6 Minute English / How names can tell painful stories

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I m Neil.

And I m Beth.

In every language, there s one word which has special power over us: our name. Our senses, feelings and whole identity are closely linked to our name. Yet strangely, our name isn t usually something we choose it s given to us by our parents.

But what if the name you were given at birth doesn t fit? Maybe you simply don t like it, or maybe there are bigger reasons for wanting to change your name, reasons connected with historical injustices, or unfair events in the past. In this programme, we ll be meeting two people whose family history has caused them to consider changing their name. And, as usual, we ll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

Sounds good, Beth, but first I have a question for you. My name Neil is a British name and was given to me at birth. But names change a lot between cultures and religions. Many Muslim boys are named Mohammed, Indian boys are often called Ram or Krishna, and in Mexico, some boys are named Jesus. So according to a recent global survey, what is currently the world s most popular boys name? Is it:

a) Jesus?b) Mohammed? or,c) Noah?

Hmm, I guess it s Mohammed.

OK Beth, I ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. In Britain, a person s first name is also called their Christian name, and in Christianity, many names have a religious meaning. The name John, for example, means God is good . Anderson Jeremiah is the Bishop of Edmonton. He was born in South India, but he doesn t have a traditional Indian sounding name. Here, Bishop Jeremiah explains the roots of his name to BBC World Service programme, Heart and Soul:

Bishop Anderson JeremiahIt was the name of one John Anderson. He was the first educational missionary who came and worked and set up several schools in South India, who had very noble ambitions, but also as with any missionaries, he was a big collaborator of the colonial establishment at that point in time, so he has a very a strong baggage that goes with it. So, Anderson is my Christian name, and Jeremiah is my dad's name.