Investigation Protocol
- Fill in and submit the Report Form .
- If you have more than one nickname, fill out a separate Report
form for each metaphor.
- Check the data submitted by other participants and compare it in
charts and on the maps.
- Check the answers for the Research
Questions’ customizing charts.
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We are hoping to compare in this project family nicknames from many
countries. It may be the case that in different countries, adults use different
affectionate nicknames to address their children.
However,
all such terms of endearment (diminutive forms of address) carry a hidden
metaphor. This metaphor always contains a comparison of the addressee with/to
some attractive, alluring, and desirable object. The sources of metaphors vary
from images of animals, plants, and celestial bodies to folklore personages,
articles of art, and even our favorite foods.
When we use diminutive forms of address, we endow our addressees
with qualities of an object which gives rise to a metaphor. It could be, for
example, the warmth of the sun, agility of a lizard, freshness of a ripe apple,
etc. By collecting such words and phrases and studying their positive
qualities, we can analyze and research various value systems worldwide.
Quite
often, these diminutives become ‘life-long companions’ of the children, their
affectionate family nicknames.