Title
Degree Type
Thesis
Date of Award
1977
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Quentin G. Johnson
Abstract
When Benjamin L. Whorf said that speech is the best show man ever puts on, he could have modified his statement by adding that personal names are the cleverest manifestations of that show. Many of us tend to accept our names as bestowed by our parents and exert little effort, if any, to understand their significance or even their literal meaning. The writer's wife has a rather rhythmical name, Mah-a, and many friends expressed their admiration of its musical tone. When asked about the meaning of her name, Maha will always answer "it means the eyes of the wild cow." It was a surprise to her husband to find out that Maha, in Arabic, means simply "the wild cow." Such instances of misunderstanding of one's own name lead the writer to assume a widespread lack of awareness on this topic.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-5548
Publisher
Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu
Copyright Owner
Samir A. Hawana
Copyright Date
1977
Language
en
Date Available
May 17, 2013
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Hawana, Samir A., "Naming in Arabic" (1977). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 82.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/82
