Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Nicknaming conventions?
I am curious about how people assign nicknames. I understand that frequently nicknaming is shortening of a longer name. From Jonathon you get John, Nicholas becomes Nick, and Christoper becomes Chris. There are other groups who get names because of their profession (athletes, organized crime members, etc.).
But, I was watching Fatherhood from Snoop Dogg last night and I am wondering why the African-American community selects nicknames that are completely unique (not a name shortening or an occupational relationship)? Often the children are called by the nickname more than their real name. His son is Corde but they call him Spank. Cordell is Rook and Cori is Choc. Additionally, this is not just a celebrity thing, I know African-Americans in everyday life that have this style of naming, and I was wondering how it came about and how the selection is done.
2 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
It's just one of those things that happens organically, through some shared experience that sticks with people's memories. Just look at Howard Stern's producer, Gary "Baba-Booey" Dell'Abate -- he made a chump of himself my mispronouncing the name of a cartoon character he was supposedly a big fan of (Quick-Draw McGraw's sidekick, "Baba-Looey"), and Stern spent the next 20 years goofing on him about it...
Or sometimes it's because a person has some outstanding feature -- I'm very tall (6' 5") and was very skinny in my youth, so I got stuck with the nickname "Stretch".
- Anonymous1 decade ago
this is an ancestral game going on .Funny and amusing.Have you heard of more-like Castle-on marsh or Man -in fire or Bambooboy etc?The last are additions to existing glossary.You know we are at an era of inventions and each can so easily coin a name!(One neighbour is called-Head of worms!- he has always been good at dilapidating his and others 'funds')