Re: Conlang names?

Quick response before the thread response:
<<
The only
thing in Raikudu is the prefix "rai-", which make a proper noun of
the root,
such as pila "see" (v) > raipila "the Seer" (is that correct English?).
 >>

Yes, that's correct, as strange as it may seem.  The difference
between "seer" and "sear" is a bit unnerving, to me.  (Just like
"cawer" [one who caws] and "car".)

Henrik:
<<
What about names in your conlang?  Have you made lists?  How did you
derive the names.
 >>

Sheli names are derived from three different name groups, so
that each person has three names, more info here:

http://dedalvs.free.fr/sheli/names.html

A popular way to choose a name is the supposed characteristics
of the newborn, or the events surrounding the birth, e.g.:

pul p_hel va:j
"Bright Morning Sky"

Once a name is chosen, there are a series of ways to derive a
nickname, which is what one would usually be called by (except
in formal or official situation [e.g., when your mother is calling
you because you did something wrong]).  There are eleven
different strategies, and which is one is chosen is partly determined
by gender; partly by context; and partly by preference.  What
would be a good one for this name; let's see...  Well, let's say
it's a guy.  For this one, you take the first CV of the first name,
then the onset consonant of the second and add /a/, then the
onset consonant of the last and add /o:/:

pufavo:

A /p_h/ becomes [f] intervocalically.

[Note: There's tone involved too, but I'm too lazy...]

If you go to the bottom of that page I linked...

http://dedalvs.free.fr/sheli/names.html

...you can generate random names.  It's kind of fun.  Unfortunately,
it doesn't seem to work with Firefox on the Mac.  I have no
explanation for this...  I also don't know how it fairs on Windows
on any browser.

***

Kamakawi names are discussed here:

http://dedalvs.free.fr/kamakawi/names.html

In Kamakawi, first names tend to be a single character, and are
usually nouns related to flora and fauna of the region (dolphin,
lava, blowfish, cricket, moon, etc.), or sometimes verbs/adjectives
(give/giving, heavy, long, etc.).

These basic roots can be modified to produce new names that
aren't nicknames, but are full names.  The common strategies
are reduplication, and affixing a suffix like /-?o/ (for guys) and
/-ne/ (for girls).  Thus, Opepe is a different name from Ope.

 From these, nicknames can be derived through various means:

Diminutive: Oyo <> Oyoi; Nevi <> Neviki
Shortening: Hala'i <> Hala
K Reduplication: Oyo <> Oyokoyo; Nevi <> Nevikevi

Since names are characters, the fun thing is that an individual
can write their name differently (something like "Rachel" vs.
"Raechel" vs. "Rachael").  I have some examples towards the
bottom of the page.  Basically, you can take a character and add
lines to it--say crossing a long line, adding a tooth, etc.  Pretty
much as long as it doesn't create another character.

After this, there are two types of last names.  Everyone has a
tribal name which derives from one of the ten original Kamkawi
tribes.  This name is listed after the first name.  Then you take
the mother's first name, prefix /ti-/, and it becomes the last name.
A full name looks like this:

Filala Inivili Tinevine

"Fila" is "heavy" (reduplicated--this is a unisex name), then the
tribal name Inivili, then the mother is Nevine, so Tinevine.

***

In Zhyler, one of the noun classes (class V) is associated with
professions or people with titles.  Traditionally, these are also
used to form names.  You suffix /-di/ (or one of its variants)
to any stem to form a name.  Colors are popular, as are other
adjectival ideas (strength, justice, etc.), or animals.  Here are
some examples:

itwindi (white)
rendi (green)
wervendi (wolf)
nawdM (fish/swimmer)

Man, I'm forgetting my Zhyler vocabulary...

I didn't want there to be last names.  I just imagined that if there
was confusion, you would say "From such and such place" (e.g.,
if /ZyDe/ is a place, then you could say /itwindi ZyDeT/, or
"Itwindi from Zhydhe").  I imagine these would eventually
become last names.

***

In Sathir, I haven't fully developed how I do names, but I've
created some.  I worked with adjectives as names, but also
professions.  Currently, there's just the one name, but it commonly
comes with a title, so that may end up being a first name.  I see
that I coined a first name somewhere on the site with /ispent_ha/,
which has something to do with the number "two"...  That could
be another strategy: numbers as a first name (as in first born,
second born, etc.).

***

Beyond that, I've come up with names in others of my languages,
but not strategies.  I imagine the strategies will come.  For now,
though, that's what I've got.

Here's an in-depth explanation of how names are done in Idrani,
Trent Pehrson's language:

http://idrani.perastar.com/idrani/ISMS_culture.htm#properNames

-David
*******************************************************************
"sunly eleSkarez ygralleryf ydZZixelje je ox2mejze."
"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

-Jim Morrison

http://dedalvs.free.fr/