Names, Naming, and the Law: Onomastics, Identity, Power, and Policy

Governments regulate the official names used to identify individuals, groups, places, companies & products, and even diseases. This book investigates the relationship between names and the law, with implications for identity and status. It provides a diachronic and synchronic view of onomastics and the law and examines seminal Anglo-American legal cases. Each chapter offers an overview of key issues in onomastics and language policy across multiple geo-cultural contexts and applies interdisciplinary insights to real-world policies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 250 pages
Publication date: 29 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Governments play a crucial role in regulating the official names used to identify individuals, groups, places, companies, and products, as well as diseases, across various social and commercial domains. This innovative volume delves into the intricate relationship between names and the law, with far-reaching implications for identity and status. In the introduction, I. M. Nick provides a comprehensive overview of the field, highlighting both the diachronic and synchronic perspectives of onomastics and the law. Expert contributors then examine seminal Anglo-American legal cases to illustrate how name policies intertwine with broader issues of power, privilege, and politics.

Throughout the book, each chapter offers a comprehensive overview of key issues in onomastics and language policy, spanning across multiple geo-cultural contexts. These chapters apply interdisciplinary insights to real-world policies, making this book a valuable resource for scholars and professionals in legal linguistics, forensic linguistics,onomastics, language policy, and cultural studies.

By exploring the complex interplay between names and the law, this book sheds light on the ways in which identity and status are shaped, contested, and reimagined. It provides valuable insights into the power dynamics that underpin name policies and their impact on individuals, communities, and society as a whole. Whether one is interested in legal linguistics, forensic analysis, language policy, or cultural studies, this book offers a wealth of knowledge and perspectives that will deepen one's understanding of the world.

Weight: 650g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032556413