American Language Supplement 2 (107 page)
Read American Language Supplement 2 Online
Authors: H.L. Mencken
15
From
Ottilie?
16
Apparently an attempt at
Audrey
. Other forms encountered are
Audie, Audra, Autra
and
Audrae
.
17
Described by the San Francisco
News
, April 20, 1938, as “an old-time client” of the local social workers.
18
From the Ozarks.
19
From Alabama.
20
Oklahoma City
Times
, Dec. 7, 1945.
21
Reported by Mr. Kenneth Rockwell, of Arlington, Texas.
22
Reported from the Sacramento Valley, Calif.
23
Reported from California by Mrs. G. A. Meek.
24
Found in Florida by Dr. Mary Parmenter.
25
From Iowa. Mr. Charles B. Anderson of New York tells me that this is short for
Bathsheba
.
26
A daughter of
Frederick
H. and
Beatrice
Haas. Her father died at Deer Park, L. I., Jan. 18, 1945.
27
Reported from Jacksonville, Fla.
28
Reported from Baltimore by Mr. Francis R. St. John.
29
From
Bernardine
?
30
Reported from Western New York in
Dialect Notes
, Vol. III, Part VI, 1910, p. 437. A pet-name form of
Bertha
. I have also encountered
Birtha, Burtha, Beartha, Byrtha
and
Berthella
.
1
Providence (R.I.)
Journal
, May 29, 1935.
2
Found in Chicago.
3
A common spelling of
Betty
, along with
Bettye, Betti, Betta
and
Bettha
. All of them appear in many double names,
e.g., Bette Lou, Betty Fae, Bettye Joe
and
Bettijune
.
4
Apparently a recherché form of
Bessie
, a shade higher in tone than
Bessye
.
5
Also
Byllye
.
6
The fancy forms of the primitive
Birdie
are innumerable,
e.g., Birdell, Birdelle, Birdella, Birdellis, Birdine, Byrdice, Byrdyce, Byrdell, Byrdella, Byrdalice, Byrdalyce, Birda, Birdena
, and
Birtie
.
7
Reported from the Cumberland Mountains,
American Speech
, April, 1930, p. 306.
8
A very common girl’s name, often used in combination,
e.g., Bobby Jean
. Variants are
Bobba, Bobbye, Bobbie
and
Boby
.
9
From Georgia. Father:
Calvin;
mother:
Roberta
. Called
Bo
.
10
Often used in combination,
e.g., Bonnie Mae
.
11
Also
Brazelle, Braziel
and
Brazielle
.
12
Oklahoma City
Times
, May 24, 1940.
13
Both
Buena
and
Vista
are also used singly.
14
Oklahoma City
Times
, May 24, 1940. The popularity of
Carl
as a boy’s name, noted in AL4, p. 506, n. 1, has produced a large crop of feminine variants,
e.g., Carlyne, Carla
and
Carlina
. The cognate
Carroll
has produced
Carol, Caral, Carell, Carul, Caryl, Carriell, Carrall, Carolie
, etc. See
Karleen
.
15
From Oklahoma. Other common spellings are
Cathern
and
Kathern
.
16
On a headstone at Westminster, Vt. The two sisters of the deceased were
Amenta
and
Belenta
.
17
Reported from Crown Point, Ind.
18
Simple
Charles
is in some use as a girl’s name in the South, but apparently nowhere else. Among the feminine derivatives in my collection are
Charlsie, Charlcie, Charlyne, Charlena, Charlene, Charlis, Charlyne, Charleye, Charelle, Charleere, Charlaine, Charline, Charlatta, Charlyse, Charlye, Charlie
and
Chas
.
19
The mother of
Cherubim
E. Lee died at Mt. Vernon, N. Y., Jan. 19, 1945.
20
Headline in the Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, March 17, 1941: “Mrs.
Chlorine
Craighead Honors Son at Party.” Also reported from Alabama.
21
In this and all similar forms the second element is carefully capitalized. This puts a heavy burden on the reporters, copy-readers, compositors and proof-readers of the Oklahoma papers, but they have got used to it.
22
From Leaksville, N. C.
23
An Edmond, Okla., bride, 1945.
1
Here, as in many other cases, the spelling follows the local pronunciation.
2
Providence (R.I.)
Journal
, May 29, 1935.
3
In a list of students at Oklahoma College for Women, Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, Sept. 19, 1945.
4
Other popular spellings of
Corinne
are
Coreen, Coreine, Corienne, Corrine, Corene, Corinn
and
Correne
, not to mention
Korene
. It has also produced
Corilla
and
Corise
.
5
Reported from Florida.
6
Also
Coweta
.
7
A not uncommon girl’s name in Virginia.
8
Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, Nov. 17, 1946. Names derived from
Daniel
are common,
e.g., Danelle, Dannine, Danna, Danial, Danele, Dannie
and
Dana
.
9
From
Geraldine;
also
Darel-Jean
,
Darrell-Gene
, etc.
10
A common girl’s name from Florida to Oregon. Variants:
D’Arline, D’Arlene
and
Darlean
.
11
From Nebraska.
12
Also
Dayse
.
13
Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, Dec. 2, 1945.
14
Also
DeAnn
and
DeeAnne
.
15
Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, March 27, 1941.
16
Other forms of
Dolores: De Lauris, Delares, Deloris, Dolorous, Dolaris, Dolorosa
and
Dolorez
.
17
Reported from Nowata, Okla., by the Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, May 31, 1940.
18
Oklahoma City
Times
, May 2, 1941: a graduate of one of the local high-schools.
19
Married at Oklahoma City, Sept. 14, 1940.
20
A junior high-school miss in Oklahoma City.
21
Found in an Alabama orphans’ home by Mrs. Ethel Austin, of Granby, Conn.
22
Oklahoma City
Times
, May 24, 1940.
Dixie
is common both singly and in combination.
23
From the students’ directory of Fresno (Calif.) State College, 1940–41. Many other variants of
Dorothy
are to be found,
e.g., Dorotha, Dorthea, Dortha, Dorathy, Dorethe, Dorothe, Dortho, Dorathe, Dorothye
and
Dorthy
.
24
Sometimes
Doris
is spelled
Dorris
or
Dorriss
.
25
A variant of
Drusilla
, from Florida. Others found there are
Druecellar
and
Drewsiller
.
26
Reported from South Carolina by Mr. Paul St. Gaudens, April 17, 1943.
1
Reported from Franklin, Ind., by Mr. John Jamieson, of New York.
2
The medieval Latin name of
Edinburgh
, so used by Burns. But here it probably comes from
Edward
or
Edwin
. Other attempts at feminization:
Eddene, Eddits, Edice, Edwarda, Edenia, Edolia, Edonna
, and
Edrin
.
3
Probably a fancy form of
Ella
.
4
From
Elsie?
5
A dancer figuring in a San Francisco dispatch to
Variety
, dated Sept. 17, 1940.
6
Found in Colusa county, Calif.
7
Emma
seldom appears with two
m’s
. Sometimes it is
Emi, Eme, Emo
or even
Emer
. Common compounds are
Ema Jane
and
Emalou
. More nobby are
Emelda, Emaelera
and
Emelle. Emily
produces
Emalee
.
8
Found in Baltimore by Miss Marjorie Gardner.
9
Found in Peoria, Ill., by Mr. Fred Hamann.
10
From western Nebraska.
11
This and
Ernestein
indicate the prevailing pronunciation of
Ernestine
.
12
Applied for a divorce in Oklahoma City, Aug. 30, 1945.
13
Oklahoma City
Times
, May 24, 1940.
14
Probably an attempt at
Ethel. Ethyl, Ethylyn, Ethalene
and
Eythel
also occur.
15
Charlotte (N.C.)
Observer
, March 24, 1940.
16
Reported from Colusa county, Calif.
17
Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, Oct. 30, 1945. Also
Evelynne, Eveline
and
Evylan
.
18
Yvonne?
19
Marriage Licenses, Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, Jan. 11, 1944.
20
The same, Oct. 7, 1945.
21
A lady murdered in Arkansas:
Master Detective
, Nov., 1945, p. 34.
22
Phoebe?
23
Reported from Texas in
Townsfolk
, Chicago, Dec., 1940.
24
From rural Indiana.
25
Found in the Ozarks.
1
Found in California by Mrs. G. A. Meek, of Oakland.
2
From New Mexico. Her sister is
Joyrene
.
3
With a hard
G
.
4
Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, Aug. 15, 1945.
5
Reported from Fort Worth, Texas.
6
Other variant spellings of
Gladys
(originally the Welsh
Gwladys
) are
Gladyes, Gladdis, Gladous
and
Gladyce
.
7
Accent on the second syllable.
8
The death of Mrs.
G’Ola
Nagle, a school-teacher, was reported in the Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, May 12, 1944.
9
Reported from Lawton, Okla., 1940.
10
Southwest Courier
, Oklahoma City, May 18, 1940.
11
An attempt at
June?
12
An applicant for a divorce at Oklahoma City, Sept. 28, 1940.
13
From Los Angeles.
14
A member of the faculty, Georgia Teachers College at Collegeboro, 1946.
15
Participant in a beauty contest in Mississippi, 1945.
16
Reported from New Orleans, 1945.
17
Reported from Iowa,
American Speech
, Oct., 1933, p. 73.
18
Strange Carolina Names, by Burke Davis, Baltimore
Evening Sun
, editorial page, Feb. 26, 1947.
19
Found in Baltimore in 1908.
20
Accented on the last syllable.
21
Apparently from
Imogene
. I have also encountered
Imajane
.
22
Inez?
Other forms are
Inos
and
Inice
.
23
One of several forms of
Jacqueline
. Others are
Jacklynn, Jacquelyn
and
Jacquelynne
.
1
Reported from Bartlesville, Okla., by the
Southwest Courier
, June 1, 1940.
2
Oklahoma City
Oklahoman
, Dec. 4, 1943.
3
An Oklahoma City schoolma’am, listed by the Oklahoma City
Times
, May 24, 1940.
4
Reported by Mr. Kenneth Rockwell from Arlington, Texas.
5
In 1944 Miss
Jimmie
Bugg Middleton was treasurer of the National Association of College Women.
6
A favorite name, seldom written
Joe
. It appears either alone or in head-or-tail combinations,
e.g., Billy Jo
and
Jo Verleen
.
7
Oklahoma City
Times
, May 2, 1941.
8
Possibly from
Jonah
but more likely from
John
. Derivatives of
John
are numerous,
e.g., Johnaline, Johnaphene, Johnena, Johnella
and
Johnetta
. Sometimes the masculine form is used without change, though usually with a feminine indicator following,
e.g., John Marie
.
9
Found in California by Mrs. G. A. Meek, of Oakland.
10
American Speech
, Oct., 1942, p. 173.
11
Found in California by Mrs. G. A. Meek.
12
Variants:
Karla, Karlene, Karldene
, and
Karlette
. See
Carlee
.
13
Found in Arkansas by Mrs. James F. Rennicks.
14
An apparent attempt to gild
Carrie
.
15
An Ardmore, Okla., bride, 1945.
16
Reported from Iowa by Miss Harriet Perley.
Larada’s
sisters are
Valora
and
Fama
.
17
Brought out to civilization from the mountains of Tennessee by a traveling bishop. Pronounced
Larcée-ny
.
18
Christian Names in the Cumberlands, by James A. Still,
American Speech
, April, 1930, p. 306.
19
An Oklahoma City schoolma’am.
