Netzwerk Interferenz-Onomastik - Network for Intercultural Onomastics

Preliminary Terminological Guidelines

An important point was that we decided against exclusive categories. Rather, we suggest an inclusive approach, with characteristics for names, of which an individual name may have one or more. Categories may be interdepedent.

For the German term Interferenzname, "contact name" was coined as the equivalent in English.

The languages/ cultures in contact will be called primary, secondary, tertiary, etc., so as to give maximum flexibility for differing research on the one hand, but the possibility of clear identification on the other hand.

Each scholar has to define his primary, secondary etc. languages for each particular work. Thus, on mainland Greece in II AD, the primary language would have been Greek, the secondary language Latin, but in England in 1166, the primary language at the court would have been French, with English as secondary, while in the countryside, English would have been primary, and French or Latin secondary.

Transfer can happen

• I. in individual names
• II. in naming systems.

For transfer and adaptation in individual names, we suggest the following four broad categories:

1. Transliteration: Greek Phílippos > Latin Philippos

2. Phonological adaptation: Philippos > Philippus (Latin) > Philippe (French) > Philipp (English or German); Hebrew Anna > German, English Anne.

3. Morphological adaption: Philippi or Philipp's for Greek Philíppou.
4. Semantic adaptation
   1. Reanalysis & folk-etymology: Greek Sôsos understood as derived from names in Sôsi-, Levi as Löw(e), Pollux as related to lux.
   2. Translation & quasi-translation: Theóphilos > Amadeus > Gottlieb; or Salomon > Friedrich.
   3. Semantic alteration: Melus, valid, but different etymologies in Celtic and Latin, the Latin association with mel is taken up in the name of his grandson Q. Melius Flavus (CIL 12.852).

   To these four categories can be added:

5. Hybrid Names
   Combination of morphemes in various manners, e.g. Maike (short form of Maria + Low German -ke, 'little', but note that Maria at that stage is already absorbed into German) Georgianna (< George + Anna), Marielies (< Maria + Louise or a short form of Elisabeth, in which case interference is already in evidence: Elisabeth > Lisa/ Lise/ Liesel etc.), Nils-Olaf, Jean-Pierre/ Jan-Peter (< Johannes/ John + Petrus/ Peter).

6. Miscellaneous adaptations and creations
   This category should include all names that can clearly be felt to be contact names, but that go beyond the characteristics given above, e.g. the name Extra-Emilie, or Max von Oppenheim (showing interplay between Jewish and German naming traditions).

II. Transfer and adaptation of naming systems

There are three major stages of transfer and/ or adaptation of naming systems:

1. Retention of naming systems, possibly with adaptation of contact names: e.g. Phílippos Márkou - the system of first name - patronymic is kept, but a Roman name is adapted to fit into the system.

2. Adaptation of the system: e.g. Ti. Klaud. Phílippos Márkou - the duo nomina from the Roman system are used, but the sequence first name - patronymic is kept intact.

3. Replacement of naming system, possibly with retention of names from the primary language in place of those of the secondary language: e.g. Ti. Klaud. Phílippos - the form of the tria nomina is taken over, the patronymic is not used anymore, though instead of a Latin cognomen, what would have been the original Greek first name is used.