Diminutives can also be formed by adding a suffix to the original name or short form of the name. In English, the suffix -y/-ie is very common and leads to diminutives such as Abby, Debbie, Charlie, Johnny and Sammy. An expert I spoke to advises against pet names, or at least “honey.” Maggie Arana wrote a book with Julienne Davis called Stop Calling Him Honey. and start having sex! arguing that pet names contribute to “roommate syndrome” – when a relationship shifts from sexual to chaste friendship. Bruess` study, co-authored by retired professor Judy C. Pearson, specifically examined the relationship between nicknames and married satisfaction. The authors used the term “idiosyncratic communication” to refer to nicknames, expressions of affection, and other types of “initiated” language used only in a particular relationship. Bruess and Pearson found that idiosyncratic communication is associated with marital satisfaction, and couples in their first five years of childless marriage reported using most idioms. Despite the emphasis on anything small or precious, diminutives come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from standalone words like minivan or baguette (french love diminutives) to an adjective associated with a noun (think “Tiny Tim”) or even a noun itself. Sometimes these shortened spin-offs even become names in their own right. For example, many people think that my name is the abbreviation of Lillian if it is only the simple diminutive Lili. In other cases, the convenient function of shortening a longer name is completely lost. If you haven`t figured it out yet, Jack is actually an equally long hypocorism by the name john.

Maria is a very common Russian name. Take a look at the many ways you can hear or see the name used, and the different ways. I was called a little owl, a swan and even a “panda fish”. No, I`m not a supernatural, shape-changing creature or a character in a children`s book. I`ve just been in a few relationships where cute and affectionate nicknames have appeared as inner jokes. These names persisted for months or even years – to the point where listening to “Elizabeth” or “Liz” in certain contexts would indicate a really serious situation or that I was in trouble. During his alchemical research, he discovered Prussian blue and the animal oil that bears his name. “I think it`s a really human and natural behavior to take language and shape it for our own needs,” she says. “I think that`s how nicknames develop. We name things, we give symbols to things, and over time we tend to manipulate those symbols naturally for a particular result. Elyon is the name of an ancient phoenic god who was killed by his son El, arguably the “firstborn of death” in Job xviii.

Of course, there`s also the embarrassment factor when a person lets the nickname slip in front of others (I`ve been reprimanded for accidentally making this too loud on occasion). This is especially bad if you have a pet name that would seem infantilizing or downright ridiculous to others. Kerner himself admits he doesn`t like it when his wife calls him “Peanut” or “Little Peanut.” “Garnache,” came the clear, metallic voice of the other, and the name sounded like an oath on his lips. Even Arana, after writing a book in which she advises against the names of silly pets, is not completely immune to the tenderness of her romantic partner. “Most of the first names of each currency had recognized hypocoristic forms. Some names have attracted only one or two main forms; others had several; and it was possible to obtain a certain degree of free inventiveness. In the first category, and all from the 17th and 18th centuries, were: Di (Diana); Frank and Fanny (Frances); Jim (James); Joe (Joseph); Nell (Helen); and Tony (Anthony). Other names attracted a greater number of hypocoristic forms, mainly because they were more common names. Examples are Aggie, Nessa, Nesta (Scottish) and Nest (Welsh) for Agnes; Doll, Dora, Dodee, Dot and Dolly (modern) for Dorothy or Dorothea; Mey, Peg, Maggie (Scottish), Margery, Maisie, May and Madge for Margaret; and especially the many names that come from Elizabeth.

These include Bess, Bessie, Beth, Betsy, Eliza, Elsie, Lisa (modern), Lizbeth, Lizbie, Tetty and Tissy. It is pointed out that these are all girls` names, and they seem to have been much more sensitive to hypocoristic formations in the post-medieval period than boys` names. Some hypocoristic forms have become independent names, such as Elsie, Fanny and Margery. Chances are, if you google “What is a diminutive?”, it`s because your German/French/Polish/etc. The professor mentioned that you should learn them for your studies. Diminutives in other languages can be a mixed bag. On the one hand, they often have special grammar rules that make them easier to use (in many Germanic languages, diminutives always use a grammatical gender). On the other hand, the nuances of diminutives in other languages can be quite complex. “From time to time, there are couples. Sometimes a form, usually an /i/ form, is considered a baby speech: [Roswitha] Dabke (1976) notes Goody/Goodoh, Kiddy/Kiddo and compares Jarmies PJs/Pyjamas and Kanga (Babytalk)-Roo/Kangaroo.

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