Transcript NomenclaturePPT

Nomenclature
Ryan Hong
Erin, Hannah
April 2012
Questions
 Big picture question: How
does culture influence
how parents select their
children’s names?
 Small picture question:
How do American and
Korean names differ in
meaning and how do
those meanings affect
parents' decisions of
naming their children?
Hypothesis
In America, multiculturalism and individualism will result in
a greater variety of naming practices.
Conversely, in Korea, collectivism and the ethnic majority
will result in naming practices that rely on only a few
traditional naming practices.
Methodology
Research
Survey
Research Summary
USA

Bigger population, more ethnically diverse –>
names from different nationalities may
contribute to the statistical outlook of the
American name database

English names are more generic – less
association and more incentive to be unique
and strive for individualism

Rigid rules for name selection are usually
found in tradition bound societies

Research shows that different states have
different trends

Massachusetts -> tend not to name children after
their relatives; in the 19th century Biblical names
dominated Puritan New England

Virginia -> biblical names are more prominent today > Bible belt state

Utah -> 2/3rds of Mormon children were named for
kin
KOREA

Korean names are traditionally based on
Chinese characters, though some are
unique Korean words

The vast majority of Korean names follow
a set 3 syllable format
 Family Name (1) + Given Name (2)
 One part of the given name is a

generational syllable shared by all
members of a given generation.
Use of generational names is
decreasing in the younger generation

Under Japanese rule some Koreans were
forced to assume a Japanese name

With the growing use of English many
Koreans adopt an American name as well
as a Korean name
Survey Methodology
 Sample Size = 160 people (80 Americans, 80 Koreans)
 Surveys were given over 3-4 days in mid-March
 Korean survey was done at Coex Mall
 Only individuals with a legal Korean name were surveyed
 American survey was done in Normal, IL
 Individuals with a Korean name were omitted
 Subjects were given a standard explanation sheet and then orally
reported to the researcher who tallied the result manually
 Researchers intentionally strove for a diverse age range to
minimize the impact of naming trends or fads on results
Survey Data – Normal, IL
Non-Material Culture
Family Tradition/Ritual
Other Factors
Consanguine
Pattern
Parental
preference
Name
Meaning
Subject
does
not
know
Biblical
Namesake
Unique
Legacy
(Patrimony)
Ages 5-18
0
0
1
4
5
3
0
0
Over 18
5
2
7
15
7
22
5
4
Total
5
2
8
19
12
25
5
4
%
6.25
2.5
10
23.75
15
31.25
6.25
5
% by
category
18.75
38.75
42.5
Survey Data – Seoul, Korea
Non-Material Culture
Family Tradition/Ritual
Other Factors
Parental
preference
Name
Meaning
Subject
does
not
know
Biblical
Namesake
Unique
Legacy
(Patrimony)
Consanguine
Pattern
Ages 5-18
0
0
8
0
0
37
4
0
Over 18
0
0
3
0
0
22
6
0
Total
0
0
11
0
0
59
10
0
%
0
0
13.75
0
0
73.75
12.5
0
% by
category
13.75
0
86.25
Data Comparison
Analysis
 Americans demonstrated naming practices involving all
seven of the categories, and Koreans demonstrated
naming practices in only three categories.
 Parental preference was the largest factor in both
Korean and American subjects.
 Americans had a tendency to “create” a family name
through legacy naming and consanguine patterns,
while Korean respondents did not demonstrate this
pattern.
Potential Errors
 Researcher bias: Research was conducted prior to the survey and as a result
may have subconsciously affected the way in which questions or options were
presented.
 Though the two research groups in Seoul and Normal, Illinois discussed the
desire for age variety, it was not standardized and the Seoul sample has a
greater proportion of under 18 subjects.
 Some names are selected for multiple reasons, though respondents were only
allowed to select the primary naming practice.
 Subjects, in some cases, may have reflected their opinion of their parents
motives or naming practice rather than the actual practice used.
 The two researcher groups did not use a set script, so there may have been a
difference in methodology.
 Sample size of 80 across 7 categories was rather small to draw substantial
conclusions.
Conclusion
 Overall, the results seem to support our hypothesis that American
parents use a greater variety of naming practices.
 The results also show that religious names play a larger role in
America.
 Interestingly, though our research clearly shows a deep cultural
tradition of generational naming in Korea this was not reflected in
our survey sample.
 This suggests that perhaps the practice is so pervasive it is not
part of the conscious naming practice. Further research is
necessary to evaluate this claim.
 Parental preference dominated in both American and Korean
subjects which suggests that there is a cultural transcendence
within the naming process that functions independently of cultural
variables such as individualism and collectivism.
Works Cited

Darlington, Roger. "The Use of Personal Names." Roger Darlington's World. Web.
http://www.rogerdarlington.co.uk/useofnames.html.

Interpol, United Kingdom. “A Guide to Names and Naming Practices.” Section 28.
Korean. P. 62-64. PDF.

Jayson, Sharon. "USA TODAY." USATODAY.COM. USA Today, 1 Dec. 2011. Web.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/babies/story/2011-12-01/Pressure-is-onparents-to-pick-perfect-name-lists-help/51512970/1.

Rhymes, Besty. Naming as Social Practice: The Case of Little Creeper from Diamond
Street 25.2 (1996): 237-60. JSTOR. Cambridge University Press. Web.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4168697.

Rochman, Bonnie, Alice Park, and Maia Szalavitz. "Baby Name Game: How a Name
Can Affect Your Child’s Future | Healthland | TIME.com." Time. Time, 2 Dec. 2011. Web.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/how-baby-names-affect-your-childs-future/.

Suddath, Claire. "Twilight Zone: Why Do Babies Have the Same Names?" Time. Time,
10 May 2010. Web. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1988092,00.html.