Q: How in the world did Bill come to be a nickname for William; Bob for Robert; Chuck for Charles; Dick for Richard; Jim for James; and Jack for John? — Monte Miller, Simsbury, Connecticut
A: Exploring the origins of these nicknames lures us into the Funhouse of English, with its convoluted passages, distorted mirrors and moving floors. These nicknames emerged through bizarre processes involving chance, convenience, misunderstanding and playfulness.
Some were simply easier to say than the original. Bill, for instance, is not only shorter than William, but the hard consonant "B" is also easier to pronounce than the softer consonant "W." And, when a name begins with a vowel, a hard consonant is sometimes inserted up front, as with Ted and Ned from Edward and Nan from Ann.
This preference for hard consonants also explains the substitution of "B" for "R" in Robert to produce Bob, as well as the transition from the soft "r" sound of Mary and Sarah to the harder and livelier "l" sound of their respective nicknames, Molly and Sally.
In some cases, the hard consonant sound, often a "k," is added at the end of the name, as when Charles, Francis, Henry and Richard became Chuck, Frank, Hank and Rick, respectively. Sometimes, a hard consonant is even added at both the beginning and the end, as with Richard to Dick.
That explains consonant switches, but what about the changing VOWEL sounds in the conversion of Charles to Chuck; James to Jim; and John to Jack?
Chuck is a linguistic fossil; it reflects an earlier, Middle English form of Charles — Chukken. Jim for James reveals English speakers' affinity for a quicker, short vowel sound ("ih") over a long one ("ay").
As for the morphing of John to Jack, linguists propose two theories. Some say Jack derives from the Germanic versions of John: Jankin and Jackin. Others suggest Jack comes from Jacques, the French word for James, imported to England during the Norman Conquest.
Sometimes the process of nickname creation is, quite literally, infantile. My sister and I called our younger sister Lee-Lee because that's how she pronounced her given name, Lisa, as a toddler.
Another wild card in nickname creation is the playful propensity of Brits to concoct rhyming synonyms. Some mischievous rascal, for instance, couldn't resist devising Peg as a rhyming form of Meg (short for Margaret), while another wag turned Molly into Polly.
Polly want a wisecracker?
Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.
Photo credit: MorningbirdPhoto at Pixabay
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