Man)
"Ramun" (Big-Foot)
"Anaza-Zhotun" (Big Open-Mouth)

MEDIUM FORM
If there are others present with the same given name the name of one's mother
is added in the Ablative case, with a hyphen between the three or four
components:

"Lahad-Madj-Djol-Vorinelay"
(Ready-Hand-[from] Black Wolf)

"Ramun-Dzarelay"
(Big-Foot-[from] Mountain Woman)

LONG FORM
If still it is not clear which person is being spoken of the name of ones clan
is added to the Medium Form in apposition (Nominative Case) without any
hyphen:

"Lahad-Madj-Djol-Vorinelay Tuddjad Tsiasuk"
(Ready-Hand from Black-Wolf Clan Dolphin)

Needless to say in everyday speech the Short Form is most common. The Long
Form is used in all official documents and more formal settings.

ENDEARMENT

To express endearment the Druni have two reasonably interchangeable methods:

1) Using the first component of the name in the diminutive form.  This has a
very sweet emotional tone to it but is commonly used among friends both
children and adults if they are close:

"Lahadis" (Little Lahad) [Lahad-Madj]
"Kois" (Little Ko) [Kountas]

2) By prefexing "-ko" to the first component of the name.  This is considered
a term of both endearment and respect:

"Lahadko" (Beloved and Respected Lahad)
"Koko" (Beloved and Respected Ko)
"Pulanko" (Beloved and Respected Pulan)

NICKNAMING

Unknown among the Druni as they consider the attribution given to them by
their parents to be sacred.  However, very rarely, historical personages have
changed their name when making a major change in their mission or reality.
This change is usually not self-initiated or chosen but rather by means of the
acclamation of others; as when the second Emperor of Drun (before his
Emperorship, while he was still a boy) was acclaimed as "Tsiasuk-Pron"
(Dolphin-Song) from his original birth name: "Tsirtsir-Ram"
(Fire-Foot).

Frelizhe dzea sheri ta Mishtaratosey! (Enough already about Naming!)
Jim
ta Druntan