|
Abstract
|
Surnames, although widely used, are not obligatory in many parts of the world. This communication describes the hurdles and humiliations suffered by Oriental and South Indian authors who do not have a surname. A novel solution to the problem of author surnames is also proposed...
My agony is renewed every time I submit a manuscript for publication. Strangely, the source of my distress is nothing else but my own name. Journals never shy away from embarrassing me for not having a surname. Most of the Americans and Europeans have trinomial (first, middle and last names) or binomial names (first and last names). Online manuscript submission systems are apparently designed to suit trinomial naming. The tiny red asterisk of the registration page is sufficient to trigger my anxiety, for it declares that "given name" and "surname" are mandatory fields without which one cannot register with the system. Where do I go for a surname if I do not have one? How do I make western editors understand that we, south Indians, do not have a family name? We are simply known by our given names. Many other notable south Indian scholars have also shared this humiliation. When the young mathematical genius Ramanujan was to be enrolled as Fellow of Royal Society, he had to tell the registering clerk with much shyness: "Sir, really speaking I have no proper surname."
In ancient times when people lived in hamlets, they knew each other individually and hence surnames were not needed. This is the reason why biblical characters including Moses, Mary, Joseph and Jesus have no surname. When people started living in crowded cities, the need for distinguishing two or more individuals with the same given name arose. Thus, surnames were introduced during 13th century. They became established in the 15th century, when King Henry VIII ordered births to be registered under father's surname. However, some tribes still manage to identify individuals without resorting to surnames. Place of ancestral origin, nature of occupation and relationship between individuals have been effectively used instead of surnames. For example, in the New Testament, "Mother Mary" is distinguished from "Mary of Magdalene" and "Joseph, the carpenter" is distinguished from "Joseph of Arimathea". Similarly, we - South Indians - have our own system of identifying people with similar given names.
Key words: author surname; editorial diversity; research integrity
Language: en |