Abstract
ABSTRACTNicknames individuate and identify their bearers and stand out with more socio-cognitive forces than the conventional names within the socio-cultural setting and beyond. In this article, I examine the sociolinguistic and ethnographic significance of nicknaming among female adolescents in Nigeria with particular emphasis on those living in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, south-east Nigeria. I take into account the dynamics of female nicknames, their social consequences in group integration and solidarity as well as the sources of these nicknames. The study is rooted in Leslie and Skipper’s (1991) socio-onomastic theory of nicknames which differentiates between constitutive, preferential and ad hoc rules of nicknaming in understanding the social construction of the nicknaming process. I therefore, conclude that female nicknames are creative, cultural symbols and styles by means of which female adolescents express themselves as a form of critical resistance to the stereotypical image of women in a conservative society, given their psychological, sexual and aesthetic appeal.
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