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ArchivesBill/William, Bob/Robert
I am going to be on the radio tomorrow morning! "The Morning Edition" on CBC Radio in Saskatchewan. It's going to be very brief and they've already told me what they're going to ask:
"How did Bob come from Robert, and how did Bill come from William?"
I have a very rough idea what I'm going to say, but does anyone have any thoughts on this?
"How did Bob come from Robert, and how did Bill come from William?"
I have a very rough idea what I'm going to say, but does anyone have any thoughts on this?
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Replies
I'll be on TV news tonite! Was intercepted by a cameraman in an Athens street this morning who asked me if I felt intimidated by a study according to which Swedes are more sexually active than Greeks. I tried to paraphrase the old Avis commercial ("We may not be number one but we are trying harder") with mixed results :P
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Ah, the Swedes are too P.C. -- even their cussin' is lame. Check it out:
http://www.santesson.com/enginvek.html
Personally, I would've paraphrased the old Starkist Tuna commercial: "Greeks don't want sex with good taste, we want sex that tastes good!" :)
-- Nanaea
http://www.santesson.com/enginvek.html
Personally, I would've paraphrased the old Starkist Tuna commercial: "Greeks don't want sex with good taste, we want sex that tastes good!" :)
-- Nanaea
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...one commercial I would definitely stay away from is "I've fallen and I cant get up" :PPP
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choke, choke
LOL, well I just did the interview. It got off to a bad start - I sort of choked on the first question - but I relaxed as it went on and I think I managed to answer the question.
LOL, well I just did the interview. It got off to a bad start - I sort of choked on the first question - but I relaxed as it went on and I think I managed to answer the question.
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Congrats!! The secret
to not ckoking is realaxing the throat muscles, swallowing, and then............................taking a deep breath and speaking. :) Glad to hear you got through it o.k. YOu should post a transcript for us.
to not ckoking is realaxing the throat muscles, swallowing, and then............................taking a deep breath and speaking. :) Glad to hear you got through it o.k. YOu should post a transcript for us.
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What happened? You didn't get stage fright, did you? Did they give you a glass of water? Ah, I'll bet you were a lot better than you might've thought you were.
So, do we get to see a transcript? :)
-- Nanaea
So, do we get to see a transcript? :)
-- Nanaea
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Nope, no glass of water. It was a phone interview. I'm sure I was better than I imagined, at least I hope so. I only messed up in the very beginning when I froze, but it got easier after that.
I don't have a transcript, but this is what I mentioned:
Bob and Bill are similar in that (1) they are both shorter than the original names, which was done simply because they are familiar forms and it makes them easier to say, and (2) they both start with a different sound than the original name.
There are various theories as to why this came about, and these theories could have worked in combination with each other. The distribution of names was thinner in the Middle Ages, so many people would share one name, creating a need to distinguish one Robert from another. There were several other rhyming nicknames for Rob, eg Hob, Nob, Dob, (which gave rise to surnames such as Hobbes and Hobson) but they have all died out now. I gave other examples of rhyming nicknames such as Meg and Peg, and Ed, Ned, and Ted.
At this point the interviewer, Sheila Coles, made a joke about Hob's your uncle. She asked me about other diminutives, so I brought up Dick and Richard, and mentioned how the pronunciation of the trilled Norman 'R' may have presented problems to the Anglo-Saxons causing them to substitute a 'D' sound (as mentioned in Hanks'n'Hodges). I also mentioned that Bill may have come about because of difficulty Gaelic speakers may have had with the 'W' sound.
She wrapped it up at this point and mentioned she'd like to have me back sometime. The whole thing lasted only a couple minutes (or so it seemed).
I don't have a transcript, but this is what I mentioned:
Bob and Bill are similar in that (1) they are both shorter than the original names, which was done simply because they are familiar forms and it makes them easier to say, and (2) they both start with a different sound than the original name.
There are various theories as to why this came about, and these theories could have worked in combination with each other. The distribution of names was thinner in the Middle Ages, so many people would share one name, creating a need to distinguish one Robert from another. There were several other rhyming nicknames for Rob, eg Hob, Nob, Dob, (which gave rise to surnames such as Hobbes and Hobson) but they have all died out now. I gave other examples of rhyming nicknames such as Meg and Peg, and Ed, Ned, and Ted.
At this point the interviewer, Sheila Coles, made a joke about Hob's your uncle. She asked me about other diminutives, so I brought up Dick and Richard, and mentioned how the pronunciation of the trilled Norman 'R' may have presented problems to the Anglo-Saxons causing them to substitute a 'D' sound (as mentioned in Hanks'n'Hodges). I also mentioned that Bill may have come about because of difficulty Gaelic speakers may have had with the 'W' sound.
She wrapped it up at this point and mentioned she'd like to have me back sometime. The whole thing lasted only a couple minutes (or so it seemed).
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You did us proud, Mike. :)
I wish I could've been listening to that radio interview. I would've pointed to the radio and been proud to tell anyone within earshot: "That's our Mike C!" :)
-- Nanaea
I wish I could've been listening to that radio interview. I would've pointed to the radio and been proud to tell anyone within earshot: "That's our Mike C!" :)
-- Nanaea
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You're going to be on radio? Cool deal! :) :) :) Hey, Mike? Be careful they don't pull a fast one on you and slip in a question like: "How did Ned come from Edward?" :) Ah, you already know all about that stuff, anyway.
Hey, does the radio station take questions from call-in listeners? You know, like on *Frasier*? Coz that would be so cool. I could call in with my question for you (just like they get familiar voices to do the call-in segments on *Frasier*) and you'd have to guess who I am.
Heheh, don't worry -- I'm not really gonna call. Jus' kiddin'. :)
-- Nanaea
Hey, does the radio station take questions from call-in listeners? You know, like on *Frasier*? Coz that would be so cool. I could call in with my question for you (just like they get familiar voices to do the call-in segments on *Frasier*) and you'd have to guess who I am.
Heheh, don't worry -- I'm not really gonna call. Jus' kiddin'. :)
-- Nanaea
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Thanks Nan. ;)
So do you know any interesting info on Bob or Bill?
So do you know any interesting info on Bob or Bill?
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Nothing which you probably don't already know. I recall that the rhyming nickname fashion may have begun in England and Scotland sometime around the end of the 12th century to the beginning of the 13th century, gaining in popularity right up and through Shakespeare's time, and practiced mainly by the lower classes. And, besides "Bob", another rhyming nickname for Robert was "Dob" or "Hob" (from which surnames such as Dobbins and Hobbes were derived). And, of course, there was "Dick" for Richard, "Ned" for Edward, "Peg" for "Meg" or "Margaret", etc.
I dunno how interesting that is. Why is this radio station so interested in the names Bob and Bill, anyway? Is the station manager's name Bob or Bill? :)
-- Nanaea
I dunno how interesting that is. Why is this radio station so interested in the names Bob and Bill, anyway? Is the station manager's name Bob or Bill? :)
-- Nanaea
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Also Hitch for Richard.
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