Re: CHAT: cultural interpretation [was Re: THEORY: language and the brain]

On Sat, 2003-07-05 at 20:40, Andreas Johansson wrote:
> I know of several children who had their given names changed because they were
> used as "justification" for mobbing, and these were perfectly normal names,
> albeit unusual ones. Having a really odd name would most certainly have been
> likely to attract abuse.
Indeed... someone I know normally goes by his middle name, Ray, because
he was picked on because of his first name, Cyron, which sounds like
things ambulances have.

Also, there's an awful lot of people who's parents were born in China
around here who hardly know (can't pronounce it properly and the like)
what their legal first name (being their Chinese name/s)[1] is and
refuse to use it and go by their legal second (or third) name (being
their English name). Though that's a personal choice (assimilating
themselves, reacting against their parents demands that they learn
(speak) their Chinese language etc. etc.).

[1]: I'm talking about the given name, rather than an East Asian-style
surname that's at the start.

--
Tristan.

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