Derogatory Forms of Personal Names in Omani Arabic

This article examines the derogatory variants of personal names in Omani Arabic that adult women use to express exasperation towards their interlocutors in intimate social settings. These variants closely resemble the original names phonetically, but are considered gravely insulting as derogatory or taboo. The article describes the sociocultural functions of such derogatory names, the differences they reveal in the usage of terms of address between the two genders, and their distinctive role in the norms of speaking and socializing among women in Oman.