dinnames

Dinnames are a category of personal names used in certain linguistic traditions and in speculative fiction to convey information about a person beyond their core identity. In these systems, a dinnames may encode lineage, birthplace, social status, or occupation, often through compounding morphemes drawn from kinship terms, place names, and descriptive nouns.

Formation and structure: Dinnames are typically constructed from multiple elements. Common components include a kinship marker, a locality or time element, and an occupational or status descriptor. The order and combination rules vary by tradition; some systems use affixes, others use separate words.

Usage and sociolinguistics: In communities that use dinnames, the full form may be used in formal address, while shortened forms or nicknames may reveal less information. In fiction, dinnames signal background, lineage, or social role without explicit exposition.

Examples: A hypothetical culture may have a name like Mira-eldar-Turan, indicating a daughter of the Eldar lineage born in Turan; in other settings, dinnames may be reserved for elders or officials.

Criticism and variations: Some scholars highlight privacy concerns and potential discrimination tied to encoded information. Variants exist across languages and settings, and no universal standard governs dinnames.

See also and references: onomastics, anthroponymy, naming traditions. In practice, dinnames are largely discussed in worldbuilding and speculative linguistics rather than in mainstream anthropology.