First names and the perception of linguistic identity: an ethnolinguistic analysis of the most frequent names in Catalonia in 2008

Abstract

First names are linguistic items of great symbolic significance that link their bearers to ethnolinguistic identities which are, in part, conveyed by and perceived through them. This paper explores the relationship between language, anthroponymy and identity, analysing the linguistic ideologies that they may reveal. The study is based on the data obtained through ethnolinguistic surveys in which informants were asked to assign a specific linguistic identity to a speaker whose first name was all that was known to them. The results show significant differences in the perception of the various linguistic communities of Catalonia not only with respect to the most common names but also to linguistic identity itself. These divergences are explained in terms of ideologies of authenticity and anonymity.

Keywords: first names, linguistic identity, Catalonia, linguistic ideologies, ethnolinguistics, ideology of authenticity, ideology of anonymity.