The stories behind our names

6 Minute English

语言学习

2023-08-31

6 分钟

单集文稿 ...

  • Neil: I'm Neil.

  • Beth: And I'm Beth.

  • Neil: Names tell us a lot about a person.

  • Many names have meanings – Paul, for example, means 'humble',

  • and the name, Anna, originated from a Hebrew word meaning 'graceful'.

  • Beth: Our name is an important part of our identity -

  • if you hear someone shout your name in the street,

  • you automatically turn to look.

  • But names also reveal cultural and family connections

  • which give us a sense of our history and our place in the world.

  • Neil: In this programme, we'll be meeting a writer

  • whose name combines two very different sides of her identity –

  • one English, and the other Indian.

  • Sheela Banerjee was born in Hayes,

  • West London to parents from the east Indian state of Bengal.

  • We'll be hearing about Sheela's research into her name and family history,

  • and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

  • Beth: But first I have a question for you, Neil.

  • As every parent knows, choosing your child's name isn't easy.

  • Names go in and out of fashion,