Onomastic strategies
A pragmatic approach to the use of personal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.37846Keywords:
AMPLIFICATION, CHOICE, INTERPELLATION, INTONATION, KABYE (TOGO), PERSONAL NAMESAbstract
In this article I propose to analyze three verbal strategies underlying the use of personal names by the Kabye of northern Togo. Such strategies fulfill a variety of purposes, including attempts to influence the behavior of a name-bearer in the context of interpersonal or social relationships. They are often implemented with the intent to help name-bearers live up to their name. Among these strategies I examine (1) the choice of a name, (2) its intonation and (3) its amplification. All three strategies fall within the scope of the socio-pragmatic approach to naming (the giving of names as well as their use) defined here as essentially an act of interpellation.
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