Does my Lala meet naming conventions?

[RaineAmorie]

I've recently started a new character for some RP and casual play and I was wondering if I was in line with conventions. I tried to be original, as a lot of other Lala's I see have just rolled a random name. Thanks in advance for your help!

His name is Jojomaru Zazamaru, Lalafell Dunesfolk.

Also, are the any consonant/vowel combinations that Lalafell stray away from? I guess this is what had me hung up name-wise.

[A_Magical_Unicorn_Rider]

From this day forward ALL lalas are to be named Joe Peschi.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Lalafell - Dunesfolk

Male

1. The phoneme pattern used is AAB - CCB
2. The A and C phonemes are 1 syllable, the B phoneme 2.
3. The A and C phonemes may rhyme, but do not have to.
4. Syllables are most often a single consonant paired with a single vowel, or simply a single vowel.

- Jajariku Nanariku (rhyming)
- Momomena Lolomena (rhyming)
- Nunulupa Tatalupa (non-rhyming)
- Fafajoni Kukujoni (non-rhyming)

Jojomaru Zazamaru seems legit. Thhe "maru" does sound more Japanese than "Arabic", but that's just a minor quibble.

[RaineAmorie]

Jojomaru Zazamaru seems legit. Thhe "maru" does sound more Japanese than "Arabic", but that's just a minor quibble.

Why do you mention Arabic? Is that an actual part of the lore? I know Hyur are said to have names similar to Celtic/Germanic names, but I've never heard any mention of Arabic and Lala's. Just trying to be thorough ;D
And "riku" sounds about as Japanese as "maru" imo lol

[gornotck]

I've noticed that 'minor quibbles' are things people are mistaken about in the first place, so I wouldn't worry about that. The Dunesfolk just are desert Lalafell, and 'Arabic' has nothing to do with their lore, which has become even less... specific... about the actual differences between Plainsfolk and Dunesfolk. Effectively, Dunesfolk are considered, now, to be shrewd, goal-oriented, and cunning in business.

[RaineAmorie]

I've noticed that 'minor quibbles' are things people are mistaken about in the first place, so I wouldn't worry about that. The Dunesfolk just are desert Lalafell, and 'Arabic' has nothing to do with their lore, which has become even less... specific... about the actual differences between Plainsfolk and Dunesfolk. Effectively, Dunesfolk are considered, now, to be shrewd, goal-oriented, and cunning in business.

Thanks for the info! Kinda perfect actually, he can grow a pretty shrewd looking moustache.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Why do you mention Arabic? Is that an actual part of the lore? I know Hyur are said to have names similar to Celtic/Germanic names, but I've never heard any mention of Arabic and Lala's. And "riku" sounds about as Japanese as "maru" imo lol

Well, it's not so much about being mistaken as it is a case of subjective opinion, heh. I couldn't think of a better adjective so I went with "arabic", off the top of my head. As pointed out, there's nothing strictly wrong with the "-maru" suffix. But I personally would have tried to get a sound which better conjures up mental images of the desert, and which doesn't appear vaguely Japanese.

[gornotck]

Well, it's not so much about being mistaken as it is a case of subjective opinion, heh. I couldn't think of a better adjective so I went with "arabic", off the top of my head. As pointed out, there's nothing strictly wrong with the "-maru" suffix. But I personally would have tried to get a sound which better conjures up mental images of the desert, and which doesn't appear vaguely Japanese.

I'm not sure how you'd get a Lalafell name that doesn't sound vaguely Japanese, if only from length and the combinations of consonant and vowel to make one syllable.
Zazafin Titifin, I guess, would work at not sounding 'Japanese' and still fit the Dunesfolk naming system, but...
It makes me wonder how many names you could come up with that wouldn't make people think 'Japanese sounding' for Lalafells.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Well, obviously it'll take a little bit of research. By the way, I'm by no means implying that all desert-folk in real life are Arabs or vice versa. I may be falling back on a stereotype, but I'm well aware that it is a stereotype.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let's consider a few Arabic names:

Abdul
Adnan
Anwar
Fahim
Fareed
Hakim
Hamza
Imram
Jabba
Jamal
Karim
Mansur
Nasim
Ramza (yes, this is an Arab name)
Samir
Wahid
Yahya

I deliberately stuck to two-syllable names. Longer Arab names exist, such as Muhammad or Zulkifli, but they won't fit our purpose in this case.

From there, it's a simple matter to adapt any one of them into similar "sounds" that could pass off as a Dunesfolk name.

Like "Jojoyahya Zozoyahya", for example. Or Jojojaba Zozojaba.


In any case, this is all just me. None of this is anywhere near canonical, but it's an example of how I go about role-playing characters. Names are important to me, because they are where all the back stories behind my characters begin.

Feel free to ignore everything, though. The only important thing is for players to have fun. The way they go about it is secondary.

[gornotck]

Names are important. They tell me who a person is, and how they think. So I find the process of names interesting in itself.

Thanks for providing the examples, though I suspect that they'd be uncommon to the point of being unique as Dunesfolk names, there's no real reason why they wouldn't be passable.