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HelpRe: Would you use
in reply to a message by thoughts?
What worries me is that people tend to choose names according to what they find appealing, without considering the usage and image of the name in its country of origin, or among people of its ethnic background. If I was a Jew, I'd probably laugh when a Christian family named its son Cohen, but plenty of Jews find it offensive and this should surely be respected.
Indian names ending in -a or -i seem to look feminine to (some) Western eyes. Once again, a little research could have clarified this, if the Western namers wanted to clarify it. If they didn't, then using it is arrogance.
Then there's Kaia, Kaya etc. Which means 'house', as in Makaya Ntini. Unfortunately, when used by white Africans, it tends to mean 'outhouse' (especially in the form PK = picannini kaya = little house i.e. outdoor toilet and, by extension, indoor toilet), or the kind of shack built by the homeless out of scrap metal, cardboard and plastic. Pretty name? Really?
I suppose that what I'm most concerned about is cultural imperialism in this specific form: industrialised country moves in and strips assets of third-world country, leaving soft-drink tins and KFC boxes in its wake, and included in those assets are souvenirs of various kinds, including but not confined to 'cute' names.
A Buddhist or Moslem family, or a Christian family of course, wherever they live, might well prefer a name reflecting their own heritage. Which is fine: they know what they are doing. Same with a non-American family who select, say, Elvis and Marilyn for their children, admiring the iconic holders and, perhaps, hoping for success by contagion. Knowledge is good; ignorance has pitfalls.
Me? I've never seen a name from outside my own heritage that I've liked more than the very mainstream English names I choose and use. That's not to say they don't exist; but if I spotted one, I'd certainly do my homework before using it.
Indian names ending in -a or -i seem to look feminine to (some) Western eyes. Once again, a little research could have clarified this, if the Western namers wanted to clarify it. If they didn't, then using it is arrogance.
Then there's Kaia, Kaya etc. Which means 'house', as in Makaya Ntini. Unfortunately, when used by white Africans, it tends to mean 'outhouse' (especially in the form PK = picannini kaya = little house i.e. outdoor toilet and, by extension, indoor toilet), or the kind of shack built by the homeless out of scrap metal, cardboard and plastic. Pretty name? Really?
I suppose that what I'm most concerned about is cultural imperialism in this specific form: industrialised country moves in and strips assets of third-world country, leaving soft-drink tins and KFC boxes in its wake, and included in those assets are souvenirs of various kinds, including but not confined to 'cute' names.
A Buddhist or Moslem family, or a Christian family of course, wherever they live, might well prefer a name reflecting their own heritage. Which is fine: they know what they are doing. Same with a non-American family who select, say, Elvis and Marilyn for their children, admiring the iconic holders and, perhaps, hoping for success by contagion. Knowledge is good; ignorance has pitfalls.
Me? I've never seen a name from outside my own heritage that I've liked more than the very mainstream English names I choose and use. That's not to say they don't exist; but if I spotted one, I'd certainly do my homework before using it.
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