Long Listening · Section 7

Names

This is a fun topic to talk about, especially with people from different countries. There are many different types of naming customs around the world.

Level: A2 · 54 sentences

Transcript

1. This is a fun topic to talk about, especially with people from different countries.
2. There are many different types of naming customs around the world.
3. So let's talk a little bit about names in the US.
4. Americans usually have three names, which we call the first name, middle name, and last name.
5. When people get married, the wife usually takes her husband's last name,
6. and then if they have kids,
7. their children take the father's last name.
8. One thing that I want to note is that there are tons
9. and tons of different names in the US.
10. Obviously, every country has a wide variety of names,
11. but it seems like in the US there are even more names.
12. Of course, there are many traditional names
13. that have been used in English for many centuries,
14. and there are many biblical names that people give their children.
15. But there are also many non-traditional names that people give their children.
16. These names might come from other languages,
17. or they might be variations of existing names,
18. or they might be names that the parents invented.
19. Parents can get very creative with children's names nowadays.
20. Let me talk a little bit about naming customs in Mexico, where I live.
21. Here, people have a first and a middle name,
22. like in the US, but they have two last names.
23. Their first last name is their father's last name
24. and their second last name is their mother's last name.
25. So in general, Mexican names are longer than American names
26. or names in other countries.
27. When people get married in Mexico,
28. the wife doesn't change her last name like in the US.
29. She keeps both of her last names.
30. And then if they have children,
31. their children take their father's first last name
32. and their mother's first last name.
33. These two names become their two last names.
34. So as you can see, the naming customs are pretty different in these two countries.
35. And in other countries around the world,
36. the naming customs might be completely different from Mexico or the US.
37. Now let's talk a little bit about nicknames.
38. These are names that people call other people
39. that aren't their real names.
40. There are certain names in different languages that have an accompanying nickname.
41. For example, in English, people named Robert might be called Bob sometimes.
42. And people named Matthew might be called Matt.
43. And people named William might be called Bill.
44. These are nicknames that are automatically associated with these names.
45. However, many people give more personal nicknames to their friends or family members.
46. And when people call you by your nickname,
47. it's often a sign that these people are close with you.
48. They feel more comfortable with you
49. and so they feel like they can call you by your nickname.
50. I think this is the case in most countries.
51. I had a couple different nicknames when I was young
52. and I called some of my friends by their nicknames.
53. How about you?
54. Do you have a nickname?