TUNDRA, SPIRITUS, MADAM WIG AND HE-GOAT: A STUDY OF NICKNAMES OF TEACHERS IN TWO GHANAIAN GIRLS’ SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

Abstract

Nicknaming is a common practice in most academic environments. This study investigated nicknames students used for teachers in two girls’ Senior High Schools in Ghana, utilising Scott’s (1990) Sociological Theory on Resistance to Domination. Employing an ethnographic approach that includes participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and informal interactions with the students, the study revealed that ‘namers’ secretly nicknamed their referents and used these names in the absence of the ‘named’ mostly in informal conversations in both inside and outside of the classrooms. These nicknames are used to identify the teachers’ characteristics inside and outside the classroom, focusing on the teachers’ speech behaviours, fashion lifestyles, physical appearances, and personal habits. A key significance of the findings is that they contribute to the extant literature on nicknaming practices from a site that has been under-researched. Further, the study is a significant foundation for future exploration of students’ use of nicknames for teachers in Senior High Schools and other academic settings in Ghana and elsewhere. The study also has implications on the structure and use of language in the senior high school environments as most of the nicknames are coined in the English language and Twi.
 Keywords: Informal Conversations, Nicknames, Public Transcript, Senior High Schools, Teachers.