How names can tell painful stories ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute

English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil and I'm Beth. In every language,

there's one word which has special power over us: our name.

Our senses, feelings,

and whole identity are closely linked to our name. Yet strangely,

a name isn't usually something we choose.

It's given to us by our parents.

But what if the name

you were given at birth doesn't fit?

Maybe you simply don't like it.

Or maybe there are bigger reasons for wanting to change

your name, reasons connected with historical injustices or unfair events

in the past. In this programme, we'll be meeting two people

whose family history has caused them to consider changing their name and

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

Sounds good, Beth.

But first, I have a question for you. My name -

Neil - is a British name and was given to me

at birth. But names change a lot between cultures and religions.

Many Muslim boys are named Mohammed. Indian boys are often called Ram

or Krishna, and in Mexico.

some boys are named Jesus.

So, according to a recent global survey,

what is currently the world's most popular boy's name? Is it

a) Jesus b) Mohammed or c) Noah?

Hmm, I guess it's Mohammed.

OK, Beth. I'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.

In Britain, a person's first name is also called their Christian name,

and in Christianity,

many names have a religious meaning. The name John,

for example, means 'God is good'. Anderson

Jeremiah is the Bishop of Edmonton.

He was born in South India,

but he does not have a traditional Indian sounding name. Here, Bishop

Jeremiah explains the roots of his name to BBC

World Service Programme, Heart and Soul:

It was the name of one John Anderson.

He was the first educational missionary who came and worked

and set up several schools in South India, who had very noble ambitions,

but also as with any missionaries,

he was a big collaborator of the colonial establishment

at that point in time,

so he has a very strong baggage that goes with it.

So, Anderson is my Christian name, and Jeremiah

is my dad's name.

Bishop Anderson Jeremiah's name comes from another man, John Anderson,

a Christian missionary during the British Empire.

The history of the British Empire in India is controversial

with many views on all sides.

Bishop Jeremiah thinks that some of the empire's missionaries were noble

meaning admirable or morally good,

but nevertheless, John Anderson was part of a violent and exploitative empire.

Bishop Jeremiah uses the word 'baggage' to describe the beliefs,

especially outdated or unhelpful beliefs, which influence how people think.

Emotional baggage tends to influence the feelings of one individual,

while historical baggage can affect whole societies.

In India, names serve an important purpose to signify

social status. Low-status Indians,

including Bishop Anderson's grandparents, escaped social discrimination

by converting to Christianity and taking another, Christian, name.

But elsewhere in the British Empire names were connected with something

completely unchristian: slavery. Black British writer,

Professor Robert Beckford, is an activist theologian

at the University of Winchester. His surname -

Beckford - is a slave name passed down from his enslaved African ancestors

in eighteenth century Jamaica.

Here, Professor Beckford talks to BBC

World Service Programme Heart and Soul, about his decision to name

his son, Micah:

Before my son

is named Micah,

Micah Beckford after one of the prophets,

so I do like the idea of people in the Biblical tradition

who speak truth to

power, who ruffle people's feathers, who challenge the injustice.

I haven't thought of giving myself a biblical name.

I could never find a name that really resonated with me.

The phrase 'to speak truth

to power' describes times when people, non-violently resist

an oppressive force, such as a government or corporation by telling the truth.

And if you ruffle someone's feathers,

you upset or annoy them.

Maybe it's not so much your name, as what you do with it that counts.

Anyway, it's time to reveal the answer to your question,

Neil. Yes, I asked you

which boy's name is currently the world's most popular and you guessed

Mohammed which was the correct answer!

Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned,

starting with 'injustice' - a situation.

lacking fairness or justice. In British English,

your Christian name is your first name, the name

you were given at birth.

The adjective 'noble' means

admirable or morally good. 'Baggage' refers to beliefs

and feelings, especially outdated or unhelpful ones,

which influence how someone thinks. The idiom

'speak truth to power' describes

when people non-violently resist an oppressive force, such as a government

or corporation by telling the truth.

And finally, to 'ruffle

someone's feathers' means to upset or annoy them. Once again,

our six minutes are up.

But remember to join us again next time

for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute

English. Goodbye for now!

Bye