The Philippines is nickname central. Some of my coworkers and acquaintances:
Jovi (Jose Vincent)
Wheng (Rowena -- this is standard)
Tin-Tin (Christina)
Chinky (yes, for someone's whose eyes are very small ... but we put the kaibash on that at the office)
Just read the paper and you'll find Bong, Jiggy, and Joker.
I don't even bat my eye any more at given names like Bambi, Princess, Rapunzel, and Girly.
When I was a visa officer, I kept a piece of paper at my desk with some of the most unique names I came across -- and some strange spellings like a family with four children where every letter "S" was replaced with an "X" (think: Xamantha and Xamuel).
All the same, I was surprised today when one of Wm's classmate's parents asked me how we pronounced his nickname. I replied we just called him by his full name - no nickname, despite our original intention to call him Will. She looked a little confused, which puzzled me. Finally, she said: "But you always write 'Wm' on class emails. How do you pronounce that? 'Wum'? 'Wi-um'?"
I wondered for a bit if my shorthand had inadvertently created a nickname, but his classmates at the party today just called him by his full name. I did kind of like, though, that people assumed I was just being creative, and not simply a lazy speller.
Jovi (Jose Vincent)
Wheng (Rowena -- this is standard)
Tin-Tin (Christina)
Chinky (yes, for someone's whose eyes are very small ... but we put the kaibash on that at the office)
Just read the paper and you'll find Bong, Jiggy, and Joker.
I don't even bat my eye any more at given names like Bambi, Princess, Rapunzel, and Girly.
When I was a visa officer, I kept a piece of paper at my desk with some of the most unique names I came across -- and some strange spellings like a family with four children where every letter "S" was replaced with an "X" (think: Xamantha and Xamuel).
All the same, I was surprised today when one of Wm's classmate's parents asked me how we pronounced his nickname. I replied we just called him by his full name - no nickname, despite our original intention to call him Will. She looked a little confused, which puzzled me. Finally, she said: "But you always write 'Wm' on class emails. How do you pronounce that? 'Wum'? 'Wi-um'?"
I wondered for a bit if my shorthand had inadvertently created a nickname, but his classmates at the party today just called him by his full name. I did kind of like, though, that people assumed I was just being creative, and not simply a lazy speller.
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