Date:  Tue, 6 Feb 1996 11:56:14 -0500

From:  "M. Lynne Murphy" <104LYN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MUSE.ARTS.WITS.AC.ZA>

Subject: conjoined names



i think we're just getting silly when we try to find linguistic

reasons for conjoined names. while entertainers and new companies

might decide on order according to what sounds nicer, there are going

to be too many other absolutely-non-linguistic factors involved. for

example, i grew up upstairs from parker, rayfield and murphy funeral

home. the only reason it's called that is because murphy bought it

from rayfield who bought it from parker (who founded it). same is

going to be true of law firms and stock-broking (brokering?)

companies. things like "sears and roebuck" might be determined by who

put in more money.



i do like the "straight wo/man" first theory in comedy. but it

doesn't work for "laurel and hardy", but it might explain "the

captain and tennille". in fact, that one goes against the "singer

first" rule that i think was proposed--as might "ike and tina turner"

(did ike sing?), and arguably "sonny and cher".



so, i think when we get to people, the rules fall apart. score one

for free will?



lynne



---------------------------------------------------------------------

M. Lynne Murphy              104lyn[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]muse.arts.wits.ac.za

Department of Linguistics            phone: 27(11)716-2340

University of the Witwatersrand          fax: 27(11)716-8030

Johannesburg 2050

SOUTH AFRICA