Raïhanyat,

Moroccan Writer

Mohamed  Saïd Raïhani’s Website

 

 

THE SINGULARITY WILL

A SEMIOTIC STUDY ON ARAB FIRST NAMES

(Published in Arabic, in 2001)

 

 

Chapter Two :

DYNAMISM OF ARAB FIRST NAMES :

DIALECTIC  OF MODERNISM & TRADITIONALISM

 

 

The  dynamism of Arab modern first names is controlled by two major tides : traditionalism & modernism

 

1/-The traditionalist tide :

 

This tide operates on  a steady objective : fidelity to the inherited naming lexicon.

 

 

 A/-Fidelity to the  religious patrimony symbols :

 

Belonging to Islam and Islamic culture made the early-converted Moroccans celebrate the symbols of  this new religion and perpetuate the latter in the first names of their off-spring.

 

 

 

 

B/-Fidelity to the erudition symbols:

 

By celebrating the erudite among the tribespeople,  Moroccans have developped, since Medieval Ages, a strong conviction about the sanctity of the learned. They have built for them shrines when they are dead and organized in their memory yearly carnavals. They also gave those erudite people’s names to their newly-born babies, yearning for their grace and benediction.

 

 

 

 

2/-The modernist tide :

 

This tide came into existence after  the Moroccan Independence. It tries to overstep the old naming lexicon searching for first names from other Arab countries. It also coined some first names with the prospect of producing a more open Moroccan naming lexicon…

 

 

A/-The opening on Eastern Arabic naming glossary :

 

The opening of Moroccan naming lexicon on the Eastern Arabic ones started by Moroccan students’ missions towards Egypt and Syria in the early sixties of the twentieth century. It ,also, was strengthened by the the Eastern Arabic flood of movies, series, plays, novels and stories coming westward towards Morocco.There is also another factor : tourism…

 

 

 

 

           Lately, Moroccan naming lexicon has opened on the newly-coined first name, using for this purpose two major mechanisms :

*Borrowing feminine firet-names from Occidental, non-religious naming lexicon such as : Sophia, Sonia, Nadine, Camelia…

*Coining new first names out of old compound first names by way of deleting one of their components :  

 

 

 

            

          Nevertheless, the newly-coined names engendered quite an apparent  confusion at the level of name gender :

 

 

 

 

Synthesis :

 

The dynamism of Moroccan first names is activated by two major tides : A traditionalist tide aiming at  affiliating the newly-born baby to the already existing group ; and a modernist tide which is progressively recording  its presence on this symbolic/onomastic field, by contributing to produce difference and to defend it.

 

 

 

CONTENTS

 

INTRODUCTION

THE THEORETICAL & EPISTYMOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS  OF THE BOOK

THE COMPONENTS OF ARAB  FIRST NAMES

THE DYNAMISM OF ARAB  FIRST NAMES

FIRST NAMES & CHARACTER : WHAT RELATIONSHIP?

EXPRESSIVE FIRST  NAMES

NAMING AFTER DIVINE QUALITIES

NICKNAMING  OUR  FEAR FROM THE OTHER

CONCLUSION

APPENDICES

 

 

  SHORT-STORY  ANTHOLOGY  WEBMASTER  CRITICISM  CHRONICLES  LINKS  HOMEPAGE ONOMASTICS  FRANCAIS  ARABIC

 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

e-mail:  mohamed_said_raihani@yahoo.com

 

 

 

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