Nickname creation through shortening Setswana personal names

Abstract

This article discusses the changing patterns of nickname formation among the Batswana people. It argues that traditionally, Setswana nicknames were formed in line with Setswana phonotactics. However, with the influence of English, which has official status in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, Setswana nicknames are now formed by shortening them in line with English phonotactics. The data for this study were collected from social media. Eight different strategies of nickname formation which all follow English phonotactics are identified and discussed. The study uses a Zipfian hypothesis to explain the shortening of Setswana names. It argues that names are shortened to create nicknames because of their frequency of usage in line with the Zipfian law of abbreviation.