Re: Off topic: nomen et omen

["Robert Holmgren" holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to message from "R. E. Stannard Jr."  on Thu,
6 Mar 2003 15:26:27 -0800 (PST)


> Robert Holmgren -- your Indonesia reference caught my eye. When were your 20
> years there, and in what capacity?

1967-1969, 1973-1991. Art historian.

> The Scandinavian "-son" practice obviously parallels the Arabic "bin" usage

And so many others. I was trying to underscore -- something that surprised me
very much when I studied it -- that these seemingly archaic patterns of
nametaking survived, in village-based Western cultures, until very recently.
The fact that you are Magnusson implies that everyone knows Magnus. I've
helped numerous Indonesians get U.S. residency papers -- always an hilarious
experience (Indonesians are not real comfortable with paperwork, or even
"facts"). Their birth certificate (if it exists) seldom names the person
standing before you. For persons of Chinese descent, it's doubly complicated.
An Indonesian's previous passport may use a completely different name -- very
often, only *one* name (imagine if your name was simply "Bill" -- no surname,
no patronymic, just one "Bill" among millions -- but not to worry, I'm planning
to change it to "Charles" next week). You gotta love it. You can't track,
count, or dossier them. Anything that throws the control addicts for a loop is
progress, as far as I'm concerned.

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
-----------------------------