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What would be a gender-neutral diminutive?

by yasmin_chanelle, September 27, 2015

Messages: 7

Language: English

yasmin_chanelle (User's profile) September 27, 2015, 5:34:58 PM

I'm all about Esperanto, my friends know that. They know that I study languages in general, but the main reason is because (alongside the dumb albeit comical nicknames I coin), I usually call them by an esperanto diminutive. Ian > Janĉjo, Laurent > Lonjo, Sloan > slonjo, Miles > Miĉjo, Miles > Minjo, etc. But my friend Ava is gender neutral so I can't call them Anjo/Avanjo or Aĉjo/Avaĉjo because those are explicitly gendered. Would Aveto be appropiate or would something else be better?

Kirilo81 (User's profile) September 27, 2015, 6:16:27 PM

As -et- is used with non-personal names* it should be fine also in this case, but I'd prefer Avaeto as Aveto collides with av-et-o 'grandpa'.

*The Fundamento states that -ĉj-/-nj- are used with personal names only, the notable exception are Panjo and Paĉjo.
Some have proposed a gender-neutral diminutive -rj- (Arjo/Avarjo), which is OK from a normative point of view, but I've never seen it used and it would probably be hardly understood.

Tempodivalse (User's profile) September 27, 2015, 6:26:25 PM

My first reaction is to use -et-. It is already used to refer to humans (virineto, knabeto), so it wouldn't be a big step to appropriate it to gender personal names as well. I would not recommend using a new, specially devised suffix, as it would not be widely understood.
*The Fundamento states that -ĉj-/-nj- are used with personal names only, the notable exception are Panjo and Paĉjo.
I've seen Onchjo for onklo. I think "personal name" needs to be taken loosely - for little kids, "Mummy" and "Daddy" are not just generic non-personal familial terms, but a personal name for their parents. From that perspective, there's nothing wrong with using the suffix on familial roots (onklo, avo, etc.).

robbkvasnak (User's profile) September 27, 2015, 6:29:39 PM

Eble vi povus provi -etj- nur por vidi ĉu iu komprenas kaj akceptas ĝin. Avetjo. Mi estas feliĉa loĝi en mia dometjo. La finfina probo por ĉio en Esperanto estas ĉu la komunumo akceptas aŭ ne.

Серёга (User's profile) September 28, 2015, 5:56:49 AM

Name Avaĉo, for ri this would be pleasure.

sudanglo (User's profile) September 28, 2015, 10:01:06 AM

The Fundamento states that -ĉj-/-nj- are used with personal names only, the notable exception are Panjo and Paĉjo
It is very small step from panjo and paĉjo to, for example, karulinjo, oĉjo, onjo, avinjo, all of which have hits in the Tekstaro.

Robb, I think your suggestion of mia dometjo for a baby speak/affectionate term for your eta domo is inspired. In context it would be immediately understood.

robbkvasnak (User's profile) September 29, 2015, 4:52:37 PM

Sudanglo, my stance as a linguist is that language will be shaped by its users. You're right. the -etj- solution would be understood immediately and we wouldn't even have to introduce a rule for it. If people want to use it - hey! as the Pope said: Who am I to judge.
The vocabulary of Esperanto will grow as people need words for things that were not considered before. In our neighborhood there is a tree the name for which I found as "kasio". I am sure that nobody in Europe understands that because this tree doesn't grow there. But it does here and we need a word for it. "Betulo" on the other hand is a bit useless for us unless we are looking at pictures from up north. Most people here have never heard the word in English for it either.
Here is a link to "kasio": http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9394016

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