Change your name boys, change your name

[Gaybutton]

Along with getting my morning laugh from this article, for me it is also the first time it ever occurred to me to give any thought as to why the Thais all have nicknames. The article explains why - something I never knew until now.
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Thai students in NZ asked to pick 'acceptable' nicknames

24 Sep 2016

Some Thai students are being asked to consider changing their nicknames for "smoother cultural integration" in New Zealand.

The Smart NZ Education Centre said six out of 10 students who applied through the agency had been advised to rethink their nicknames, according to a New Zealand Herald report on Friday.

"Some nicknames may contain unfavourable pronunciation like 'poo', 'pee', 'chit', which resemble 'shit' or 'porn'," Chonnanit Na Songkhla, an agent at the centre, told the newspaper.

"There are nicknames that you know will result with the student getting harassed if nothing is done."

The report also cited nicknames such as Mydear, Peach, Perfume and English.

Most Thais are given nicknames at birth, a tradition rooted in the belief that a second name will confuse evil spirits intent on snatching a newborn. Nicknames also come in handy because of the large variety of unique first names, many of which have Pali or Sanskrit roots, are long and hard to pronounce and spell. It's not unusual to know someone closely for years without ever knowing his or her real name.

Baby boomers today usually have one-syllable nicknames of catchy, easy-to-remember words, or of the names of fruits or animals, but they tend to give their Generation Y children multi-syllable nicknames of more international leaning, such as Atom, Laser or Nano.

Foreign cartoon and game characters, such as Gundam and Shinjung, are also popular. The names of food or dishes are also not unheard of, such as Pancake, Pad Thai or Woonsen (vermicelli noodles) as people seek uniqueness.

Benz is popular among status-conscious parents, as are the likes of Fame, Auto, Sun and Win. Football enthusiasts have even been known to name their children Brazil and Denmark.

Thailand is New Zealand's sixth largest source of international students. The country positions itself as a safer study destination compared to countries such as the United States or the UK, Mrs Chonnanit said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... in-a-name-

[Oliver]

I remember being surprised when my boyfriend changed his first name a decade or so ago...although he retained his nickname. Further surprises came when his second nephew was born and he was tasked in finding both a first name (which he did aided by copious charts from the internet) but also a nickname. I can't say I was impressed with "Eff"...he wouldn't do very well in a British playground.
Also surprising to me was that the two friends of his whom I know well both have two nicknames, one for family and the other for friends, the second of which was only chosen in the past few years when the guys were in their twenties.

[Alex]

Having several nicknames for different circles, like one for family and one for friends later in life, is not that uncommon. Especially among those who move away at a young age for work, they often seem to use that opportunity to reinvent themselves (create a new image) and part of that is a new nickname.

Can make talking to their mothers confusing sometimes...

[pong]

Later on, when I became more fluent in Thai and started asking more, i also found that many a MB/barboy has a ''special''(easy english) nickname for his work/customers. Makes it also easy on the fone-at that time (can you remember?) the mobuy fones became wide-spread-esp. that trusty good old NOKIA. So yes-there were also nicknames as ''nokia'' for those showing off how in they were. But for me BANK still makes me wonder sometimes..... And then there was the guy with the name UN.(say: you-an).

[Oliver]

Agreed. The one that annoys me is "Boy".....it makes think of Bull Connor and MLK. When I meet someone with an anglicised nickname, I prefer to use the Thai one.

[Gaybutton]

One that I like is the nickname 'Gee' (hard G). The Thai word for shit sounds like 'Key,' of course one of the first Thai words I ever learned. The first time I met a boy named Gee I was on the floor laughing. I was too new to Thai to hear the difference. Another boy was with us and his English was good. He looked at me as if I had gone nuts and said, "Why you laugh so much?" The only answer I thought I could get away with was, "Unfortunate name."

Speaking of nuts, another Thai nickname is "Nut." That can be a bit unfortunate too.

[windwalker]

Agreed. The one that annoys me is "Boy".....it makes think of Bull Connor and MLK. When I meet someone with an anglicised nickname, I prefer to use the Thai one.

Although some of these Thai nicknames seem to be anglicized that may not always be so.
Someone with a good knowledge of Thai may know the answer to that.
Names such as Boy, Joy, Toy may be pleasant sounding words to Thais and not clones of English words? As for using their given Thai name, that may be some sort of no-no or taboo?

[Dodger]

Names such as Boy, Joy, Toy may be pleasant sounding words to Thais...

The name Boy Toy has a pleasant sounding ring to me, but I doubt it would flow too well with the family...

[bao-bao]

As for using their given Thai name, that may be some sort of no-no or taboo?

To my knowledge there's no real taboo about it; working guys often choose a nickname other than the one they grew up with. It kind of depends on how much they want you to know about their real life vs their "show" life.

[TomUK]

One of my Thai friends had to change his birth name because his mother thought he would have better luck with a different name.

Another Thai friend had to change his nickname when he started working in a bar because the bar manager had the same nickname. He no longer works in a bar but I still call him by his bar name. I actually like this name better than his original nickname and it is also a short form of his birth name.

One of my Thai friends works in the hotel I am usually staying at. Everybody calls him by his nickname. On the odd occasion when somebody at reception refers to him using his birth name it takes me a second or two to figure out who they are talking about. I do know his birth name. I am just not used to hearing it other than in a formal context.