As a Z-person, I was immediately pulled into Bert Vaux’s query to his “British and Antipodean friends” on Facebook this morning: Bert is collecting examples of -Z(ZA) nicknames (what I’ll call znicknames), like Baz for Barry and Hazza for Harry. The -Z(ZA) (phonetically -z / -zǝ) replaces an intervocalic r following what is, in the varieties in question, an accented short / lax / open vowel: ɪ ɛ æ a ʌ ɔ. Some more conversions of model names to znicknames from Bert’s collection:
Carrie, Carol → Caz
Darren, Darryl → Daz, Dazza
Jerry, Jeremy → Jez, Jezza
Karen → Kazza
Larry → Laz, Lazza
Mary → Maz, Mazza
Z vs ZA. The examples are just the ones BV happens to have collected so far; clearly both znickname versions are generally available for every znicknamable model, regardless of the sex of the referent; there’s absolutely no tendency for the -ZA version (ending in -A) to be reserved for women’s names (elsewhere in English, final -A in personal names is strongly associated with female referents).
But the inventory of znicknamable models is quite restricted; in particular, Arnold apparently has no znickname counterpart Arnz or Arnza (because the r isn’t intervocalic). There are also gaps in BV’s data that might be systematic, or might merely follow from the rarity of the models.
For example, all of his model names are disyllables. What then is the status of a name like Tamára — not znicknamable, or the model for Tamáz / Tamázza?
And all of his model names have simple initial onsets; he offers no models of the form sCVrV, where sC is sp st sk sm sn sl — invented Scarol, Skaren, Slarry, Smary, actual name Spiro. Is Spiro not znicknamable, or is it the model for Spiz / Spizza?
The FB responses to BV’s query for examples include an especially rich reply from Claire Bowern (somewhat edited):
James > Jazza; Jeremiah > Jez, Katherine / Kate / etc > Kaz. But to answer your question I have a very strong intuition that Brian and Bridget, for example, can’t form these (Tracy’s ok though > Trazza). Carmel > Caz doesn’t sound terrible (but has no coda r remember). Bert > Buzza also doesn’t sound disastrous but I can’t tell if it’s ironic.
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