What is it about?
Nicknames individuate and identify their bearers and stand out with more socio-cognitive forces than the conventional names within the socio-cultural setting and beyond. In this paper, I examine the sociolinguistic and ethnographic significance of nicknaming among female adolescents in Nigeria with particular emphasis on those living in the Calabar metropolis, Cross River State, South-eastern Nigeria. I take into account the dynamics of female nicknames, their social consequences in group integration and solidarity, sources, and the perception of these nicknames. The study is rooted in Leslie and Skipper (1991) socio-onomastic theory of nicknames which establishes the constitutive, preferential and ad hoc rules of nicknaming in understanding the social construction of the nicknaming process. I, therefore, conclude with the claim that female nicknames are creative, cultural symbols and styles by which female adolescents express themselves as a critical resistance to the stereotypical imaging of women in a conservative society, given their psychological, sexual and aesthetic appeals.
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Why is it important?
The aim of this article is to demonstrate that it is not only male nicknames that can index group’s solidarity, invent new identities and defy stereotypical social and linguistic norms. Female nicknames incorporate these tendencies and practices as well and illuminate common grounds of being female by sharing collective experiences and perceptions.
Perspectives
In this study, I found that female nicknames affirm the delight of friendship and showcase narrative histories, independence and status in a hierarchical social structure. The study reveals that cultural values and assumptions are richly embedded in nicknames and that female adolescents use nicknames as a unique style to gain social space for themselves as these nicknames generally reflect social realities and cement groups’ interrelationships.
Dr Eyo O. Mensah
University of Calabar
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This page is a summary of: Female nicknames in Nigeria: The case of Calabar metropolis, Language Matters, May 2016, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2016.1155638.
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