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Help[Opinions] Re: Evangeline & Caroline
in reply to a message by Dianatiger
The reason, I believe, why nobody used Evangeline for many decades was because it sounds so much like evangelist - an Evangeline would look up if she heard someone start to say "evangelist" or "evangelism" - and that word was in common use to refer to shouty TV preachers enriching themselves by frightening the elderly with homophobic rhetoric. People born later just don't seem to recognize the bad connotation. So I guess it won't matter to a child born today. But I still feel repelled by it. I think it sounds aggressive and it reminds me of the word avenge.
- mirfak
- mirfak
This message was edited 8/16/2023, 1:26 PM
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I see what you're saying, but I'm not sure I believe that's the reason it was out of fashion. There's a large portion of Americans who wouldn't agree that's a bad connotation (there's a reason televangelists were rich, and it's not like John the Evangelist has a bad reputation among American Christians). Josephine and Eva were less fashionable in the same period (they did get used more but were more ubiquitous to start with). Clementine has a similar pattern as well.
This message was edited 8/16/2023, 10:25 PM
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Alright, fair point.
Clementine had other stuff associated with it too, but earlier.
Anyway I believe I can't be the only one of my generation in the US, who expects to hear "evangelist" anytime someone starts to say Evangeline, and has negative associations with the word. It's mysterious to me why secular people don't associate the name with evangelism or even think it sounds "religious" the way that, say, Trinity or Angel might.
Clementine had other stuff associated with it too, but earlier.
Anyway I believe I can't be the only one of my generation in the US, who expects to hear "evangelist" anytime someone starts to say Evangeline, and has negative associations with the word. It's mysterious to me why secular people don't associate the name with evangelism or even think it sounds "religious" the way that, say, Trinity or Angel might.
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