Names/Nombres

“Names/Nombres” explores the relationship between language and identity, examining how identity can shift upon entering a new linguistic environment. The essay suggests that language is more than just a tool for communication; it is deeply connected to personal identity, cultural belonging, and family history.

Throughout the text, names and pronunciation illustrate the deeply personal nature of language.  When the young Alvarez first returns to the United States, she arrives with a name containing an “orchestra of sound” that English speakers quickly butcher in myriad ways (Paragraph 1). Alvarez is named after her mother, and her full name follows the Dominican tradition of including four generations worth of her parents’ surnames, indicating how her name connects her to her family, culture, and history. However, in the United States, Alvarez’s Spanish name becomes a site not of connection but one of difference. Her name marks her as different from her classmates, as do other aspects of her linguistic identity, like her accent. 

By the time Alvarez reaches high school, she has lost her desire to be known by her “correct Dominican name” and has embraced the many nicknames her friends have christened her with. Her popularity “show[s] in [her] name” (Paragraph 5), as different friend groups develop different nicknames for her that signal her in-group status.