#sembare

[halonia]

Semberek names: Sikirtuš

sikirtiš, adult name (lit. written name) ; plural sikirtuš, collective sikirtuxuš

The sikirtiš is a self-chosen name officially selected during Halokun, with little pomp or ceremony besides a visit to the Sikirto, scribe. After this visit, which is generally done during the evening’s festivities, the new-name-bearer is free to tell their new name to family and friends, but the formal proclamation of all newly-chosen sikirtuš takes place the day after, on Limalo, before the giving of the nišu to the younger children. This cermony marks entrance into adulthood.

Sikirtiš translates literally as ‘written name’ and is synonymous with ‘tattoo,’ because the entirety of the ‘ceremony’ involved in the claiming of one’s sikirtiš is the tattooing of the name onto the skin. When to get one’s sikirtiš is a personal decision, although it is not permitted before the onset of puberty, and the norm is somewhere between the mid-teens and early twenties.

Sikirtuš are almost always simply the nišo with gender morphemes added; Jumet may become Jubomut if he is a man, Jumimet if she is a woman, or Jutamat if se is a taman. This decision is made by the individual. Sometimes the name will be changed slightly – Fimim (from fímitor, ‘vein,’) may wish to be something like Fimikale rather than Fimimime; and Jaxafeliq (from jaxáfela, ‘sea snake’) might prefer Jatafela rather than Jataxafeliqa. Some individuals who disliked their nišu may choose to create an entirely new one. In general, though, the link between sikirtiš and nišo is obvious – while the etymology of the name from the language becomes more obscured.

The actual writing of the name is somewhat customized; it is based in the Semberek syllabry, but frequently only part of the name (usually without the gender morphemes) will be written. It is usually tattooed in a space that is easily visible, such as the face or hands. Often the writing will involved ‘puns’ which incorporate body parts as part of the spelling – Sibokruy, from from sikro ‘citrus,’ might merely write k*ruy* on the underside of his chin, sib; whereas Nitala, from nibíl, ‘night,’ could write la below the lips, nil.

Gender markers

The incorporation of gender morphemes into the name is done with some artistic license; on other nouns the infix is always the second syllable and the agreeing vowel is only a suffix after nasals, but these rules are often bent a bit by the individual.

With the example of the nišo Lusuq, ‘acts like a horse,’ the most common choices for sikirtuš would be:

man – bo/u: Lubosuqu, Lubosuq, Bolusuq; woman – mi/e: Lumisuqe, Lumiseq, Miluseq taman – ta/a: Lutasuqa, Lutasaq, Talusaq neuter – hu/a: Luhusuqa, Luhusaq, Hulusaq inan – re: Luresuq, Relusuq 

It is very rare for the neuter marker to be chosen by a Semberek individual for themselves, and even less common for the inanimate. However the possibility exists, mostly to translate foreign names, especially the names of aureli.

Bixitiš

Sikirtuš are often only fully pronounced in formal situations and introductions; elsewhere, it is more likely that the overt gender markers are dropped, forming a ‘nickname’ known as bixitiš, ‘simple name.’ Of course, these may be further simplified, and nicknames of sorts can be created in manners that preserve the gender markers.

Some examples of bixituš that could be formed from the above sikirtuš for ‘Lusuq’ would be Lusuq, Luseq, and Lusaq. Note that the changed vowels from within the root are kept; Lumiseq à Luseq, but Lumisuqe à Lusuq. 

[halonia]

Semberek names: Nišu

nišo, 'childhood name' (lit. ‘second name’) ; plural nišu, collective nišuxu

On Limalo (the day after Halokun, First Rain), all six-year-old children attend a ceremony where the Qimaxik (religious leader) bestows a new name upon them, which will be used from this time until the child reaches puberty, and may continue to be used for several years into adolescence or even young adulthood, when the adult name is given. The nišo is generally chosen in consultation with the child’s parents, who in turn may ask the opinion of the child.

In dry years, when there is no Limalo, the Bakixirat ceremony takes place late into the cold season, and each of the children is officially given the same name, Qolixisin, ‘bad luck.’ This is considered to be shameful. In practice, the child will still be referred to as its tiškin, but they will not be granted a nišountil the next actual Limalo, which may be more than one year away. Sembare oral tradition holds that there was once a Qolixisinof one hundred years, Qolixisin yebuna yuyasun.

The nišu are derived from various places; sometimes from nonsense syllables with pleasing sound, sometimes from foreign words, and occasionally from the tiškun (baby name). But most commonly, a new name is created which may or may not resemble the tiškun in any way; it is made with reference to the skills, interests, aptitudes, behaviour, or attitude of the child, any of their accomplishments, or expectations for their future; it is usually based on one (or a few) words from the language. Nišu are most frequently two or three syllables long, but sometimes are longer.

The nišo name does not come from any preset list, so there are infinite possibilities. Nišuare rarely used for more than one child in the community at once, although similar names, such as Jumet and Jumexen (from jume, ‘strong’) may be. Sometimes ‘twinned’ names, with the same name morphemes, such as Jumet and Sonalet (from sonalk, ‘clever’) are granted to twins, siblings, or close friends.

List of naming morphemes and more examples of nišu under the cut.

Naming morphemes

Most naming morphemes can be translated loosely as ‘one who...’, so Jumet is ‘one who is strong/ has strength.’ It is more common for the suffixes to appear than the prefixes, and any suffix may optionally incorporate x.

Note that this is a non-exhaustive list of the morphemes used mostly by the Sembare, and there are a few more options, mostly with different vowels, as well as regional variants.

Suffixes ‘One who (is)...’ : -ah, -oh, -at, -et, -it, -en, -an, -in ‘Acts like...’ -iq, -uq, -aj, -ij ‘Is good at...’ : -am, -um, -im ‘Will (go to)...’ : -il, -el, -al, -ab, -ub ‘Likes...’ : -ak, -ik, -uy, -os 

Prefixes ‘Will become a...’ : qa-, la-, no-, ye- ‘One who (did)...’ : tu-, lu-, sa-

Examples of nišu

Tuyah, ‘One who is patient,’ from tuy, ‘patience’ Hasanij, ‘Acts like a bird,’ from hasante, ‘bird’ Tsušumim, ‘Runs well and quickly,’ from ƾus, ‘to run’ and sušum, ‘quickly’ Hatlub, ‘Will overcome,’ from hatla, ‘overthrow, uprising’ Tanixil, ‘Will go to the badlands,’ from rostan, ‘badlands’ Kilik, ‘Likes honey,’ from kiloko, ‘honey’ Yešehu, ‘Will become a seamstress,’ from šehuƾa, ‘to sew’ Turasuq, ‘One who escaped,’ from rasuq, ‘to escape’