Ormond Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 Gwendolyn is african-american huh? I'd associate it with a middle-aged middle-class british housewife.Well, it's not necessarily a "Black" name in the UK. Checking UK figures, Gwendolyn wouldn't be middle-aged there anymore. The average British Gwendolyn would be in her 80s (and actually would be more likely to spell her name "Gwendoline".) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereward Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Well, it's not necessarily a "Black" name in the UK. Checking UK figures, Gwendolyn wouldn't be middle-aged there anymore. The average British Gwendolyn would be in her 80s (and actually would be more likely to spell her name "Gwendoline".)And Welsh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Here's today's column. The editor doesn't seem to have changed a thing that I wrote on this one, which is unusual.http://www.omaha.com/article/20121030/LIVING/710309983/1696#cleveland-evans-new-movie-won-t-wreck-image-of-ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maltaran Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I didn't know that Ralph could be pronounced as "Rafe" - if you'd asked me to name an actor with that name, I'd have gone for Rafe Spall.I noticed your mention of Jasper as a name that's on the rise - one of my work colleagues has a friend who recently named her son Jasper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elder Sister Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Great column, Ormond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 So here's a question - have you heard the word 'ralph' used as a substitute for vomit?"After I left the bar, I ralphed all over the sidewalk." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 So here's a question - have you heard the word 'ralph' used as a substitute for vomit?"After I left the bar, I ralphed all over the sidewalk."I think I do remember hearing that before, but it's not a very common term in my experience. The slang term seems to have developed just by onomatopoeia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillio Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 There's a Billy Connolly joke like that about "Hewey" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinDonner Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 "Ralph"... any other (ex-)readers of Judy Blume in the thread? Because, erm, that name will always be the-name-that-that-guy-gave-his-penis in what is probably the first sex scene that I or any of my schoolmates ever read... :leaving: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 "Ralph"... any other (ex-)readers of Judy Blume in the thread? Because, erm, that name will always be the-name-that-that-guy-gave-his-penis in what is probably the first sex scene that I or any of my schoolmates ever read... :leaving:I've never read any Judy Blume. Do you remember which of her books this was in? And was it consensual sex? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edda van Heefmstra Ruston Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 It's in Forever..., though I can't recall reading it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yagathai Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Judy Blume does like having characters that name their body parts. It's a practice I've never understood myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tears of Lys Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 So here's a question - have you heard the word 'ralph' used as a substitute for vomit?"After I left the bar, I ralphed all over the sidewalk."Yes. But I remember it being used back in the dark ages when I was a 20-something. I didn't know Ralph Fiennes was actually pronouncing his name correctly and not just being a doofus. :dunce:Great article! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Here's this week's column, on one of the "big traditional" names:http://www.omaha.com/article/20121113/LIVING/711139968/1696#cleveland-evans-james-a-variation-of-jacob-has-long-been-popular Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuroishi Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Is Jack directly related to James? I'm always surprised that James is the direct translation of Jacques/Giacomo, and not Jack (when you mentioned Compostela in your article, it took me a few seconds to link Saint James of Compostela to Saint Jacques de Compostelle). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 The usual explanation for Jack is that it developed from "John". -kin was a common diminutive suffix in medieval English. John becomes Jan becomes Jankin becomes Jackin becomes Jack.Some experts think that "Jacques" did have an influence on Jack and confusion with the French name also helped in its development, but Jack doesn't seem to ever have been associated with James in English, just John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elder Sister Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Great column, Ormond. Two of my favorite men are named James - my dad and my brother. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuroishi Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 The usual explanation for Jack is that it developed from "John". -kin was a common diminutive suffix in medieval English. John becomes Jan becomes Jankin becomes Jackin becomes Jack.Some experts think that "Jacques" did have an influence on Jack and confusion with the French name also helped in its development, but Jack doesn't seem to ever have been associated with James in English, just John.Ok, thank you! Adding to the confusion on this side of the Atlantic/Channel is that some French persons have adopted the English "Jack" as an alternative spelling to "Jacques", like former minister of culture Jack Lang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillio Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Great column, Ormond. Two of my favorite men are named James - my dad and my brother. :)Hubby's Grandad, Uncle and cousin are all James, lovely people!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 Here is today's column:http://www.omaha.com/article/20121127/LIVING/711279984/1696#cleveland-evans-from-scandal-to-kennedy-clan-caroline-ever-popularIt took so much space explaining the story of Caroline of Brunswick that I wasn't able to talk about the pattern of Caroline's recent use in the UK. Caroline was actually fairly popular in England and Wales back in the 1960s and has since receded. So Caroline turns out to be a name where the age associations in the UK and the USA would be very different, since the most typical Caroline in England is now around 50 years old while the most typical Caroline in the USA is only about 12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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