NORNA-RAPPORTER 88 Binamn. Uppkomst, bildning, terminologi ...

Bynames as an expression of identity 27
Neethling 2005). With the English and Afrikaans speaking respondents there
were somewhat surprisingly also strong agreement regarding the link between
name and identity. This was often the case when respondents knew the etymology
of their given names although it is not obvious to others. The identity as
revealed in the given first names seems to highlight an aspect of the identity of
the respondents that they were proud of.
The question about whether there is a link between name and identity, however,
came strongly to the fore when the additional or bynames were taken into
account. It is at this point that the views expressed above find application regarding
the unstable and forever changing identities given the never ending
changing circumstances individuals are exposed to nearly on a daily basis. As
indicated earlier, individuals find themselves belonging to different groups,
and in the process they construct and maintain different identities. The applicable
one at any given time, is determined by the company they keep, and because
these group formations come and go and are forever changing, so are old
identities discarded and new identities created, or old ones are adapted or adjusted
in order to fit the new or changed context in which the name carrier finds
him/herself. Many respondents have more than one byname, and it is clear that
the one used at any given time, is determined by the social context, i.e. who are
present in the group and the activities operative in that context.
It is probably also fair to say that most bynames are acquired at a teenage
level (high school) and moving to young adulthood after school, such as in educational
institutions like colleges and universities. It is at this time that close
friendships are formed, and it is also a time when peer group pressure is high.
A university campus like that of UWC is then likely to be fertile soil for producing
a myriad of bynames. The other obvious source is at home and amongst
family, even from a very young age. Some of these bynames are lost as children
grow up, but some remain. Within close knit circles an aspect of endearment or
affection is usually contained within bynames, often through affective diminuation.
Different individuals or groups are responsible for coining these bynames.
Felecan (2009:1) develops the notion of ‘polyphony’ to suggest that
nicknames or bynames are the result of ‘a multitude of voices’, and not the result
of a single act of denomination, but the joint usage of the appellative form
by the entire community who validate it by the force of habit.
All acquired bynames do not always have positive connotations. An unfortunate
event in the life of the name carrier, even in early childhood may have
given rise to a byname that has persisted in being used, despite likely futile efforts
by the name carrier to be rid of that name. A physical feature, negative or
positive, may also yield a byname. There are a number of such ‘negative’
names in the responses, but it is also very likely that many respondents may
simply not have included such names in their responses, not wishing to give it
extended life. It is probably fair to argue that name carriers embrace the use of
certain bynames, i.e. the positive ones, and may oppose, often in vain, the use
of other more negative ones.