VIVA
VOCABULARY!
Each edition of “Viva Vocabulary!” focuses on
different word genres. The goal is to help students
(re)discover the joy of language and the expressive
power of vocabulary.
Practical Ways to
Promote Word
Consciousness
Lois Huffman is an adjunct faculty member at NC State
University and a consultant with the Center for Applied
Linguistics. She provides professional development in
literacy and language for schools and local councils.
Contact her at [email protected].
by Lois E. Huffman
Jack and Jill Can Be Even More Nym-ble: Part Three of Three
The Greek combining form -nym (-onym) means name. In this series of posts, we
have looked at many types of -nyms beyond the Big-Three (Synonyms, Antonyms,
and Homonyms). Part One considered Acronyms, Aptonyms, Backronyms, and
Demonyms. In the second part, we explored Eponyms, Hypernyms, Hyponyms,
Metonyms, Matronyms, Numeronyms, Paronyms, and Patronyms.
This final installment focuses on four more types of –nyms (Pseudonyms,
Retronyms, Tautonyms, and Toponyms) plus lots of ways to teach them.
Pseudonym (a.k.a. Anonym) - fictitious name assumed by a person when s/he
performs a particular social role (e.g., actor, critic, crossword compiler, model,
singer, writer, service center), often used to conceal or obscure identity, sometimes
changed legally Other names for pseudonyms include alias, alter ego, stage name,
screen name, and pen name / nom de plume.
Examples: David Handler is best known by his pen name, Lemony Snicket. Rapper /
actor LL Cool J’s birth name is James Todd Smith. Singer / entertainer Lady Gaga’s
real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Robert Gailbrath is none other than
J. K. Rawling. (see the Smithsonian.com article, “How Did Computers Uncover J. K.
Rawling’s Pseudonym.”)
Teaching Ideas:
1. Explain what pseudonyms are and ask students to give examples and discuss the
many reasons people change their names. Then invite students to work with a
partner to investigate pseudonyms used by writers, film / stage actors of bygone
eras, modern entertainers, and other famous people. Construct a chart similar to
the following to organize what students discover through their research.
(Students may not be able to find reasons for some of the name changes.)
Pseudonym
Given Name
Katy Perry, Kathy Kathryn Hudson
Beth Terry
Profession
Singer, songwriter,
businesswoman
Purpose
Portray pop star
image or nerd alter
ego
Sasha Fierce
Beyoncé Knowles
will.i.am
William James
Adams
bell hooks
Gloria Jean Waters
Rick O’Mortis
Carl Hiaasen
Singer, songwriter,
actress
Recording artist,
songwriter,
producer,
entrepreneur
Author, social
activist
Author
Assume a different
persona on stage
?
Honor her
maternal greatgrandmother
Write in a different
genre
2. Allow each student to create a pseudonym and use it when posting on the class
wiki or displaying written work in the classroom. Refer students to the article,
“How to Make Your Own Pseudonym“ and name generators such as those at
huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/pen-name-generator_n_5045 267.html and
behindthename.com/random/. Also establish rules for the pseudonyms and
their use:
 Pseudonyms must be G-rated.
 Students must reveal their pseudonyms to the teacher.
 Students may not use pseudonyms to post derogatory comments or any
material that is not acceptable at school.
3. Encourage students to speculate about people with pseudonyms whose real
identities must remain secret—people in the witness protection program,
intelligence operatives, undercover police officers, restaurant critics, etc. Discuss
why this secrecy is needed and how an assumed name contributes to
occupational success or personal security.
4. Have older students identify the pen names of the ten literary
figures that Richard Lederer describes on pages 62-64 of his
book, Crazy English (Pocket Books, 1998). Interested students
might likewise research the pseudonyms that have been used by prominent
writers such as, John Banville, Julian Barnes, Anthony Burgess, Michael Crichton,
Stephen King, Robert Ludlum. Joyce Carol Oates, Ruth Rendell, Anne Rice, and
Nora Roberts.
a.k.a.
Let students know that there are good and bad reasons to use a pen name. Some
students also may want to investigate the notion that writers may have more
success if they use a male or female name when writing in a particular genre
(e.g., male or gender-neutral name in science fiction and fantasy and female
name in chick lit). Refer students to the post, “Female Science Fiction and
Fantasy Writers Still Encouraged to Use Male Pseudonyms.”
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5. Make sure students are aware that, according to Carmela Ciurara, author of Nom
de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms (Harper, 2011), the use of
pseudonyms declined in the twentieth century. Have class members reflect on
why this change may have occurred (e.g., wider acceptance
of women writers, explosion of digital technology with
incumbent difficulty maintaining privacy, writer’s
established brand identity, fan expectations of interaction
with celebrities, prevalence and tolerance of diverse
ethnicities in the U.S.).
6. Encourage students to notice when the use of pseudonyms makes the news and
also bring this to the attention of the class. For example, in a high-profile, sexabuse trial, witnesses (alleged victims) wanted to use pseudonyms, but this
request was denied by the judge assigned to the case (huffingtonpost.com
/2012/ 06/04/jerry-sandusky-trial-judge-pseudonyms-accusers_n_
31567702.html
7. Help students distinguish pseudonyms from alter egos, nicknames, and name
changes made for religious or political reasons by introducing the class to
Allonyms, Ananyms, Cryptonyms, and Hypocorisms.
Allonym - name assumed by an author but that actually belongs to another
person (merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allonym) According to Anu Garg,
people assume another author’s name for the purposes of ghostwriting or
parody. A writer may also use an allonym to honor another writer. This is what
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison did when they wrote The
Federalist Papers under the name Publius (wordsmith.org/words/
allonym.html). Have students search for other examples of allonyms.
Ananym - name written backward Have students speculate why some
individuals and groups might use an ananym, such as Yendor for Rodney, Seltaeb
for Beatles, or Nerak for Karen. Students should also share any examples they
have created or noticed (e.g., Oprah Winfrey’s media company, Harpo; mho, a
unit of electrical conductance, formed by reversing the word, ohm, Yrac, name of
the Cary, NC High School yearbook). More examples of ananyms can be found at
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananym.
Let the class know that some people use this special kind of anagram in their
passwords, but it has limited strength and is not advised by security experts.
Make sure students also are aware that writers sometimes use ananyms for
characters’ names. Students may want to do this in their own fiction writing.
Cryptonym - secret name; name by which a person is referred to only by people
in the know For example, in the central office of one school system, a group of
employees covertly called their boss Voldemort. The U.S. Secret Service uses
cryptonyms to refer to the high-level politicos and families that they guard. To
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illustrate: Radiance and Rosebud are the Secret Service names for the daughters
of President Barack Obama.
More information on codenames and a list of those used for U.S. Presidents and
their families along with many others is at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_
Service_codename. Ask students why cryptonyms are useful and if they have
ever used a cryptonym. Remind students to protect the person’s identity by only
revealing general information and not any real names.
Hypocorism - pet name or nickname Often hypocorisms
are shortened forms of a given name (e.g., Roz for Roslyn,
Dr. D for Dr. Davis, A-Rod for Alex Rodriguez). Some
hypocorisms result from childhood mispronunciations
(e.g., Marnie for Margery) or specific incidents (e.g., A
sixth-grade boy who broke his leg and walked slowly on
crutches was called Turtle by his buddies.). Talk about why people give each
other pet names or nicknames (e.g., to show affection, annoy / irritate, poke fun,
humiliate, bully).
One online resource on nicknames is How to Politely Give Nicknames. Let
students know that according to Johnson, Johnson, and Schichtling (2004), all of
the U.S. presidents have had nicknames (e.g., As a youth, former President Bill
Clinton was called Bubba.). Encourage interested class members to learn more
about Presidential nicknames and how they were acquired. For instance, how
did former President Ronald Reagan get the nickname, Dutch?
Ask students who go by a nickname if they feel proprietary about it? Tell them
that in 2003 director / writer Spike Lee sued Spike TV to stop it from using his
nickname (His birth name is Shelton Jackson Lee.) Mr. Lee won a temporary
injunction, but the suit was settled out of court. The general opinion seemed to
be that Spike is a generic nickname and not specific to Mr. Lee (rd.com/jokes
/funny-stuff/outrageous-things-people-claimed-to-own/?v=print).
8. After studying pseudonyms and related terms, students might
want to look into how some American immigrants’ surnames
have been Anglicized (e.g., the Polish name Kwiatkowski was
shortened to Kaye; the Italian name Benedetto became
Bennett, the Swedish surname Vilhelmsdotter was modified to Williams).
Students could start with their family name. Or, if applicable, use your own name
to illustrate how the American version differs from the spelling in your family’s
country of origin.
For example, my current last name is probably a variant of the German,
Hoffmann. My husband’s family does not know if the spelling change was done
intentionally by an ancestor, public official, or educator or if it was an error due
to illegible handwriting or sound-spelling differences between German and
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English. (Students will discover that it is a myth that most name changes can be
traced to Ellis Island (uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/genealogy/genealogynotebook/immigrant-name-changes)).
Make the class aware that in recent years fewer immigrants to the U.S. have been
changing the spelling of their names. Encourage interested students to read and
discuss the article, “New Life in U.S. No Longer Means New Name.“ Pose
questions such as: What are some factors that influence people’s decision to
change or Anglicize their names? What might be some consequences (cultural,
pronunciation, spelling, etc.) of an increase in American last names that more
closely reflect individuals’ home countries?
Retronym - an adjective-noun phrase created because an existing term that was
once used alone needs to be distinguished from a term that refers to a recent
development or specialized variation
To illustrate: With the advent of cable and satellite TV, the retronym, broadcast TV,
came into being. Prior to that time, TV was simply referred to as TV. The name of the
new invention / word that necessitated the retronym is referred to as a neonym.
Some other retronyms are yellow mustard, stationary sofa, pure gas, natural
childbirth, manual toothbrush, land-line phone, hardback book, dumbphone,
conventional (motor) oil, bar soap, animal meat, analog clock, acoustic guitar, and 2D
movie. Lists of retronyms can be found at retronyms.org and en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/List_of_retronyms.
Teaching Ideas:
1. Invite class members to be on the lookout for retronyms and their
corresponding neonyms. Let students know that many retronyms result from
technological and scientific advances that bring about a modification of an
original item. Have students record each original word, neonym, and subsequent
retronym (e.g., photograph → color photograph → black-and-white photograph)
in an interactive digital poster, the class wiki, or a class vocabulary notebook.
(As Dale and Bonnie Johnson point out in Words: The Foundation of Literacy
(Westview Press, 2010), students will discover that some retronyms are not
actually modifications of an existing word, but rather contemporary coinages to
represent the opposite of particular neonyms: offline-online; retrosexualmetrosexual; single-tasking-multitasking.)
2. Encourage students to predict which retronyms will eventually
become archaic because the items they name no longer exist (e.g.,
manual camera, quill pen, rotary telephone)—except in museums,
antique stores, or thrift shops. Have students show images of
the items represented by the retronyms when they give reasons
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for their predictions. According to the Johnsons, “Technological
advances account for many word deaths—or near deaths.”
Tautonym - word composed of two identical parts Examples: ack-ack boo-boo,
gaga, goody-goody, pawpaw, tutu, yo-yo Andrew Clements’ book, Double Trouble in
Walla-Walla (21st Century, 1997) contains lots of tautonyms and is fun to read aloud
to younger students.
Teaching Ideas:
1. Have the class keep a record of tautonyms encountered in and out of school (e.g.,
yum-yum, Yo-Yo Ma, Yo Gabba Gabba, woot woot, tut-tut, tsk-tsk, Tintin, so-so, rahrah, pooh-pooh, papa, ooh la la, no-no, muumuu, murmur, mama, looky-looky, Lulu,
Little Bunny Foo Foo, hush-hush, Honey Boo-Boo, ha-ha, froufrou, fifty-fifty, DumDum Pop, da-da, couscous, chop-chop). Discuss some of the positive and negative
associations with tautonyms (e.g., fun, comfort, silliness, immaturity / babytalk,
clarity, familiarity, enthusiasm).
2. Explain that tautonyms are formed by repeating two words verbatim or nearly
so. (The technical term for this is echoic reduplication (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Reduplication).) The purpose of the repetition is rhythm and emphasis (e.g., cray
cray = deeply crazy). Invite students to create their own tautonyms and explain
the contexts in which each could be used.
3. As a class, keep an ongoing list of first names and nicknames that are tautonyms.
Share the following examples to get students started: Ce Ce, Dee Dee, Le Le, Jojo,
and Mimi. If possible, also include the given name for each nickname (e.g., Kiki /
Katarina). For more information on nicknames, see the above section on
Hyporcorisms.
4. Have students sort the tautonyms they collect or invent. Students might
categorize the words as people, places, things, actions, descriptors, commands,
interjections, etc. Ask students to reflect on the results of their sort: What
categories did they devise? What type /s of tautonyms seem to be most
prevalent? Why might this be the case?
5. Invite students to look for tautonyms that represent the same
phenomenon. For example, ta-ta (primarily British) and bye-bye
are two ways to say farewell.
6. Have interested students explore triple tautonyms and triple internal tautonyms.
The former are made up of three parts having the same spelling (e.g., aiaiai, chacha-cha, Delta Delta Delta, nom nom nom, tat-tat-tat, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Tora!
Tora! Tora!). Triple internal tautonyms have a letter string that is repeated three
times in a row (e.g., sheheheyanu, logogogue). These two types of tautonyms are
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included in The Dictionary of Wordplay by Dave Morice (Teachers and Writers
Collaborative, 2001).
Toponym - place name or word named after a place The places can be real or
imaginary. Examples: hamburger for Hamburg, Germany; jeans for Genoa, Italy;
Yorkshire terrier (Yorkie) for Yorkshire, England An extensive listing of toponyms
is at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_words_derived_from_toponyms. Another
resource is Toponymity: An Atlas of Words by John Bemelmans Marciano
(Bloomsbury, 2010).
Teaching Ideas:
1. Explain what toponyms are and share some fun examples, such as those above.
Then have students scroll through the archives of wordsmith.com to find more
examples of toponyms. (Toponyms have been the focus of Anu Garg’s A Word a
Day many times over the past 20 years.)
2. Invite students to select a U.S. state or a country other than
the U.S. and compile a list of toponyms associated with that
place. Or if students prefer, have them collect toponyms that
relate to a particular concept (e.g., God / religion, flora or
fauna, prominent people). Students should contact a social
studies teacher for assistance with this project.
3. Ask students to make colorful, eye-catching posters that illustrate toponyms—
intriguing ones, their favorites, etc. (e.g., tangerine for Tangier, Morocco).
Students should include the toponym’s backstory plus a map pinpointing the
location. Display the posters on a rotating basis in a public space such as the
school library or cafeteria / commons. Title the display “Toponyms: Names for
Places.” or “Can You Place It?”
4. Challenge students to think about something that is unique in their locale and
create a toponym for it. Talk about how students might promote widespread use
of the new term.
5. Have students compile a list of toponyms / place names that are misleading (e.g.,
Brookside Mall which is not near any stream; Elmwood where there are no elms
in sight). Discuss why or how such places are inappropriately named (e.g.,
business moved from one place to another, owner liked a particular name,
owner wanted to convey a certain feeling / influence people’s perception of the
place. item for which the place was named as disappeared / died out).
6. Let students know about the toponym flashcards at Quizlet.
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In case you and your students can’t get enough of -nyms, there are many fascinating
types of names in addition to the ones included in this three-part article (and the
well-known synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms discussed in previous Viva
Vocabulary! posts). Interested groups of students might investigate one or more of
the following:
Agronyms, Anacronyms, Anatonyms, Andronyms, Anemonyms,
Anthroponyms, Apostonyms, Autonyms, Cacanyms, Comonyms (a.k.a.
Commonyms), Consonyms, Dromonyms, Drymonyms, Econyms, Endonyms,
Exonyms (Ethnonyms), Glossonyms, Holonyms, Horkonyms, Limnonyms,
Malonyms, Manglenyms, Meronyms, Miranyms, Mononyms, Necronyms,
Numeric Tautonyms, Odonyms, Oronyms, and Pertainyms.
Some students might also enjoy the Name that -Nym Matching Quiz at
grammar.about.com/od/words/a/Name-That-Nym-A-Matching-Quiz.htm.
This post “Jack and Jill Can Be Even More Nym-ble: Part Three of Three”
appeared first on www.ncreading.org/.
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