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[Facts] -kins a diminutive?
Dad says that adding -kins to a name (eg Eleanor - Eleanorkins) makes it diminutive. I say it doesn't (in english at least). Who is right?
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Of course, 'kin' means relatives, so Jim Johnson may have had a cousin called Joe Jimkin...
Y :)
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-kin is still...an active diminutive in Wales, the land of Jenkin and Daykin. A friend often addresses her niece Ffion as Ffionkin.I have heard -kins used occasionally in England.
Strictly speaking though, -kins is the surname form, with the genitive s on the end.
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My mum calls me "Jennikins" which is diminutive form of my name. It is used in this way - i.e. adding "kins" to the end of a nmae - in English, and is meant affectionately.
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Thanks.
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English is originally a Germanic language, with lots of influence from French after 1066, OK? In German, one way of forming a diminutive is to add -chen to the noun or name, like Grete becoming Gretchen. And the English version of -chen used to be -kin or -kins. You get it in surnames like Perkins (= Belonging to/Descended from Little Peter).I would be amazed if it still existed as a diminutive among English-speakers who just used it spontaneously; people who know about the history might use it as a joke: Go and do your homework, Tracykins.
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Your dad. Dads are always right =o)
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