Kevinismus
In German, Kevinismus ("Kevinism") is the negative preconception
Sometimes Chantalismus ("Chantalism") is used as a female equivalent, from the French name Chantal.[5]
Overview
The issue of whether parents of lower socioeconomic status tend more to give their children exotic or Anglo-American names has been discussed among German sociologists from completely opposite points of view. However, there is no definitive view.[6] Because of the unusual and sudden popularity of the name, the term Kevinism (or Chantalism after the female given name Chantal) for this cliché was first created by the satirical website Uncyclopedia, and was subsequently picked up by journalists.[5]
According to a master's thesis authored at the
According to a 2012 study by Leipzig linguist Gabriele Rodriguez, "Kevinism" given names (in Germany) such as Mandy, Peggy or Kevin have an undeservedly bad reputation. Statistics analysed by her former students at the Leipzig University prove, according to this name expert, that, by now, there are many college and university graduates bearing such names. Amongst German academics with the given name Kevin found in the aforementioned data set from Leipzig University, one could see doctorate-degreed chemists, theologians and Germanists.
The word "Alpha-Kevin" (combination of
The onomatologist and linguist Damaris Nübling spoke at a September 2015 convention on the topic of "given names as social markers" about a "smear campaign" having been waged against given names (in Germany) such as Kevin and Chantal and criticised the rhetoric concerning such given names as being "very cheap polemic".[13]
References
- ^ Pribyl, Katrin (26 February 2008). ""Kevinismus": Wie Namen die Zukunft von Kindern beeinflussen". DIE WELT. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ Ein Fall von Kevinismus (in German)
- ^ Kevinismus und Chantalismus: Wenn der Vorname zur Hypothek wird (in German)
- ^ Top 100 Deutschland 1991
- ^ a b Kevinismus, vermeidbare Kinderkrankheit ["Kevinism, an avoidable childhood illness"] Archived 25 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine in Welt-Online dated 23 December 2007, viewed on 9 June 2013
- ^ Is there such a thing as a classic lower-class name? Archived 30 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Die Welt, 27 February 2008, last viewed on 24 December 2015
- ^ Julia Isabell Kube, "Given name research, Questionnaire study of teachers, whether prejudices concerning specific given names of grade school students are associated with specific personality markers", University of Oldenburg, Masters thesis, 2009
- ^ Oliver Trenkamp: "Kevin is not a Name, but, instead, a diagnosis" Archived 23 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Der Spiegel, 16 September 2009, last viewed on 17 September 2009.
- ^ "Discrimination based on names – Mandys Suffering" Archived 12 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Migazin, 27 February 2012, last viewed on 25 October 2015.
- ^ "What is supposed to be the meaning of this?" Archived 4 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine Die Zeit, 31 October 2012, last viewed on 25 October 2015
- ^ "Youth word of the year 'Alpha-Kevin' is a non-starter" Archived 16 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 26 July 2015
- ^ How names can become swear words, jetzt.de Archived 26 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 7 September 2015, last viewed on 19 September 2015
- ^ Difficult given names "Nobody takes a Lilly seriously" Archived 20 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 14 September 2015, last viewed on 19 September 2015.