Naming Thy Name: Cross Talk in Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Abstract

nate, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: “Of languages: Descended from the same original language; of the same linguistic family. Of words: Coming naturally from the same root, or representing the same original word, with differences due to subsequent separate phonetic development” (OED3, 2000, s.v. cognate adj. 2.a.). Caveat lector. While the ongoing changes to names are likely to instigate further revised editions of the important work, it is very timely that we now have the fourth edition with its thoroughly reworked coverage of South African names and its enhanced geographical detail. This work showcases the onomastic wealth of Southern Africa, and the existence of the four editions also provides an important repository of data marking a period of significant cultural change.