Don L. F. Nilsen

Admittedly skimmed this. Very interesting study, but more grad thesis content than a readable "layman's" book. When identity is so crucial to young adults it is no surprise that names are an important aspect of this. Good authors (Sachar, Paulsen, leGuin, Cisneros, Rowling and especially Cormier, among others) know this and also know that teens are picky readers so if they cannot relate to the character the book will not fly. This is more of a case by case, in-depth analysis of specific YA books and the meaning behind the characters' names. I'd recommend for lit teachers, reading teachings or librarians.… (altro)

People use language--we probably have a word for an idea that should be obvious but only becomes so after it is brought up.
But the use is barely touching what it can do.
And they often use language as a barrier.
Even as an impedance to a good education.
Nilsen takes the stance that language play is innate, and largely not "controlled" at least so far as "change" occurs.

History's perception of Nixon is colored by the public's shock at hearing the tapes he made. So many expletives and an attitude of manipulation and paranoia. [20-21.] Clearly it began a major shift in the "acceptable" usage, and today the use of expletives is no longer "deleted".

Great chapter on "The Metaphorical Process" - making comparisons, the lexical comparison. "Metaphoring is a universal process. " [158]
Dead metaphors - when become so standard that it no longer arouses the listener to think of the original referent. [159]

Metaphors based on bodies are common. Hair.

Chiasmus. Words repeat in inverted order: Ex "Aging is a matter of the mind; if you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

Zeugma - faulty parallelism: "A talking dog is not as smart as a spelling bee."

Context and Anachronism .… (altro)

NILSEN, Alleen Pace & Don L. F. Nilsen. Names and Naming in Young Adult Literature. vol. 27. 173p. (Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature Series). charts. bibliog. index. CIP. Scarecrow. 2007. Tr $45. ISBN 978-0-8108-5808-4. LC 2007011281.

The authors observe that teens in the process of developing their identities often experiment with names, manipulating and creating them as a way of presenting their individuality to others. Here, they examine contemporary authors who use names as a literary technique. They cite as examples M. E. Kerr, Gary Paulsen, and Polly Horvath, who use them to evoke humor, while Robert Cormier treated them as an expression of tone in several works. The Nilsens also look at the naming devices used by Karen Cushman, Gary Soto, Adam Rapp, Nancy Farmer, Orson Scott Card, Ursula K. Le Guin, Sandra Cisneros, Maya Angelou, Cynthia Kadohata, and Sherman Alexie, among others, to show how they establish time periods or settings, or reveal ethnic values. The text is written in a scholarly style for readers interested in teaching and sharing literature with young adults. Although some sources are mentioned in the text, the addition of footnotes citing all of the sources would clarify references. Still, this volume offers an interesting exploration of the use of this literary device for teachers of teen literature and for librarians who share books with teens.—Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA
School Library Journal 1/1/2008… (altro)