Some say, plenty. Others just try to avoid doing things like giving a dog a bad name. Some illiterate parents of my previous generation wouldn't thing twice about naming their kids after some farm animals. I'm not saying they're bad as names go, but that's all they could come out with. The nicknames they label their kids with were even worse.
When you want to give your child an appropriate name you may want to consult the 'tongshu' and base it on the date and time of birth. That's for the 'technical' minded.
When I wanted to name my kids, I made sure I tested each one out loud how it would sound like in a few major languages to avoid giving anyone a red face later. Some names could sound like profanities in other languages or dialects. Others could insult those with sensitive ears.
Make a name simple, that's my motto. Your kid could easily live up to it. Not a name so complicated to pronounce that foreigners have to twist their tongues into a knot trying to address them. Not a name so huge in historical fame that your kid can't measure up. LIke Mohandas Karamchand, Ghenjiz Khan or Shih Huang Ti.
And I think you won't go wrong to apply that same principle to your product's brand name or company name.
So, anyone going into the drinking water business? Here's a suggestion for the brand name: "Glug-Glug".
oooo....
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, any name in one language would sound obscene or silly in another. The name Henry pronounced in French sounds like Ornery. Lokman in Indonesian sounds like 6 dollars in Cantonese. And don't get me started about Chinese and Korean names that sparked jokes across the US. So the trick is how to turn an obscene sounding name into a roaring success. ^_^
ReplyDeleteGlug glug is a good name, probably as good as Wee Wee (or Oui Oui in French).
So, the trick is learn not to laugh when introduced to someone whose name tickles you...
ReplyDeleteMy mom was correcting papers in the kitchen when I happened to step in and I saw little kiddies worksheets. Mom's a kindergarten teacher. The first one up wrote, Shiting. I was like: OH GOODNESS!! HOW COULD A KID. K.I.D write that?! So i called for mommy and then I realised her name was Ng Shi Ting. Goodness Gracious.
ReplyDeleteSoon we'll be naming kids by numbers. But then again there'll be some numbers (like 4) certain people refuse to use. Oh my!!! No perfect system.... :~/
ReplyDeleteI thought we already name kids by numbers. Ah Saahm for Number 3, Ah Kow for Number 9, in Cantonese of course. I like the way the American Indians name their kids. Wild Horse and Dancing Eagle aren't half bad as names. ^_^
ReplyDelete...reminds me of the story about the Red Indian dad who looked out of his teepee when his 3rd son was born. He saw two dogs mating...
ReplyDeleteMy dog is named Moti...which means Pearl, and it hasn't affected his manliness in any way!
ReplyDeletehe probably doesn't give a damn... must be pretty dogged about it too...haha
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