‘Humorous names, Verbal Weapon’

Abstract

The Zulu people in South Africa are masterful composers of onomastic caricatures, both in the home and work environment. Names in African societies go beyond expressing the individual character of a person, they may also serve as Finnegan (1970:470) has pointed out, as a way of ‘working out tension’, or for their social function in ‘minimizing friction’ or even more importantly in the context of this paper, as a useful form ‘for providing a means of indirect comment when a direct one is not feasible’ (Finnegan 1970:470). Suzman (1994:268) makes the point that ‘Name giving provides an outlet for the regulation of social relations in the intense social interaction of small communities. It allows to communicate their feelings indirectly, without overt confrontation and possible conflict.’ Taking into consideration the collective consciousness of Southern African communities, this would certainly be a reason for the popularity of this humorous form of naming as a form of social control which serves to reinforce the social bonds between those who use them. In most cases the tension is relieved by the humour embedded within the name given, the humour obviously being appreciated and understood by the particular groups of mother tongue speakers of Zulu.

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