They do things differently in - Thailand
A rather curious survey appears in The Nation, covering the use of nicknames for children. Nothing particularly odd about nicknames per se, but nicknames in Trat province in Thailand appear to be bestowed upon children by their parents, and the big news in English language nicknames for Thai small people are, get this, Ice, Fluke and May. I'm not making this up.
Further, "The Trat Cultural Office surveyed 7,244 children from kindergarten to third-graders and found that 53 per cent of them had English nicknames and 44 per cent Thai nicknames. About 1 per cent each had Korean, Japanese, Chinese or Arabic nicknames".
Very, very rum indeed. If any readers East of Suez can add illumination to this sentence - The media played a crucial role in parents choosing to call their kids after famous actors, singers, tools and musical instruments - I would be much obliged. If Ice is anything to do with sundry American rappers using that as part of their stage names, then truly Thailand is doomed.
The tools bit puts me in mind of the tale in one of Freud's books concerning the patient lacking in vulgar vocabulary and would marshal invective thus - 'you plate', 'you table' etc.
Further, "The Trat Cultural Office surveyed 7,244 children from kindergarten to third-graders and found that 53 per cent of them had English nicknames and 44 per cent Thai nicknames. About 1 per cent each had Korean, Japanese, Chinese or Arabic nicknames".
Very, very rum indeed. If any readers East of Suez can add illumination to this sentence - The media played a crucial role in parents choosing to call their kids after famous actors, singers, tools and musical instruments - I would be much obliged. If Ice is anything to do with sundry American rappers using that as part of their stage names, then truly Thailand is doomed.
The tools bit puts me in mind of the tale in one of Freud's books concerning the patient lacking in vulgar vocabulary and would marshal invective thus - 'you plate', 'you table' etc.
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