Naming names

[pne]

Some users on my friends list I know the real names of, some I don't. In some cases this is because they told me but I forgot :(

Since I'm curious about such things, I'd appreciate it if you'd fill out (all or parts of) this poll if you don't mind my having the information, so I have them in one place. Results are visible only to me.

[Poll #235356]

Comments

[sparkofcreation.livejournal.com]

I just want to say it's a relief to write the date out using Roman numerals for the month and have someone know what I mean.

months in Roman numerals

[pne.livejournal.com]

Interesting; do you usually write dates with Roman numerals for the month?

I was introduced to the concept in the Missionary Training Center, from missionaries learning Hungarian (who were in the same group as I for some things); apparently, the format 2004-I-19 is common there. I haven't seen it used much elsewhere.

Similarly with the practice of writing one's family name in caps, as in "Philip NEWTON"; I think I've seen this mostly in France, Hungary, and Japan (in the latter two cases, probably because they commonly write the family name first, and writing it in caps makes it less likely for their "first name" to be mistaken as their given name).

Re: months in Roman numerals

[eilanhp.livejournal.com]

It's on the tickets for the busses and trains here, that's where I know it from. We also got to know it at school.

Re: months in Roman numerals

[sparkofcreation.livejournal.com]

I do it when I write in Spanish. It's done in Spain, as well (though the format 19.01.04 is equally common), but only people who have spent time in Spain know what it means. I subject my students to it fairly often, but most of them don't recognize it.

I've seen a lot of government paperwork lately (immigration stuff), and a lot of it asks for the family name in all caps. This is particularly helpful for Hispanics, who have a double last name (María José RAMOS PÉREZ) with the first surname being the father's and the second being the mother's maiden name (Hispanic women don't usually change their last names). The girl above might be the child of, for example, Juan Ramón RAMOS ANDRÉS and Luisa Fernanda PÉREZ MARTÍNEZ, who might also go by (but probably would not legally change her name to) Luisa Fernanda PÉREZ DE RAMOS. If you were going to write names the "American" way, the people would be María J. Ramos, Juan R. Ramos, Luisa F. Pérez/Luisa F. de Ramos, respectively ... it's a mess because here people with dual last names usually put the mother's name first, so if they're going to use only one, they use the second. (Julie Smith-Fuller is probably the daughter of Margaret Smith and Thomas Fuller and may go by Julie Fuller.)

You might have known that already. If more people did, my job would be infinitely easier.

Re: months in Roman numerals

[nik-w.livejournal.com]

You see the surname in CAPS over here on birth/marriage/death certificates.

Re: months in Roman numerals

[pthalo]

yep. since i'm a foreigner I can spell my name Givenname Surname, but since all Hungarians write Surname Givenname, to make things clear I always write Givenname SURNAME. or SURNAME, Givenname.

If you look at my journal, you see I use Hungarian date format :) LASTN_DATE_FORMAT is too short for the roman numerals hack i'm using, but LASTN_NEW_DAY isn't. :)

[jordik.livejournal.com]

Also interested in those that only list you as a friend? As far as I am aware we don't know eachother, I've you listed because about half your posts interest me a lot.

[pne.livejournal.com]

Sure, go ahead.