Derogatory forms of personal names in Omani Arabic

Khalsa Al Aghbari*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article examines the derogatory variants of personal names in Omani Arabic that adult women use to express exasperation towards their interlocutors in intimate social settings. These variants closely resemble the original names phonetically, but are considered gravely insulting as derogatory or taboo. The article describes the sociocultural functions of such derogatory names, the differences they reveal in the usage of terms of address between the two genders, and their distinctive role in the norms of speaking and socializing among women in Oman.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)344-357
Number of pages14
JournalAnthropological Linguistics
Volume52
Issue number3-4
Publication statusPublished - 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Language and Linguistics
  • Anthropology
  • Linguistics and Language

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