1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20201022_20_24_35.png]] |
2 | [[caption-width-right:350:Oh, those Russians...]] |
3 | |
4 | ->'''Agent Fitzhugh:''' State your name.\ |
5 | '''Sergei Malatov:''' ''[says nothing]''\ |
6 | '''[=McNulty=]:''' No name, huh? Well, for now, we'll just call you "Boris".\ |
7 | '''Sergei:''' ''[sighs]'' "Boris"... Why always "Boris"? |
8 | -->-- ''Series/TheWire'' |
9 | |
10 | When you have to name a foreign character, you've got three options: |
11 | * [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign Just make up some gibberish that sounds vaguely foreign]]; |
12 | * [[FamousNamedForeigner Name them after some famous person from his country]]; |
13 | * Use the most common and well-known name from their country, possibly stereotypically associated with it. |
14 | |
15 | That last option is this trope. Many nations have their analogs of [[MrSmith "John Smith"]] -- ridiculously common names, whose "commonness" has become near proverbial. Sometimes, these names become symbols or stereotypes, associated in popular consciousness with the respective countries. |
16 | |
17 | Note that names that were once common in one country often fall out of favour with the passage of time while remaining 'stock', sometimes resulting in an author unintentionally giving a young character an anachronistically old-fashioned name. |
18 | |
19 | Some of these names -- such as "Mick", "Taig" or "Guido" -- become so closely associated with a particular country that they attain full-on racial epithet status. |
20 | |
21 | Of course, some names that catch on can eventually become 'de-foreignised' as the association with the home country fades. The name 'Kevin' is a great example of this; as recently as a century ago, it was almost entirely unknown outside Ireland, yet at this point, the man on the street is unlikely to even think of it as an Irish name. |
22 | |
23 | '''Note:''' A name should have at least three examples of being used to name a stock foreigner from the respective country (or at least one example that [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] its use as a Stock Foreign Name). If you add a name, please add at least one work along with it. |
24 | ---- |
25 | !!Exampless subpages: |
26 | [[index]] |
27 | * StockForeignName/AfricanToEstonian |
28 | * StockForeignName/FilipinoToLithuanian |
29 | * StockForeignName/MalteseToTurkish |
30 | * StockForeignName/UnitedStatesToWelsh |
31 | [[index]] |
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/context.php
FollowingContext Main / StockForeignName
Go To
- Show Spoilers
- Night Vision
- Sticky Header
- Wide Load