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

Bynames as an expression of identity 33
tion, affinity, endearment, love, closeness, and friendship play a major role
here. Combrink (1987:45) rightly states that the so-called diminutive suffix in
Afrikaans does not always indicate that the referent is small, but that this suffix
is rather emotive than cerebral, and hence he groups the diminutive suffixes
with other emotive suffixes under the heading ‘emotive derivations’. It is probably
fair to say that the diminutive suffixes in categories 3 and 4 above should
then also rather be seen as emotive suffixes despite the correlation with diminutive
forms.
The comment by Fokker (1960:274) in a dated work clearly shows that name
scholars had their hands full 50 years ago when dealing with this aspect:
Any attempt to exactly delimitate and classify all the subtle emotional shades
conveyed by the different expressive formations we have found would be a
hazardous undertaking. Expressive-affective elements like these, fluctuating
and elusive as they are, resist attempts at rigid classification.
5. Other (vague) derivations
There are a great number of bynames that can only vaguely be traced back to the
original first name. Only remnants of the first name such as a syllable, or sometimes
even a sound or letter might feature in the byname. Initials are also sometimes
used. Respondents could often not throw light on these bynames and why
they were coined. This category will not receive attention here. It is, however, important
to note that these bynames, despite the difficulty in linking them to the
given first name, are clearly seen as components in the identity kit of students.
Innovation and creativity abound. One name deserves to be mentioned:
Simcelile: This Xhosa name means ‘We asked for him’, suggesting that the
parents involved a Supernatural Being like the Christian God, or the traditional
Qamata, or even the forefathers by asking to be blessed with a child, in this case
a male one (which they might have preferred). This very ‘noble’ name, strongly
embedded in the Xhosa culture, loses all the revered connotations once fellow
students get hold of it. About 8 years ago a new cellphone company starting
doing business in South Africa, operating under the name Cell C (they were the
third mobile phone company) and is well entrenched in South Africa today.
From the name Simcelile, fellow students coined the following bynames for
the name carrier, all linked to the mobile phone company: Sim, Simc, Simitjie,
Sim-card, Sms, Cell-C. Nothing now remains of the perfectly honourable and
respectful cultural name he was endowed with. It is unlikely that his parents
would appreciate this. This is then clearly a case of derivation through a coincidental
external connotation that is in no way connected with the original motivation
for the first name he carries.
Although this might be an extreme example (and very interesting from a
morphological angle), there are many others where the morphological link is
not as clear. Van Langendonck (2007:33) refers to these as ‘purely expressive
formations’. These will not be dealt with.