Discussion Questions about Names

What are names?

Why do we have names?

Do you like your name?  Do you want to change it?

In the West, we choose names because we like the sound of them.  What about in China?  Do you choose names because of the meaning?

Would you prefer to have a number instead of a name?  Why not?

Who has an interesting name?

What is the most popular name in China?

Do you wish you had many names?  e.g. Aliases, nicknames, pen names.  

What County's people do you think have the most interesting names?  Unpronounceable names?  Silly-sounding names?  

Do you like English names?  How did you choose your English name?

To a foreigner, Chinese names are hard to remember, and we can't know the gender.  What about English names to a Chinese person?

Nicknames

What are they?  Give examples.

My examples:  Metal, Four eyes, Harry Potter, Fishface.

What nicknames can you remember?

What sports teams nicknames do you like?

If Wuxi had a major sports team, what nickname should it have?

City nicknames.  E.g. New York is the Big Apple.  What nicknames would you give to Chinese cities?

Pet names

What are some good names for pets?  What names have you given pets? Birds? Dogs? Fish?

What names sound tough, effeminate, or weak?

What names are so infamous, you would never choose them?

Do people in China name their children after famous people?  Do people in China names their children after themselves?  e.g. Andis junior.

Do you wish you had a title?  e.g. King, Sir, Lady, Duke, Earl, Viscount

List of names

Ask the students what the names mean to them?  e.g. Nationality, gender, something about the person's desired personality.

Clint Eastwood

Rock Hudson

"Battleship" Kelly

"Baby Fats" Larry.

Hirohito

Sunil Gavaskar

Ichiro Suzuki

Gilles Gilbert

Kaka

Hans Zimmerman

Bruce

John Smith

Arjumuna Buru (Indian female)

Wang Xiao Fe

Hildegrad Nef (German actress)

Jane Doe

Rupert Baxter

Ho Chi Minh

Johnny Buick

Richard Wainwright the Third

Domenico Fontana

Central Asian Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov

Mohamed Atta

Angus McAllister

Lady Dora Garland

Geronimo

Don Felipe Juan Froilán de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y Borbón

Jean Florette

Juanita  Fernandez Solar

Jurgen Prochnow

Booker T Washington

Sitting Bull

Indira Kumir

Tom O'Grady

Lord Stockheath Percy