Stokesy ct. Foakesy b. Woakesy: Transparent nicknames in British sporting discourse
Resource type
Journal article
Creator (person)
Robinson, Jonnie
Date published
December 9, 2024
Abstract
Using a data set of nicknames of elite athletes compiled from the mainstream British sporting press and media, this article explores grammatical patterns in the way we create hypocoristic nicknames like , and . It outlines the purpose of nicknames and their particular role in sport, and provides an analysis of the predictable morphological and phonological rules that apply to a type of nickname categorised here as ‘transparent’. It offers some initial observations on the social distribution of particular nickname variants and on the potential for creativity and playfulness inherent in transparent nicknaming processes.
Journal title
English Today
Volume
40
Issue
4
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Place of publication
Cambridge
ISSN
0266-0784
eISSN
1474-0567
Official URL
Keywords