The many faces of nicknames

Abstract

Despite a vast scholarly literature on general naming practices, the serious investigation of nicknaming has barely begun. Pertinent literature lies thinly and sporadically scattered throughout the journals of social science disciplines, with most studies of nicknames assuming a structural, functional, psychodynamic, or socio-historical perspective. Taken as a whole, this body of literature is suggestive of the true dimensions of nicknaming. © 1990 Maney Publishing.