Re: A Question on Names

On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 03:28:08 GMT, Logan Kearsley
<chrono.surfer@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
<cPADf.19609$Cf7.1114@trnddc06">news:cPADf.19609$Cf7.1114@trnddc06> in
rec.arts.sf.composition:

> "Zeborah" <zeborah@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:1ha1d8x.3wwrr8hyererN%zeborah@xxxxxxxxxxxx

>> Logan Kearsley <chrono.surfer@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[...]

>>> What would you conclude about a culture in which all
>>> girls' names were verbs?

>> "All the girls' names are verbs", probably.

>>> What would you conclude about a culture in which all
>>> boys' names were verbs?

>> Ditto, mutandis mutandi.

>>> Would either situation, if made obvious, make any
>>> significant impression at all?

>> It'd make it easier to tell who was female and who was male. That's
>> about it.

>> If it became clear that the author wanted me to think
>> that the society thought boys/girls were more active (or
>> something) than girls/boys then I'd roll my eyes, but
>> I'd probably be able to read on.

> The thing that brought this question to mind was pondering
> the name 'Wade' (one of those relatively rare English
> names which can be applied to either gender).

In my experience it's exclusively masculine. I don't doubt
that it's borne by some women, but I wouldn't classify it
with <Terry>, <Bobby>, etc.

> It annoyed me that I could not think of any other names
> which were verbs,

<Wade> is not in origin a verb. It derives in part from Old
English <Wada> and in part from Continental Germanic <Wado>.
The OE name is a derivative of the OE verb <wadan> 'to go,
to stride, to move', but it's not the verb itself; the name
is a nominal form, 'one who goes, strider'. The Continental
Gmc. name has a similar origin.

[...]

Brian
.

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