Vol. 57 No. 4 (2009)
Research Article

Naming, Re-Naming and Self-Naming Among Hmong-Americans

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  • Susan Meredith Burt
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/002777309X12513839123511

Published 2009-12-01

Keywords

  • JULIA ÁLVAREZ,
  • LITERARY NAMES,
  • DOMINICAN REPUBLIC,
  • SAVING THE WORLD,
  • HISTORICAL FICTION,
  • SMALLPOX EXPEDITION,
  • WOMEN'S LITERATURE
    • ...More
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Copyright (c) 2009 Maney Publishing

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Abstract

Hmong-Americans in Wisconsin use the semantic resources of the Hmong language and social semantic connotations of the naming system to create meaning in personal names. Name changes can be made for functional reasons: a name change can be done to protect the individual against ghosts, spirits or illness. Name changes can also mark life status changes: women gain a new name when they marry, while men are re-named by their parents-in-law, usually after the birth of the first child.

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References

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