They call him Dick. His name is Richard.
In the Philippines, though baptized with a name, Filipinos are given another form of a name. Nicknames are given as descriptive moniker for a particular person. Reasons vary why nicknames are very common in every household. Some parents give them as form of endearment. Some are given in fun. Some are created as alias or as a shorter form of name vis a vis a very long given name.
It is also very common that nicknames are created by repeating the first syllable. Examples of these are Beng-beng, Klang-Klang, May-may, RR, Cat-cat, Raf-raf, etc.
Other forms appear like adding a suffix repeating the last letter and/or adding –y or -ie to it. Examples of these are Glenny, Greggy, Ruthy, Gracie, Bessy, Lissie, Andy, etc. Most likely, this type of nicknames is given as form of endearment.
In the example above, the whole name is altered. Dick replaces the name Richard. Other examples of names altered completely are, Dada for Daryl, Taburgok for Drake, Aye for Ariel, Chunky for Santiago, Beng for Clarissa, etc. All because these are names of endearment.
Other nicknames are derived from the physical appearance of a person. Examples are Taba (given for fat people), Labo (given to those with eye defects), Payat (given for thin people), Pilay (given to people with leg handicap), Bilog (given to somebody with wide eyes), etc.
It is no surprise then to hear nicknames given as description of a person. There are persons that are called Menudo because one is very fond eating menudo, Mang Tomas because one is very fond of lechon, Kabayo because one loves horse racing very much, Valeria because one looks like the contrabida (villain) with that name, Simangot because one likes to frown, etc.
What do they call you?
In the Philippines, though baptized with a name, Filipinos are given another form of a name. Nicknames are given as descriptive moniker for a particular person. Reasons vary why nicknames are very common in every household. Some parents give them as form of endearment. Some are given in fun. Some are created as alias or as a shorter form of name vis a vis a very long given name.
It is also very common that nicknames are created by repeating the first syllable. Examples of these are Beng-beng, Klang-Klang, May-may, RR, Cat-cat, Raf-raf, etc.
Other forms appear like adding a suffix repeating the last letter and/or adding –y or -ie to it. Examples of these are Glenny, Greggy, Ruthy, Gracie, Bessy, Lissie, Andy, etc. Most likely, this type of nicknames is given as form of endearment.
In the example above, the whole name is altered. Dick replaces the name Richard. Other examples of names altered completely are, Dada for Daryl, Taburgok for Drake, Aye for Ariel, Chunky for Santiago, Beng for Clarissa, etc. All because these are names of endearment.
Other nicknames are derived from the physical appearance of a person. Examples are Taba (given for fat people), Labo (given to those with eye defects), Payat (given for thin people), Pilay (given to people with leg handicap), Bilog (given to somebody with wide eyes), etc.
It is no surprise then to hear nicknames given as description of a person. There are persons that are called Menudo because one is very fond eating menudo, Mang Tomas because one is very fond of lechon, Kabayo because one loves horse racing very much, Valeria because one looks like the contrabida (villain) with that name, Simangot because one likes to frown, etc.
What do they call you?
"Mang Tomas because one is very fond of lechon"
ReplyDeleteWhat's the connection? How does Mang Tomas relate to lechon?
To the above, Mang Tomas is related to lechon because it is used as a condiment for the said dish.
ReplyDeleteGlad you posted this. It really is quite odd how Filipinos give nicknames to people they love; sometimes the nicknames are in no way connected to the actual names. A very funny and endearing trait of Filipinos.
ms/mr anonymous, i hope your query was answered.
ReplyDeleteasongforyou, thank you for taking time to answer ms/mr anonymous' question. it really is funny how Pinoys give nicknames to people they love.
My nickname was inspired from my chinese name (tsin-tsin or jin-jin or jing-jing).
ReplyDeleteHow about you Narissa? What is your nickname?
i was called Beng beng when i was little and it evolved to Bing when i was in high school; adapted it til college and up to now, janet.
ReplyDelete