African anthroponyms

Mensah, Eyo; Rowan, Kirsty

doi:10.1558/sols.37819

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Proper names of persons, or anthroponyms are nowadays in the center of intercultural studies (Dolzhich & Dmitrichenkova, 2020;Fernández Juncal, 2018;Knoblock, 2019;Mensah & Rowan, 2019).…”

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Onomastic Periphrases In The National Conceptosphere

Chesnokova¹

2021

European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences

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“…Proper names of persons, or anthroponyms are nowadays in the center of intercultural studies (Dolzhich & Dmitrichenkova, 2020;Fernández Juncal, 2018;Knoblock, 2019;Mensah & Rowan, 2019).…”

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Onomastic Periphrases In The National Conceptosphere

Chesnokova¹

2021

European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences

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“…An Afrocentric vision of naming among African people will ensure that African names are valued and appreciated by the Africans given that such names have age-long ideological rootedness in African culture and institutions (Mensah & Rowan, 2019). Naming in the context of Africa is used to “convert anybodies into somebodies” (Geertz, 1973, p. 363).…”

Section: Theoretical Framework: the Afrocentric Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Names, Naming and the Code of Cultural Denial in a Contemporary Nigerian Society: An Afrocentric Perspective

Mensah

Inyabri

Nyong³

2020

Journal of Black Studies

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This article explores the rejection of indigenous African (first) names and the preference for European and westernized names by some Nigerian youth, especially those living in Calabar metropolis, Cross River State, South-eastern Nigeria. The article investigates the personal, cultural and social motivations for foreign names adoption and the subjective interpretations of both rejected and adopted first names. The study is rooted in the Afrocentric paradigm which is grounded in the historical and cultural reality of the African experience to express its core principles of cultural assertion, self-pride and Africa-centered identity. Data for the study was sourced through participant observations, semi-structured interviews and metalinguistic conversations with participants who have been involved in name-changing practices in the last 5 years. The study discovers that young people adopt foreign (first) names to challenge their stereotyped ethnic identities and to contest existing traditional norms about naming. This phenomenon tends to be propelled by additional social, personal and religious factors including, style, personal taste, creativity, religious conversion and the flow of other social capital. This often results in a dramatic drift in African traditional naming practices which tends to erase or subjugate African naming protocol and identities.

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“…Granted that names are inextricably interwoven with the language and culture of a people (Oweleke 2021;Mensah 2023b), names and naming can be seen as a vehicle to transmit and perpetuate African cultural values and beliefs (Agyekum 2006). Mensah (2015) and Mensah and Rowan (2019) suggest that names and naming practices have enormous sociocultural, spiritual, and psychological significance in Africa. "Names are believed to have inherent power that can indexicalise lives and behaviours of people either positively or negatively" (see Mensah 2015, p. 117).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Refuse Dump, Hurry Up!’: A Cognitive Onomastic and Cultural Metaphor Perspective of Nzema Death-Prevention Names

Yakub

2024

Languages

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African personal names have communicative contents that reflect the experiences and expectations of the name-giver as well as the bearer. Death-prevention names, for instance, provide some assurance and security that are vital for a child’s survival, given the implicit assumption that certain spiritual forces are at work. The bestowal of despicable and ‘ugly’ names on children whose preceding siblings died shortly after birth is also a common practice among the Nzema, aiming at preventing succeeding children from death. This study examines cultural conceptions and metaphorical correlations in Nzema death-prevention names. Using 42 death-prevention names obtained through interviews, the study discusses the implications of the names and their metaphoric connections with the objects used to identify this category of people. The study reveals that features of entities such as ɛkpɔtɛ ‘vulture’, nrɛzenra ‘housefly’, kɛndɛne ‘basket’, and fovolɛ ‘refuse dump’ are attributed to these children to make them seem ‘unpleasant’ to the ancestral spirits who are believed to have been snatching them after birth. Other ‘long-lasting’ entities like nyevile ‘sea’, bolɛ ‘rock’, and kpɔma ‘walking stick’ are used metaphorically to refer to a child with the belief that they would survive right from birth and live long on the earth.

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African anthroponyms

Cited by 10 publications

References 20 publications

The Onomastic Periphrases In The National Conceptosphere

The Onomastic Periphrases In The National Conceptosphere

Names, Naming and the Code of Cultural Denial in a Contemporary Nigerian Society: An Afrocentric Perspective

‘Refuse Dump, Hurry Up!’: A Cognitive Onomastic and Cultural Metaphor Perspective of Nzema Death-Prevention Names

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