Barry Garcia wrote:

> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> >> > The names we give ourselves give us identity.  Men seem to be more
> >> > satisfied with their names than women.  Comments?

I'm satisfied with my both names... but then I remember that when I was
little I disliked somehow my second name: Eugenio.  (But then, I was proud
to have the same name than my father... and I'm still.)

> [...]. Oddly I was never given a nickname by anyone, though some people
> would joke and call me blueberry, etc. No one ever called me B.J. though.
> I remember my parents used to call me "Bear" (everyone where I live says
> Barry, and berry the same, and the first syllable of my name sounds like
> "bear")

I haven't had nicknames either when I was a kid.  People usually called me
"Carlos" or "Thompson" (pronounced sometimes /topson/ which I disliked).

At high school people begun to call me "Tompi" or "Tompin" which I found
nice.  And much later I invented my nick "Chlewey", not because I disliked
my name but because I wanted something unique enough (and Altavista proves
my right).

[...]
> >> I prefer the nickname
> >> I was given in Russian classes, and which I've managed to keep in a few
> >> social circles (Nikolai); it sounds much more intriguing, having
> >elements
> >> of culture with a few rough edges.
> >
> >My French teacher named me 'Rosalie' and I hated it!

No language teacher of mine have given me a name.  The closest have been
using "Charles" (English and French) or "Carl" (Swedish) but not longer than
one lesson.  When I was 17 and I studied Swedish, some African class mates
sugested that I should had an African name and called me "Gabriel".

> Hmm, I was never renamed by any of my Spanish teachers. I guess they just
> weren't into that (although one used to call a friend /hason/ (stress on
> the last syllable), since his name was "Jason").

Well, if reding Greek mythology in Spanish, I would read "Jason y los
argonautas" as /ha"son ilos argo"nawtas/ (even if accent marks are dropped).
But much probably if I see the name _Jason_ applied to a modern person (and
I don't know his nationality) I would probably think in /"dZejson/ (or more
closed to my Spanish phonology: /"j\ejson/, where /j\/ is a voiced palatal
fricative).

-- Carlos Th
   Carlos Eugenio Thompson Pinzón
   Charles Eugene Thompson
   Carol Ewein ffeil Tomas Pinzón
   Chlewey Thompin
   Celyùwi Tompin