Czech carmaker Škoda has revealed the name of its new compact SUV, as reported by MotorBeam. The Škoda Karoq will replace the Yeti and will be positioned below the Kodiaq. The name and the spelling have been derived from the language of Alaska’s indigenous people. Known as the Alutiiq tribe who live there, car in their language is called ‘KAA’RAQ’ and arrow is known as ‘RUQ’. Interestingly, an arrow constitutes the central element of Škoda’s logo and this is how the words ‘KAA’RAQ’ became ‘Karoq’. Škoda states that it was very important for them to give their new SUV a powerful name and this was in line with the naming approach across their SUV models.
XXVIII Congreso Internacional de ASELE: Lexicon and culture in LE, Tarragona, Spain, Sept. 6-9 2017
From the 6th to the 9th of September 2017, an international conference on Spanish lexicology and Applied Linguistics will be held by the Asociación para la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera” or ASELE at the Universitat Rovira I Virgili-Tarragona, Spain. More details on the XXVIII Congreso Internacional de ASELE, the abstract submission process, and registration can be found here.
On this occasion, specialists from all over the world teaching Spanish as a foreign language will gather to study and debate about Lexicon and culture in LE / L2: corpus and dictionaries. This central theme is divided into three work blocks. The first will deal with the treatment of lexicon in the Spanish classroom as LE / L2; in the second will be addressed vocabulary and culture in the Spanish classroom as LE / L2; and the third will be centered on dictionaries and corpus in the Spanish classroom as LE / L2.
18th World Congress of Applied Linguistics: Epistemological Challenges in Applied Linguistics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 23-28 2017
From the 23rd to the 28th of July 2017, the 18th World Congress of Applied Linguistics will be held in the 5-start Windsor Barra Hotel Convention Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The scientific theme for this year’s conference is “Innovation and epistemological challenges in applied linguistics”. Details regarding the registration, travel, grants, accommodation, and the program can be found here. Check their Facebook page for program updates.
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Seeking New ANS Officers for 2018
Ever thought about getting more involved with the American Name Society but did not know how? Here is your opportunity! The American Name Society is currently looking for a few good people who are interested in joining the Executive Council. Starting January 2017, new officers will be needed to fill the positions listed below.
To apply for one or more of these positions, please fill out the application form on this page.
ANS Treasurer (2018-2020)
The person elected to this position will be responsible for keeping official record of all funds and securities of the Society; giving and keeping receipts for moneys due and payable to the Society; depositing all moneys in the name of the Society; responding to inquiries from annual conference attendees regarding registration payments; and informing the ANS President, the members of the ANS Executive Council, and the general membership about the financial status of the Society via an end-of-the year fiscal report. The ANS Treasurer will work closely with the ANS President, Vice President, and Membership Officer as well as Taylor & Francis, the current publisher of the ANS Journal NAMES. The person elected to this position is expected to have demonstrable accounting experience and competence in using standard spreadsheets programs (e.g., Excel). Applicants for this position must be long-term ANS members in good standing.
Member-at-large (2017-2020)
The person elected to this position will serve as a voting member of the Executive Council (EC) and is expected to participate actively in the legislative decision-making involved in resolutions and motions placed before the EC. In addition to these duties, members-at-large serve on various auxiliary sub-committees to, for example, help with the nomination of new officers, coordination of the annual conference, and organization of allied conferences. Officers in this position can renew their term of service twice.
Allied Conference Coordinator (2018-2020)
The person elected to this position is principally responsible for organizing the ANS session at the annual conference of the Modern Language Association. This activity involves issuing a call for papers, assembling a team of abstract reviewers, selecting three authors whose work will be presented at the MLA conference, and coordinating the presentation of the three winning abstracts with the MLA administration. In addition to these duties, as a voting member of the ANS Executive Council (EC), the Allied Conference Coordinator participates in the legislative decision-making of the Society. Although the term of service for this position is for two years, the holder of this office may be re-elected pending approval by the EC. Given the fact that this position requires close communication with the MLA, candidates who have a demonstrated expertise in literary onomastics will receive preference. Holders of this position are also eligible for election as an ANS Vice President.
Coordinators for 4 ANS Facebook Special Interest Groups (2018-2020)
The people elected to these positions are principally responsible for managing the ANS Facebook Special Interest Groups (SIGs). There are four ANS SIGs: 1) Personal Names, 2) Literary Names, 3) Trade Names, and 4) Place Names. For each of one of those SIGs, the coordinator is responsible for stimulating and monitoring discussions between users; regularly posting material of thematic interest; answering queries from the general public; and coordinating an informal gathering in-person during the annual ANS meetings. The people chosen for these positions are expected to have excellent writing skills; be a frequent and enthusiastic Facebook user; and have a demonstrable interest in the thematic area of the relevant SIG. The coordinators of the ANS Facebook SIGs will work closely with one another, the ANS President and Vice President, and the ANS Information Officer.
Call for Papers: Applied Linguistics in the New Millennium: Multiple Theories, Pathways, and Practices, Auckland, New Zealand, November 27-29 2017
The call for papers has been officially opened for one of the largest international conferences in Applied Linguistics to be held down under. For the fifth year, this huge event is being sponsored by the Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA), the Association for Language Testing and Assessment of Australia and New Zealand (ALTAANZ), the University of Auckland, and the Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand (ALANZ). Scheduled for the 27th to the 29th of November 2017, the theme for this year’s conference is “Applied Linguistics in the New Millennium: Multiple Theories, Pathways, and Practices.” The formal call for papers as well as directions for abstract submissions may be found here. Abstract submission closes Monday 01 May, 2017.
Who decides what a neighborhood is called?
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.americannamesociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Brian-Benjamin.jpg?resize=300%2C200)
Holding the line: Brian Benjamin sees the nickname SoHa as an attack on Harlem’s history. [Photo: Buck Ennis]
Lecture: Deficits in Action and Object Naming, Dr. Bonnie Breining
On April 13th 2017, a special lecture addressing the effects of neurological damage on the naming of actions and objects was given by Dr. Bonnie Breining at Johns Hopkins University. The lecture is a part of the C-Star Lecture Series offered by the Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery. You can view a recording of the lecture here (or on the C-Star YouTube channel).
Deficits in Action and Object Naming: Evidence from Acute Stroke and Primary Progressive Aphasia
Neurological damage can result in selective deficits of naming for both objects and actions. However, assessment of individuals with aphasia often focuses on object naming, making it insensitive for detecting certain language deficits and patterns of recovery or worsening, as well as providing an incomplete view of the neural regions involved in naming. Furthermore, although dissociations have been observed both following stroke and as a result of neurodegenerative conditions such as primary progressive aphasia (PPA), results from the different etiologies are seldom compared directly.
In this talk, I discuss recent work investigating the neural substrates of object and action naming. Individuals with PPA and acute stroke were given the same assessments: the Boston Naming Test to evaluate object naming and the Hopkins Action Naming Assessment to evaluate action naming. We compare the patterns of impairment and the association between behavioral performance and damage to neural regions of interest in these individuals in order to develop a more comprehensive picture of the brain-behavior relationships critical for naming.
About Names: Enchanting Ella traces history to English nobles
Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his April 25th column, he looks at the history of the name Ella. The name Ella or Ela was brought to England in 1066 by Norman conquerors. In the late 18th century British and American authors were fascinated by medieval chivalry. Ela was one of many medieval names they revived — though they preferred spelling it with two l’s. The Ellas of today are mostly too young to be famous — though actresses Ella Peck (1990) of “Gossip Girl” and “Deception” and Ella Anderson (2005) of Nickelodeon’s “Henry Danger” are already well known. They and thousands of other young Ellas will enchant us for decades to come.
German baby naming: “The most beautiful name for my child!”
One of the most exciting and daunting tasks facing parents-to-be is selecting a name for their newborn. In an effort to help parents out, the Society for the German Language or Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache e.V. is offering a special course on baby naming in Germany. The course covers several important topics including the newest naming trends in Germany, German naming laws, and international databanks for first names. For information in German on how to sign-up and the dates for the next course being offered, click here.