Department of Linguistics and
Translation Studies
PNU University, Iran
Abstract
The present paper addresses Bengali personal names and
considers personal naming as an important aspect of nature love among the
people of this nation. It takes linguistics eco-onomastic approach and studies
Bengali names based on environmental elements. In this regard, online Bengali
personal names were analyzed and categorized based on their content meaning.
The findings of the present study approved the hypotheses of the present
article regarding the trace of environmental elements and environmental
approaches in male and female Bengali proper names. The third hypothesis
partially accepted as 41.57% of male Bengali proper names included elements
such as moon and sun and this ration regarding female names was 28.02%, but the
total frequency of flower representation in female names (36.81) was more than
any other elements in both genders.
Keywords: Bengali
Proper Names, Anthroponymy, Environmental Elements
1. Introduction
Personal names are available in any language
and form a special group within the vocabulary of that language. According to
Al-Zumor (2009:15), naming is a specific linguistic act, intimately linked with
values, traditions, hopes, fears, and events in people’s lives. Names reveal
the preferences of their holders in terms of real-life objects, actions,
features, and beliefs (Rosenhouse, 2002). In naming a newborn baby, the name is
used to refer to him for the rest of his life, and at the same time, it can send
a message, express a hope or prayer, as well as cultural or religious tradition
(Alford, 1987: 51). Human naming can be considered as a universal cultural
practice since it provides a symbolic system of individual identification
(Anyachebelu, 2015: 215).
2. Review of Literature
Names are the tags that each society gives to
its people and that name if not changed is the identity that a person will
carry all over his or her life. In should be noted that the interpretations
attached to the names may vary from one culture to another. At the same time, a
personal name can send a message, express a hope or prayer, as well as cultural
or religious traditions (Alford 1987: 51). Koul (1995) regarding the personal
names of Kashmiri asserts that personal names are closely related to the
socio-cultural structure of people and illuminate the socio-cultural atmosphere
of the people. Ogie (2002) argues that Edo's names are used to affirm certain
aspects of this culture. Agyekum’s study (2006) looks at Akan names within the
pure linguistic anthropology. According to this study names, not arbitrary
labels but have socio-cultural functions and meanings. Al-Zumor (2009) studies
the anthroponomy of Yemeni naming practices. One of the most important findings
of his study is that naming indicated the embedded social and cultural attitude
within a certain society. Anyachebelu (2015) deals with the patterns of Igbo
spousal names, their social relevance, and their implications in society. In
this regard, names are not just labels but fundamentals in the reflection of
certain social values among the Igbo people.
On the other hand, from an environmental
point of view, Mühlhäusler (2003) asserts that the environment builds the
language, and there is a close interconnection between language and
environment. Stibbe (2014: 125) explains ecolinguistics as the study of the
connection between human beings and the physical environment. Couto (2015),
considers ecolinguistics as the interactions between language and its natural
environment. Based on these definitions, there can be a relationship between
the naming of human beings and their living environment. As it is reviewed,
personal names have been studied within separate disciplines, but to date,
there has been little attention toward the trace of the environment in proper
names. What makes the study of personal names (anthroponymy) significant is
that they occur in any language and change, develop, and die out, and they have
a life cycle similar to other lexical items (Rosenhouse, 2002). Wheeler (2018)
asserts a close relationship between languages and cultures in the naming
process, which provides a useful opening point for ethnographic investigations.
As a result, the present study aims to find out the trace of eco-onomastic in
Bengali proper names. The main hypothesis of the present article is that trace
of environmental elements such as sun, moon, earth, animal, etc. are available
in Bengali proper names. The second hypothesis is that in addition to
environmental elements, the environmental approaches are also available in
Bengali proper names. The third hypothesis is that female Bengali proper names
include more trace of elements such as sun, flower, and moon than male Bengali
proper names.
3.
Methodology
To collect the
data, some keywords of environmental elements such as sun, fire; sea, and tree
were searched in Baby Name Direct. This website is an online database of
information related to personal names along with their gender and meaning.
During this study, the author analyzed 1786 Bengali origin proper names for
both male(n=893) and female (n=893) genders and classified them through the
content analysis of their meanings. To ensure the accuracy, the obtained data
were rechecked through other online dictionaries and finally were classified
based on their environmental elements and frequency of occurrence.
4. Data Analysis
This section deals
with the categories of the names, their frequencies, and the data analysis.
According to the table (1), it can be inferred that out of 893 male Bengali
names a total number of 190 were related to environmental elements.
Based on this table, the element of the moon
had the highest frequency. It should be noted that due to the cultural
background some names indicated two environmental elements at the same time for
instance Avi (means sun and air), Madur (a bird which flies in the
sky) therefore the author considered them under both categories. On the
other hand, for one element there was various names such as Bhupendra, Prithwish,
etc. (the lord of the earth) which were classified under the category of
earth. Besides, names such as lord of the ocean (Varindra), lord of
rain (Baruna) were categorized under ocean and rain categories
respectively. Names such as Bipin (forest tiger), Fahad (panther),
Fani (snake) were also categorized under animal-related category. In some cases, there were two types of
spelling which one of them was considered for instance in the case of the vishnai/vishnay
(flowers of lord vishnu - Krishna) was also available with the same meaning
which one of the spelling was taken.
Regarding
the environmental approaches in male Bengali proper names some cases such as Byford
(lives at the river crossing), Bhagirat (a king who brought river Ganga to earth),
Biyom (who lives in the sky), Mainak (son of Himalaya), Nirad (given by
water) were observed but their frequency was less than the environmental
elements.
According to the
table (2), a total number of 182 Bengali female personal names were categorized
based on eleven environmental elements.
Regarding the
environmental approaches in female Bengali proper names some cases such as Ekaparana
(wife of Himalaya,), Enakshi (whose eyes look like deer), were
observed but their frequency was less than the environmental elements. In some
female names, there were two types of spelling Najma/Nazma (star) and Kumudini
/Qumandini (Lotus) which one of the spelling was considered.
Diagram (1)
indicates the frequency of environmental elements in Bengali's names. According
to this diagram, only 21.27% of male Bengali personal names and 20.26% of
female Bengali personal names are based on the environmental elements.In the
case of Bengali male names, almost all of the environmental elements have high
frequency except sea (4.21%) and flower (6.84) categories which their
frequencies are significantly high in Bengali female names.
5. Conclusion
The present
study analyzed and categorized Bengali personal names based on environmental
elements. According to the tables (1) and (2) the first hypothesis,regarding
the trace of environmental elements in Bengali personal names, was approved.
The second
hypothesis was also approved due to female names such as Chandravathi
(lightened by the moon), Hamsini (who rides a swan) and male names
such asChidambar (One whose heart is as big as the sky),Dhilan (Son of the
waves), Gajbahu (who has strength
of an elephant),Goswamee (master of cows), Vyomang
(part of the sky)andVan-Raj (ruler of the forest).
Based on the
diagram (1), the third hypothesis was partially rejected. Since the total
frequency of male names in elements such as the sun (22.62%) and moon (18.64%)
was more than that of in female names. On the other hand, the frequency of
flower element in the Bengali female name (36.81%)was higher than other
environmental elements that the reason can be sought in the background of
Bengali culture. According to Ainiala, Saarelma, and Sjöblom (2012:137),
anthroponyimc systems can also change when two different naming systems are
compared. Thus, the frequency of environmental elements such as sun and moon
can be high in other languages and can be defined based on their cultural
background and even gender systems of language.Another interesting finding of
this study was that the frequency of solid elements such as earth, rock, and
the mountain was higher in male names than the female which indicates the
delicate and vulnerable nature of the female.
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