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Here in South Africa, where the cricket World Cup will be held next month, we've recently hosted a tour by the Sri Lankan national team. Not on top of their form, but delightful, keen, cheerful players.
A glance at a web site or two confirms that surprising numbers of their top players have more given names than would be usual in English-speaking countries. (OK, they do speak English as a colonial hangover, but culturally the gulf is wide.) For instance, consider these (I'm capitalising the surnames):
Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva JAYAWARDENE
Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda VAAS
Thudellage Charitha Fernando BUDDIKA
Congenige Randhi Dilhara FERNANDO
Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kuwar DHARMASENA
Unagiliya Durage Upul CHANDANA
Demuni Nuwan Tharanga ZOYSA
Panagodage Don Ruchira Laksiri PERERA
Materba Kanatha Gamage Chamila PREMANATH LAKSHITHA
Kandage Hasantha Ruwan KUMARA FERNANDO
Not all of them are like this, of course:
Jehan MUBARAK (probably Muslim? Different conventions?)
Hashan Prasantha TILLAKARATNE
Muttiah MURALITHARAN
Russel Premakumaran ARNOLD
Marvan Samson ATAPATTU
Sanath Teran JAYASURIYA
and others.
Does anyone know what's going on? Pakistani and Indian cricketers in general don't have whole collections of names - actually, there have been a few from southern India who do, if I remember correctly. Here and there one can see an English or Portuguese name, but that's not the point either - it's the sheer numbers that fascinate me.
By the way, I've got tickets to five of the matches! My toes are available for kissing between 16:00 and 16:15 every second Saturday.
A glance at a web site or two confirms that surprising numbers of their top players have more given names than would be usual in English-speaking countries. (OK, they do speak English as a colonial hangover, but culturally the gulf is wide.) For instance, consider these (I'm capitalising the surnames):
Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva JAYAWARDENE
Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda VAAS
Thudellage Charitha Fernando BUDDIKA
Congenige Randhi Dilhara FERNANDO
Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kuwar DHARMASENA
Unagiliya Durage Upul CHANDANA
Demuni Nuwan Tharanga ZOYSA
Panagodage Don Ruchira Laksiri PERERA
Materba Kanatha Gamage Chamila PREMANATH LAKSHITHA
Kandage Hasantha Ruwan KUMARA FERNANDO
Not all of them are like this, of course:
Jehan MUBARAK (probably Muslim? Different conventions?)
Hashan Prasantha TILLAKARATNE
Muttiah MURALITHARAN
Russel Premakumaran ARNOLD
Marvan Samson ATAPATTU
Sanath Teran JAYASURIYA
and others.
Does anyone know what's going on? Pakistani and Indian cricketers in general don't have whole collections of names - actually, there have been a few from southern India who do, if I remember correctly. Here and there one can see an English or Portuguese name, but that's not the point either - it's the sheer numbers that fascinate me.
By the way, I've got tickets to five of the matches! My toes are available for kissing between 16:00 and 16:15 every second Saturday.
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