Thais have nicknames. When a Thai child is very young, his or her parents will give the child a nickname to distract evil spirits who might want to harm him or her. Often the name is a shortened version of the child's given name -- not a bad idea with given names such as "Watcharaporn," "Potchanat," and "Saengroaj" -- or a descriptive term, such as "red," "shrimp," or endless variations on "small."
However, use of these nicknames doesn't end in childhood. Most people continue to use their nickname throughout their life. Thai custom encourages the use of these nicknames rather than family names (i.e., "Mr. Patrick" instead of "Mr. Wilson") in polite discourse, prefaced with the word "Khun," which is something like Mr. or Ms. -- also not a bad idea with family names such as "Komsatayapongvudhi" and "Damrongwatanapokin."
So, Patrick's colleagues include Mr. Ratt, Ms. Apple, Mr. Kook, Ms. Pim, Ms. Pum, Ms. Oo, and Mr. Boy, while one of the staff members in our apartment building is Mr. Aa. So far neither one of us has attracted a nickname, but it may just be a matter of time. Any suggestions?
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