A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 1

Not the monkey - Skreeeeeeeeeeeee

Here in 3D-world, I have a first name that also has a common shortened form. I never use the short form: when asked my name I always state it in full. Its how I think of myself.

But about half the time, people shorten it for me. I dont *mind* them doing that* - I just wonder why they do when theyve never heard me do it. Its even done by people Ive known for years.

Does anyone else have such a name? Do you use the short or long form or switch between the two? How do you feel about it?






* Well, OK - Ill admit tom finding it a little careless/rude.


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 2

Mol - on the new tablet

Names are really important and I would never shorten somebody's name if they introduced theirself to me by a full name.

I have a long name, with several obvious shorts. I generally use a completely different first name which I chose for myself when I was 18; my chosen name can be shortened. I don't mind people that I know shortening either name, but think it's reasonable to expect them to use the name I tell them (ie not call me by my offical name when they know me by my chosen name). And I do mind people that don't know me shortening my name.

Life is pretty complicated with this many names at my disposal, especially when I'm writing Christmas cards, because all my family and schoolfriends know me by my offical name (shortened in different ways) and all my husband's family, and almost everybody who has met me since leaving school, knows me by my chosen name (except for former colleagues at one place of work, who know me by my full proper name, because I was having a bit of an identity crisis when I started there).

My husband also has a long name with an obvious short, but he has *always* been known by the lesser-known Elizabethan short (this is getting tedious. He's Christopher, known as Kit). So I tend to regard anybody (usually sales reps) who calls him Chris within five minutes of an introduction as slightly stupid.

Mol


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 3

Magwitch - My name is Mags and I am funky.

I'm Mags or Maggie. Never Margaret (it's not my real first name either smiley - winkeye)


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 4

Geggs

Not entirely on the point, but I know an Edward William Smith, who complained to his father that he had a really down-at-heel name.

"But Edward and William are fine English names!", the father responded.

"No", said my friend, "I'm Ted Bill Smith. How dull is that?!"


Geggs


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 5

Not the monkey - Skreeeeeeeeeeeee

>>Ill admit tom finding it a little careless/rude

Subliminal Freudian slip,


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 6

Beatrice

My name has no obvious short forms (though R calls me Lins at times).

I gave my son a name which could be shortened in a way I liked, and he is known almost universally by that.

I do usually ask - I have a dancing friend called Patrick, and I once inadvertently called him Pat, and immediately said - Sorry, I called you Pat, is that OK? He said - Pat's fine, but not Paddy!


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 7

Not the monkey - Skreeeeeeeeeeeee

I really confused people at work when I started referring to a Swedish customer/friend by her shortened form, which is not a name we hear in Britain.

(Come to think of it. It even contains vowels we don't use in English)


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 8

TRiG (Ireland) A dog, so bade in office

I'm odd about that. I'm happy with Tim and even Timmy in speech, but in writing it has to be Timothy. I always introduce myself as Timothy, and that's what my family and oldest friends call me.

TRiG.smiley - biro


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 9

toybox

I usually offer two alternatives to my name (proper version and simplified version), and don't mind people calling me whatever they like.

The reasons are basically that my name can be difficult for foreigners, plus the fact that ever since I was a young boy I've had many nicknames so I am rather flexible from that point of view.

It also explains why I have no trouble calling hootooers by their hootoo name, even when meeting in real life.

smiley - towel


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 10

toybox

Also it means that, unlike Mol, I don't find names that important anyway. But since lots of people do, I always try my best to call them in the way they wish.

(I once had to announce a Chinese speaker at a conference, and spent some time rehearsing the proper pronunciation with another Chinese colleague. The speaker looked rather happy, much more than the following time when someone else introduced the name using a foreign pronunciation.)


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 11

Not the monkey - Skreeeeeeeeeeeee

My Swedish fiend also has non-English vowels in her last name and is always inordinately pleased when I pronounce it properly when introducing her. Theyre only umlauts!

(I'm also getting good at swallowing my Gs, as in Bjorn Borg. But theyre devious: sometimes you're meant to pronounce them. And they actually *prefer* it when you impersonate a Muppet rather than assuming youre taking the pish. Believe it or not, thats how the language is *meant* to sound)


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 12

Orcus

My name is five letter long and oft shortened to four.

I was never called the latter as a kid. It was full name to my family and I, as a lad, was always referred to by my surname at school.

So when I went to uni I suddenly started getting called the shorter version of my name - I didn't like this and tried to prevent it - this turned out to be worse as people would only ever half remember.

So now I'm resigned to getting called the shortened 'more affectionate' version.

I'm still not very impressed that they've named a TV channel after it though. Is my name amusing in some way? smiley - cross


And don't get me started on my surname.

There are two variations in the spelling - one ends in ____er and the other ____ar. Now the former is my name and is *far* the more common. But for some reason, when people guess the spelling (as opposed to the polite thing to do, which to ask) then nearly always opt for the more obscure spelling. smiley - erm What is that all about?
If I meet someone called Smith, my default would be to spell it "Smith" - it would be silly to assume it's spelt 'Smyth' as most of the time I'd be wrong. smiley - rolleyes

It's weird how annoying it is when people get your name wrong isn't it.

(and I'm sure you can work out my name now from all that smiley - winkeye)


Now my other half she's called Phil... short for Philomena.
An excellent way to wind her up is to go with Phyllis or Phillipa. But even better - Philip - oh, she's never heard that one before - how she laughs...


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 13

Effers;England.


IRL I do it sometimes to people to be friendly when I get to know them a bit, and if others do it. I usually ask if its okay if others aren't doing it.

I do it online to save writing out names in full and also the friendly thing.

People sometimes shorten my name IRL and I like it if I know its a friendly thing.

Funnily enough I've never done it with partners even if others do.

If I think people are deliberately shortening or changing my name for some sort of weird idiocyncratic reason..I just put up with it mostly, but may draw attention..and then move on.

The moment anyone tells me they don't like it I always stop...if they don't I assume they realise its a friendly thing.

Oh and one other way, I frequently do it about eg politicians and Royals or others in the public eye..as a kind of ironic thing as they are of the establishment.

There's probably all other stuff to do with it as its complicated.


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 14

Orcus

I'm with your friend by the way Geggs - I find my real name as dull as dishwater. Better that than weird though.


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 15

Gnomon - time to move on

My real name can't be shortened so people call me that. But I don't really care. I answer just as readily to Gnomon.

I always try and call people by the names they use, rather than changing them. So I always called Ed in work Ed, and Bill Bill, even though everybody else called them Eddie and Billy.


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 16

I'm not really here

My real name is Linda. People are always calling me Lin, which I hate. If someone else is called Lynn, or Lin, that's fine, it's a lovely name. It's just not mine. Luckily it's usually only casual aquaintances who do it, so I don't have to put up with it much, or it's people like my neighbour who don't say it much.

I'm never sure whether to correct people. It's *Linda*.

Still, could be worse. People could still be calling me LinDERRR like they did at school.

No-one *ever* shortens Mina, which is why I still use it in real life too.


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 17

I'm not really here

On the other hand, my (now ex-) husband I knew as Dave, because he was one of my circle of friends, so that's all I ever called him and couldn't change now if I tried. But he always introduces himself as David. I don't know anyone except his immediate family who call him that, but he obviously thinks of himself like that.


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 18

Not the monkey - Skreeeeeeeeeeeee

Gnomon -

Do you have issues with British people not knowing how to pronounce your name? One reaction in such circumstances is sometimes to panic. A more polite thing to do is to ask.


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 19

I'm not really here

My son, I deliberately chose a name that could be shortened to one I like. Jacob to Jake. But so many kids born at the same time were named just 'Jake' so we always call him J (unless tellling him off!). Some of his newer friends call him Jake, which is a bit weird as one of them works for me and when he talks about Jake I never connect that he's talking about my J.


Bill and Ted (and Bob and Jim and Andy and Dave and Pete and Nick and...)

Post 20

Not the monkey - Skreeeeeeeeeeeee

Mina/Linda:
>>I'm never sure whether to correct people. It's *Linda*.

This is a tricky issue. The proper time to do it would be not long after meeting. But some people have been shortening mine for *years* - some of them friends. It would seem almost rude to correct their unintentional rudeness.


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