I recently read a book by [name]Lois[/name] [name]Lowry[/name] called Gathering [name]Blue[/name].
In it [name]Lois[/name] uses a very interesting naming concept. Basically, every child is given a 1 syllable name.
At different stages as a person ages they add additional syllables to their names.
For example, there’s an old woman who teaches the main character and her name is [name]Annabella[/name].
So she was [name]Ann[/name] at birth, [name]Anna[/name] as a young adult, [name]Annabel[/name] as an adult, and [name]Annabella[/name] as an older woman.
She never gives exact ages or stages when this happens, though I assume it’s vaguely around puberty and marriage that the first 2 changes happen.
It was a really intriguing idea, and made it so you could immediately envision a character before she used detailed descriptions. Because [name]Council[/name] Member [name]Jamison[/name] already gave you an idea of who the guy was.
I was trying to think of other names that would work with this concept since not all 4 syllable names really would–because at one stage or another they don’t have a nn that really works
[name]Elle[/name]-[name]Ellie[/name]-[name]Eliza[/name]-[name]Elizabeth[/name] - works! awesome!
but something like [name]Adelaide[/name], though it’s 4 syllables might be harder
[name]Ad[/name]? [name]Adele[/name]-[name]Adela[/name]-[name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Alexander[/name]
[name]Al[/name]-[name]Alex[/name]-Alexan??? [name]Alexander[/name]
maybe it would work with [name]Alexandra[/name] and the 3rd could be Alexanne
[name]Hermione[/name] doesn’t work at all [name]Herm[/name]? [name]Hermie[/name]? Hermio?
Can anybody think of some good ones that work well with this concept?
I think it’s such a cool idea and a great literary device.
