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ArchivesQuestion about French diminutives.
So, the BtN glossary has this to say about French diminutives, "French feminine diminutives often use -ette, as in Annette and Jeannette [...] The French also use -on (Alison, Manon and Ninon) and -ot/-otte (Charlot, Charlotte, Jeannot and Margot)."
My question is, can these be added to any name, like y or ie can be added to just about any name in English? For example, could you call Adele "Adelette" or "Adelon?" Or would it just sound silly and made-up?
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My question is, can these be added to any name, like y or ie can be added to just about any name in English? For example, could you call Adele "Adelette" or "Adelon?" Or would it just sound silly and made-up?
"Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot." - Groucho Marx
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Well, having had part of my education in French and spent time in French-speaking areas, my impression is that the -on suffix is archaic and nowadays gets used only in those -on nicknames, like Manon and Marion that have become full names in their own right. If I called my friend Sylvie Sylvion she'd probably wonder what I had been smoking.
-ette feels slightly less weird but I'd say none of the suffixes you mention would get added to names like -y or -ie in English, it's once again more the case of diminutives turning into full names.
As nicknames go, these days, people are more likely to shorten a name instead, eg using Véro for Veronique or Isa for Isabelle.
-ette feels slightly less weird but I'd say none of the suffixes you mention would get added to names like -y or -ie in English, it's once again more the case of diminutives turning into full names.
As nicknames go, these days, people are more likely to shorten a name instead, eg using Véro for Veronique or Isa for Isabelle.
This message was edited 7/8/2010, 6:54 AM
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You would not call Adele "Adelette" or "Adelon", but then again Adele already has the -elle ending. The other names you have here as examples have even simpler bases, not to mention more common: Ann, Jean and Mary.
Names like Adele and Michelle could be changed to Adeline and Micheline though. A lot of other names I can think of with alternate endings are the feminine form of masculin names, like Claudette, or Charlotte, which you already had.
So there does seem to be some sort of vague system, but I was working that out as I went... I am no expert by any means.tjhat that ou
Names like Adele and Michelle could be changed to Adeline and Micheline though. A lot of other names I can think of with alternate endings are the feminine form of masculin names, like Claudette, or Charlotte, which you already had.
So there does seem to be some sort of vague system, but I was working that out as I went... I am no expert by any means.tjhat that ou
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