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Subject: FW: Surname and Firstname
Since this went out some time ago, I thought I would resend it so people don't have to search through their mail folder from last month. Regards, Larry -----Original Message----- From: Rowland, Larry Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 10:57 AM To: DocBook Technical Committee Subject: Surname and Firstname I have investigated the issue regarding what to use for names of people. It is quite interesting and the exchange in the mailing list that Norm mentioned was fascinating. However, it did not really provide compelling reasons to adopt something other than givenname as the complement to surname nor to abandon surname. As far as standards go, there are a number of them but most seem to be very Western oriented (firstname/middlename/lastname) and while more consistent than what we currently use, not really superior. Others seem overly complex for what we need. After considerable additional research on the Web, I did not find significant reasons for abandoning the givenname/surname model. I recommend replacing firstname with givenname, which is widely accepted as a complement to surname. We should consider supplementing it with othername or additionalname to cover things like nicknames or maiden names, but simply explaining that firstname really means given name seems weak. If we do go down the path of modifying our name elements, attributes may be appropriate for specializing the othername/additionalname but may not be necessary for our purpose (which is really to allow identifying a person without too much cultural bias). I would be happy to pursue what attributes might be appropriate if we decide to modify our names. However, if simply changing the descriptions is what we are going to do, here is what I would recommend. For surname Current: surname - A family name; in western cultures the last name Description A Surname is a family name; in Western cultures, the last name. Recommended Change: surname - An inherited or family name; in western cultures the last name Description A Surname is an inherited or family name; in Western cultures, the last name. This is used for the patronymic or matronymic or any name that is based on a persons situation at birth or due to marriage or adoption. For firstname Current: firstname - The first name of a person Description The Western-style first name of an author, editor, or other individual. Recommended Change firstname - A given name of a person. Description Use firstname for any given name or chosen name of a person. This is also used for forenames and nicknames. Looking forward to discussing this. ======================================================================= [ Larry Rowland | If you want to build a ship, don't drum ] [ ESS/ATG | up the men to gather the wood, divide ] [ Hewlett-Packard | the work, and give orders. Instead, ] [ 3404 East Harmony Road | teach them to yearn for the vast and ] [ Fort Collins, CO 80528 | endless sea. - Antoine de Saint Exupery ] [ Phone: 970/898-2280 +-----------------------------------------] [ E-Mail:larry.rowland@.hp.com ] =======================================================================
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