I love language. Well, to be more specific, I love the English language. I love its words and how they fit together. I love the rhythm of a well-structured sentence and a story well told. And I’m fascinated by etymology – the origin of words and how their meanings change over time.
I’m currently visiting The Mumbles, a seaside town near Swansea in South Wales. Out on the front, pondering my connection to this place (more about that here), I was reflecting on the unusual name and its origins – after all, it doesn’t sound very Welsh.
Some say it refers to the murmur of the waves lapping the shore, others that it is derived from the Celtic word mamucium, meaning ‘breast-shaped hill’. But by far the most popular explanation is that the town was named by French sailors, who thought the two islets that form the headland here looked like breasts – mamelles.
What I love about this is that it speaks strongly to the way I feel about the place – that it has a powerfully feminine, nurturing energy about it. And the fact that my mother was born here adds to that.
My fascination with the etymology of names began with my own. I never liked my first name. Especially when I discovered it started out as a surname, then became a boy’s name, and is now a name for both genders.
Why couldn’t I have a more feminine name like my childhood friends Carole and Evelyn?
This was made worse when I found out the meaning of the name was ‘dweller near the beaver stream’. What? That’s just weird.
I remember writing a whole essay about why I hated my name, as if it directly affected my sense of self.
It’s still not my favourite girl’s name but I’ve made my peace with it now. Especially when a friend bought me a fridge magnet that said ‘Beverley – meaning: woman of wisdom’. That’s more like it…
My surname is another story. My mum never liked Glick so neither did I. I thought it sounded ugly. So you can imagine how I felt about my whole name – Beverley Glick. That’s probably why I was happy to use a pen name (Betty Page) when I became a music journalist.
I came full circle on my feelings about the name Glick when I discovered it’s from the Yiddish word glik – meaning luck, good fortune, happiness.
Wow.
I’m lucky to have it.
All this worry about what’s in a name could have been responsible for a lot of self-rejection.
How do you feel about your given name?
Does it reflect who you are?
Given the chance, would you change it?
The words we choose to describe ourselves (and the given meanings of those words) can affect our thoughts, emotions and energy.
With language comes responsibility. Words can be weapons or bringers of beauty.
What about you?
Do you take responsibility for the words you use?
Are you thoughtful about what you say or write?
You can love language or hate it. I choose to love it and the positive impact it can have in the world.
And I’m not mumbling about that.
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