What's in a name? Information structure parallels discovered across cultures—with repercussions for Asian names
What's in a name? Information structure parallels discovered across cultures—with repercussions for Asian names
- February 10, 2026
- Richard Futrell, language science, Phys.org, Feb. 10, 2026
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Researchers at the University of Tübingen, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of California, Irvine … say the fixing of last names meant a loss of information within the naming system, which had to be compensated for—which is why first names now convey more and more information. … "Common and therefore predictable first names such as John convey less information, while unusual and therefore unpredictable first names such as Bartholomew convey more information," says Richard Futrell from the University of California, Irvine.
For the full story, please visit https://phys.org/news/2026-02-parallels-cultures-repercussions-asian.html#google_vignette.
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