DIFFERENCES OF ENGLISH AND KAZAKH PERSONAL NAME FORMATION

Aktorgyn Agisbayeva,

Akkenzhe Trusheva,

Aktobe State

Pedagogical Institute

A first and a large gift from our parents given to you as a baby is life. It’s very interesting to observe the meaning of names and their origins, less commonly known as onomasiology or etymology. The use and formation of personal names in each language is very different. We would like to pay attention to the personal names in English and Kazakh and the ways of their formation. According to the meaning and origin of names, one finds a world of cultures gone by and cultures that have been around for centuries and the influences of politics, war and ever-changing likes and dislikes throughout the years. Names that came from the Bible and the Koran are as popular as ever now as they were many years ago. Other cultures go back in time such as the names from the Chinese and India. Whether we know it or not, names we use today come from all over the globe and we have tried to give some insight into these names, their meanings, and where originally they came from.

There are two culturally different countries and the criteria of name formation and name use in English and Kazakh are cross cultural. Differences in name use as well as formation are connected to language culture, socio-cultural aspects, but are above all a question of the parents’ choices, intentions and creativity. Linguistic creativity is a particularly interesting characteristic of name formation in both languages.

The formation and use of names reflect the cultural and linguistic contexts surrounding families, they challenge and explore the criteria of both the lexicon and the onomastic on, and thus resulting in a blur of commonnouns as compared with proper nouns as well as proper name categories. From the point of view of language, name formation in the languages explores the general rules of word formation as well as the semantic characteristics generally associated with nouns.

A good approach to the study of personal names must methodologically spring from general onomastic, which although forming a discipline of its own,

intertwines with other disciplines that need to be taken into account. Onomastics is concerned with its own specific problems, which both diverge from general onomastic research as well as intertwine with it. The definitions, terminology and consideration of proper names among scholars are strongly dependent on their choice of interest and the area of discipline. It’s necessary to show that the article is essential for the consideration of proper names. Considerations of meanings (semantics) have long been one of the main topics of a substantial body of research within onomastic,assuming that personal names constitute meaning differently from other proper names.

In most language cultures a personal name is considered to be the essential linguistic label of individuals. Traditionally, the name was neither arbitrary with regard tophonetic form nor meaningless. Thus names have and do not come into existence bychance but according to a causal connection .Name-giving principles are, to some extent, universal phenomena in different language areas, but there are, for example, large cultural differences between the function and use of personal names in Western language cultures and Eastern traditions. In some cultures, not only the name forms and functions but also the ideas about names and naming might be quite different.

English names are names that are used in English-speaking countries. Usually English names are not from modern English but from a mixture of Latin, Old English, German (Old and New), Hebrew, Greek and others. Most all English names can be traced back to earlier names or words from ancient or antiquated (Teutonic, Aramaic, Old English, Old French and Old German) languages.

Other sources of English names come from the Bible, common words, and place names. Many English names are androgynous (both male and female) while others have become female names as a derivative of male names. The opposite is sometimes true, but much less frequently.

English names are used in the English-speaking world: the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and many other regions. The complete name usually consists of a given name, a second given name called a middle name and a family name. Some people have zero or multiple middle names. Most English given names are not derived from the English language.

It’s interesting to know that there are lots of ways of personal name’s formation in English and Kazakh languages. Sometimes they are alike in some aspects. Name’s formation is connected to language culture, socio-cultural aspects, but are above all a question of the parents’ choices, intentions and creativity.

Last names derived from Trades, Crafts, Professions or Official and other forms of status are legion but many of their origins have been lost in time. We would like to give some examples of common ones and their often forgotten origins: Archer – a professional Archer; Bailey - a bailiff; Carter -a cart maker; Carver - a sculptor; Chaplin - a chaplain, Chandler – a candle maker, Cooper – a barrel maker; Day – a dairy worker, etc.

Kazakh people would use the names of expensive fabrics, such as Zhibek (silk), delicate plants, such as Raushan (rose), Kyzgaldak (tupil), Enlik (edelweiss); precious metals and stones, such as Altyn (gold), Kumis (silver), Gaukhar (emerald) and Marzhan (pearl). Girls named after stars were meant to become beautiful beyond words: Kunsuslu (beautiful as the sun), Aisulu and Aiman (beautiful like the moon), and Sholpan (morning star). [1]

When parents had a girl, which they wished for, they would call her Asel (honey), Meiz (sultana) or Kulpynai (strawberry). If a family had only daughters, they would be given names that indicated the family's expectation of having boys, like Ulbolsyn (let it be a son), Ulzhalgas (next will be a son), Ulzhan (soul of a boy), Ulbobek (baby boy), Burul (the other way round)and even Kyzdygoi (stop giving birth to girls). Sometimes, girls would be called Ultuar (give birth to boys) to make sure she would give birth to boys in future.

Attitude to boys' names was different. Men were meant to deal with the main difficulties of life. First of all, parents wished them to be the defenders of their family and clan during war time and to resemble famous noble people or poets in the times of peace. In the past, mortality among people was very high and it was reflected in boys' names. In families where newborns often died, they would be given plain names to protect them from the evil eye: Ultarak (loner), Eleusiz (unremarkable), or Elemes (unnoticeable).

Sometimes, Kazakhs would give the names of Kuandyk (glad) and Suiundik (admired) to two of their sons. It usually happened in families where parents had to wait a long time before a son was born and the arrival of the next baby "prolonged their happiness".

After several newborns died one after another parents called their boy’s name Tursyn (let it stop). Names of locations were also important. For instance, the famous akyn Zhambyl Zhabayev is named after the mount of Zhambyl where he was born. The names of Ayukhan (bear-khan), Arystan (lion), Zholbarys (tiger), Burikhan (wolf-khan), Kabanbay and Kulanbai came from the old times when animals were regarded as totems.

Other Arabic names are also popular. Names of Iranian origin are also related to this category. Interestingly, the names of Tanirbergen, Kudibergen and Allabergen all mean "given by god" but are of different origin (Turkic, Iranian and Arabic). This reflects the tolerance of the Kazakh people. It was common to call children by the age of their fathers or grandfathers: Elubai (fifty), Seksenbes (eighty five), and Zhuzbai (lived for a hundred years), thus wishing the children to live a long life. For boys to grow up strong and tough, they had to be called Temir (made of iron) or Shoiynbai (made of steel).

The real name of the great Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbaiuly was Ibrahim. It was his grandmother Zere who called him, her favorite grandchild, Abai (careful). One of the most outstanding Kazakh akyns (poets) of the 19th century was Musa Baizhanuly. He had two nicknames, Myrzakedei (generous poor man) and Zhaiau Musa (Musa walking on foot). The second name stayed with him forever. He was a courageous man and openly said what he thought about the rich. That's why they did not like him. To hurt his pride, they called Musa the generous poor man. One of his songs is about it: I, the son of Baizhan, am the generous poor man.

Nowadays, "Nur" names are quite popular among boys. Of course, not every "Nur" name is politically motivated, but some are.

In most language cultures a personal name is considered to be the essential linguistic label of individuals. Traditionally, the name was neither arbitrary with regard to phonetic form nor meaningless. Thus names have and do not come into existence by chance but according to a causal connection .Name-giving principles are, to some extent, universal phenomena in different language areas, but there are, for example, large cultural differences between the function and use of personal names in Western language cultures and Eastern traditions. In some cultures, not only the name forms and functions but also the ideas about names and naming might be quite different.

There is something rather special about names.

REFERENCES

1. Словарь по языкознанию. Тіл білімі сөздігі. Под.ред.Э.Д.Сулейменовой. –Алматы: Ғылым, 1998.

2. Ashley, Leonard R. N. 1989. What’s in a Name? Everything You Wanted to Know.

Literature in Names 49: 4 (December 2001), p.248-253.

3. Andersson,1994: 18.A Fancy for the Fantastic. Reflections on Names in Fantasy

4.Gardiner, Alan H. 1940. The Theory of Proper Names.A Controversial Essay.

5.Jansson, Tove. 1971. Moominvalley in November. Tr. Kingsley Hart.London: ErnestBenn.

6. Yvonne Bertills Beyond Identification Proper Names in Children’s Literature

7. MacMillan English Dictionary for Advanced learners.2007

8. Hanks and Hodges