LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 20:1 January 2020
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Names in Hyperreality:

A Postmodern Outlook Towards the Role of Mass Media in
Bengali Naming Patterns in Urban Context

Monalisa Bhattacherjee, M.A., M.Phil., NET, Ph.D. Research Scholar

Abstract

Names are a part of every culture. Not only are they of enormous importance to the giver and the receiver, but also act as signs. In recent times, the personal names of the Hindu-Bengali community of Kolkata have witnessed noticeable change. The contemporary personal names reflect Kolkata’s transition from a traditional city of pre-colonial era to a contemporary post-modern place. Many of the personal names also give information about the influence of mass media in eroding the boundaries between the ethnic and the globalized cosmopolitan identity. Using a postmodern theoretical analysis of the data collected from four schools of Kolkata, this paper analyses the media-influenced hyperreal scenario within which patterns of names are going through constant mutation. The findings of this research provide insights into the connection of the hyperreal stage and the contemporary nomenclature system where the personal name acts as a floating signifier without any definite signified. Names will then reflect a psychosocial desire and the multiplicities and complexities involved therein which is different from the comparatively stable naming pattern of earlier times. The findings of this paper also put forth the contestation between ethnicity and cosmopolitanism as portrayed in the changing naming pattern.

Keywords: Hindu Bengali-community, personal names, mass media, postmodernism, cosmopolitanism, hyperreality, nomenclature, signifier, signified.

1. Introduction and Background

Names are related with every culture and are significant enough to have a close analysis. Names are the bearers of cultural, social and political information. The names are also the important signs of the desired or subconscious wishes or attributes that one feels when naming their children. According to Murray (2013), “Parents choose baby names to imply desired characteristics about their children”.

Kolkata

Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, is located on the east bank of the Hoogly River. The metropolitan city of Kolkata presents a perfect picture of modern India along with traditional art and culture. The city Kolkata is the cultural capital of India and is the home for over 5 million people. The population of the metropolitan Kolkata is roughly around 14.59 million in the year 2016. In India, Kolkata is ranked third position after Mumbai and Delhi respectively. Kolkata is the principal business centre of East India and prospering IT sectors, thus, attracting a lot of migrants from other states who are permanently settled here for occupational purposes. In terms of literacy rate, Kolkata is one of the top cities of India with an overall literacy rate of 87.14% (Population of Kolkata, 2019).

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Monalisa Bhattacherjee, M.A., M.Phil., NET
Research Scholar, Linguistics Department
North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya
Mobile no. - 7980817760
Prithamo12@gmail.com
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