Participial form of verb “call.” Named. In the U.S., “called” has commonly been used in reference to a nickname or some other unofficial appellation. The Britishism is to use it for a proper name. “In the branch on Amsterdam Avenue and 69th Street, back in the 1930′s, a boy serendipitously espied a shelf heavy with large volumes filled with photographs by a man called Matthew Brady, a name unfamiliar to the teen-ager.” (Richard F. Shepard, New York Times, July 14, 1991)/”A woman called Carry Nation became a symbol of the movement when she traveled from bar to bar with an oversize hatchet and smashed them to pieces.” (Slate.com, June 3, 2010)
Is there any traction to the notion that this use of “called” could be the result of a Norman French influence on British English? “Je m’appelle” is literally translated as ‘I am called.’
after commenting on a blog post today, I went back and edited it to say ‘named’ instead of ‘called’. It just didn’t sound right. Then I read Ben’s Slate article and found this site. I’m voting!
This sounds perfectly normal to me, although more casual. I think my ear would say I hear it more for non-human things, like “the store is called”. Or are you saying the counterpoint is “I’m called Rob” versus “I’m Rob”?
I’m not sure what you mean by counterpoint. An American is likely to say “My name is Rob” or “I’m Rob,” never “I’m called Rob,” or refer to “a man called Rob.”
My surname is Hall, my given name is Harold, one of my nicknames is Hal, but I’m called to dinner. And since this blog post predates my “membership” here, I was led here by http://britishisms.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/johnny-cash-didnt-sing-a-boy-called-sue/, which nicely gave me a chance to vote on this blog entry, a capability denied on newer entries like the one which led me here. (Boo hoo.)
Neil’s quoting Carroll recalled me to this entry, and it strikes me that “called” is also used when a person’s true name may be in doubt, such as may be applied to a subject in a police investigation, for example.
Surprised at the voting results on this one–I had no idea the British usage even existed, and was pretty confused when I first encountered it.
At a Cambridge University orientation event, someone introduced himself by saying “I’m called Rob.” My response was “And why do they call you that? “
“Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil, but everyone knew her as Nancy”
–The Beatles
Is there any traction to the notion that this use of “called” could be the result of a Norman French influence on British English? “Je m’appelle” is literally translated as ‘I am called.’
Not quite, actually: Quite _literally_ literally it’s “I call myself”. (The “Je m’” is a contraction of “Je me”.)
I don’t see this as a distinction. I’ve always heard this usage in the US.
after commenting on a blog post today, I went back and edited it to say ‘named’ instead of ‘called’. It just didn’t sound right. Then I read Ben’s Slate article and found this site. I’m voting!
This sounds perfectly normal to me, although more casual. I think my ear would say I hear it more for non-human things, like “the store is called”. Or are you saying the counterpoint is “I’m called Rob” versus “I’m Rob”?
I’m not sure what you mean by counterpoint. An American is likely to say “My name is Rob” or “I’m Rob,” never “I’m called Rob,” or refer to “a man called Rob.”
“My name is Elizabeth, but I’m called Betsy.”
In the U.S., you’re called Betsy. In the U.K., you’re called Elizabeth.
My surname is Hall, my given name is Harold, one of my nicknames is Hal, but I’m called to dinner. And since this blog post predates my “membership” here, I was led here by http://britishisms.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/johnny-cash-didnt-sing-a-boy-called-sue/, which nicely gave me a chance to vote on this blog entry, a capability denied on newer entries like the one which led me here. (Boo hoo.)
In Yorkshire they often use the active form: “They call him x”.
‘You are sad,’ the Knight said in an anxious tone: ‘let me sing you a song to comfort you.’
‘Is it very long?’ Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day.
‘It’s long,’ said the Knight, ‘but it’s very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it — either it brings the tears into their eyes, or else –’
‘Or else what?’ said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause.
‘Or else it doesn’t, you know. The name of the song is called “Haddocks’ Eyes”.’
‘Oh, that’s the name of the song, is it?’ Alice said, trying to feel interested.
‘No, you don’t understand,’ the Knight said, looking a little vexed. ‘That’s what the name is called. The name really is “The Aged Aged Man”.’
‘Then I ought to have said “That’s what the song is called”?’ Alice corrected herself.
‘No, you oughtn’t: that’s quite another thing! The song is called “Ways and Means”: but that’s only what it’s called, you know!’
‘Well, what is the song, then?’ said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered.
‘I was coming to that,’ the Knight said. ‘The song really is “A-sitting On a Gate”: and the tune’s my own invention.’
Neil’s quoting Carroll recalled me to this entry, and it strikes me that “called” is also used when a person’s true name may be in doubt, such as may be applied to a subject in a police investigation, for example.