Why I have ten different names
My name is actually quite simple: Glenn Schwaller. At least that’s how it is on my ID. Admittedly, Glenn is not a particularly common name – but also not a tongue breaker. And yet he seems to be a real challenge for many. Again and again it is twisted or confused. Especially in emails, the wildest creations appear regularly.
The list is long. Glen often becomes Glen with only one « n » (I still understand that), but Sven or Ben also occur again and again. High risk of confusion! And even as Gwenn I was written to – that is a bit more unusual, I have to admit.
Even my last name is rarely spared. From Schwaller there is already a sill or sounder, there were also Schwaler, Schwall anyway. Once I was even written to Mr. Galler. The person had probably combined the first letter in my first name with the last letters of my family name – very refined!
If you don’t know me personally, you had to guess.
Incidentally, the whole thing is not a new phenomenon. Even during my university, my name was often twisted or reinterpreted. At that time it was particularly popular to write to me as a « Ms. Schwaller » in mails. It is probably also because Glenn is not a common name, especially not in Germany where I studied. Anyone who addressed me an email but did not know me personally had to guess my gender. Hit rate: mixed.
But well, I take it with humor! The naming creations usually make me smile. Above all, I almost appreciate particularly creative conversions. And who knows which creations will appear in the future. In any case, I’m excited.
From the life of the LW journalists
The “gazettchen” is an informal column in which the authors legally tell about their everyday experiences or even give an insight into their thoughts. This has a long tradition: On December 3, 1946, an opinion with the title « Today » appears for the first time at the top of the side left on the first local side in the « Luxemburger Word ». On January 13, 1971, the « Gazettchen », which has been extremely popular with readers, then became the « gazette », which has kept its Premium-Platz in Luxembourg’s top-class daily newspaper to this day and across all layout.
