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J'vonte has an etymology; it's just a recent etymology. It is an African-American blended name form typical of the late 20th century. It IS a name, whether you like it or not. Just because something has been created recently doesn't mean it has no "linguistic significance." It is of great significance in telling us how language is being used at the present time, and that is part of linguistics. Also, its creation is very far from being "random". It follows the sound patterns and spellings that are popular in urban African-American culture. There are certain syllables which are popular at certain times in the creation of new names in that community, with the great majority of the newly invented names following the present sound fashions and so being far from "random" in their origin.

This message was edited 3/11/2006, 4:22 PM