It’s a prettt common practice for parents to add a Y (or several Ys) to otherwise masculine names to “feminize” them (like in
Robyn, Blayke, or Masyn). Why is this, from a linguistic standpoint?
Other feminizations seem more straightforward, like adding -a, -ina, or -ette, like in
Paula (
Paul),
Christina (
Christopher), or
Yvette (
Yves). These endings are widely recognized as feminine across several Western languages, so it makes sense that they’d be used to “girl up” male names.
But Y isn’t seen that way linguistically, so its “feminine” connotation is more of a mystery.
*previously posted as summitseeker*--hike more / worry less--
This message was edited 6/23/2018, 12:48 AM