Re: Vulcan names
Saul Epstein 
Thu, 8 Oct 1998 18:42:51 -0500

Quotes from: Sorik of Vulcan <surak_1*hotmail,com>
Date: Thursday, October 8, 1998 5:19 PM
 
> >From: "Saul Epstein" <locus*planetkc,com>
> >Among the things worth keeping in mind is how little we know about
> >the nature of Vulcan names. Do they mean anything? It seems likely
> >they did once. How long ago?
> 
> Livia Cases uses the name T'Kae, which must have something to do
with 
> the word kae, Vulcan for mind.

<smile> well, it could, certainly...

> >Do Vulcans create new names sometimes? Often? Always? What governs
a
> >new name's form? Do they have anything to do with time of birth?
> >Accompanying signs?
> 
> Not sure what you mean by signs here.  If it is astrology I'd say
"Never 
> that".  Spock clearly states in "Mind Meld" by John Vornholt that
he 
> does not believe in supersticion(sp?), astrology, numerology and
things 
> of this nature.  A Rigellian then asks, "THen what do you believe
in?", 
> and he answers, "Logic".  Of course Spock can be just speaking for 
> himself, and not all of Vulcan, but I doubt it since any such
belief is 
> sooooo illogical.

Actually, it's a highly symbolic logic. (That's a pun, yall: be
calm.) But seriously, I did not mean to imply anything as to the
significance -- if any -- of the time or accompanying signs. Merely
that such can be used as a source for parts of names if each newborn
is customarily given a unique name.

> >Did large numbers of people really take new names during the
> >Awakening? Did they make these names up? To have certain sounds,
or
> >to have certain meanings? Or did they take existing names, for
either
> >reason? If some old names stopped being used after the Awakening,
was
> >it because of what they meant? Or because of some other
association?
> 
> Not cannon, and not that I remember exactly, but doesn't your story
of 
> K'dvarin have something like this? I may be wrong.

No, you're right. Parts of my vision of that period depend on hints
provided by J,M. Dillard's _The_Lost_Years_, which both refers to a
re-naming as part of joining Surak's cause, and pokes some serious
fun at the s---(k) idea. (A detail that I didn't include in that
draft of the story is that some of the other councillor's names are
Stuck, Stork, Shark, Spank, Skunk, etc.) As I specifically make use
of two of that author's characters, this detail just sort of slipped
in.

I think a lot of Vulcans did take new names. But I don't know the
basis for their specific choices or creations.

> >How many parts are there to a Vulcan's full name? Are parts
> >transmitted from one generation to the next? Altered at
bond-mating?
> >Other milestones? How?
> >
> >To what extent are titles incorporated incorporated into full
names?
> 
> A teacher would have t'khar in it somewhere just like a certain
japanese 
> sensei (teacher) would be called "Suta-ku sensei".  There is also
T'Sai, 
> which is used..,well I'm not sure that's defined either.

Exactly...

> >Of some interest in this regard also is the long-term trend in the
> >Anglo-American naming tradition of certain names once considered
> >masculine becoming, ah, bisexual or even feminine -- sometimes due
to
> >perceived feminine morphology (Tracy, Leslie, Darcy) but not
always
> >(Carol). Also the contemporary fashion of giving girls boys'
names.
> >Tyler comes to mind.
> 
> Yes, my best friend is a male named Courtney, which, (for those of
you 
> not familiar with this name) is traditionally female.

Hmm. I thought it was the other way around. <shrug>.

--
from Saul Epstein
locus*planetkc,com - www,planetkc,com/locus
"Surakri' ow'phahcur the's'hi the's'cha'; the's'phahrka
     the's'hi surakecha'."
                                        -- K'dvarin Urswhl'at