Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
What would you name your baby? Would you give it a traditional name? A name that runs in the family, like the name of your grandfather or aunt? Maybe, you would give your baby a name that is common in your country, or maybe, you would choose an unusual name. You might even name your baby after a favorite color, fruit, or direction!
Many celebrities now are giving their babies uncommon names. People credit Gwyneth Paltrow with starting the trend by naming her daughter Apple, but celebrities have been giving their children weird names for a long time. David Bowie named his son Zowie, and musician Frank Zappa named his kids Ahmet, Dweezil, Diva Muffin, and Moon Unit! More recent weird celebrity baby names include Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy, and of course, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s children, North West and Saint West.
Some people enjoy modern names and appreciate celebrities’ creativity. Some people even name their own kids after a celebrity’s baby. But other people think trendy baby names are silly or strange. In their opinion, it would be difficult for a child to grow up with an unusual name. They might deal with a lot of embarrassment or have trouble finding a job when they are older. They might even have to change their name when they come of age… to something more normal-sounding!
Brian is telling Dominique about his sister-in-law’s baby’s name. Listen to find out what he and Dominique think about baby names.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Brian: So, Dominique, my sister-in-law just had a baby, and they weren’t going to announce the name, so we were guessing. And they said they were going to choose an unusual, modern name.
Dominique: Oh, no.
Brian: Yeah, are you not a fan of the modern names?
Dominique: No, not at all. The Trues and the Apples and the Blue Ivies… I am over it.
Brian: Yeah. You know, I can understand how you might want to go more traditional, but I do like the quirkiness of modern names. It was really fun trying to guess if it was going to be a trending name, something that’s after a celebrity’s baby’s weird name… but they ended up going with Atlas, which is also classical in a way, too.
Dominique: Atlas like the map.
Brian: Yeah. Or like the Greek mythological figure, too. We weren’t sure if it was going to be a boy or a girl, so they had a couple of gender-neutral names that were also modern. One was Fox, and it could be for either a girl or a boy.
Dominique: I think I like that for a girl, but I can see it being unisex.
Brian: Yeah, that’s one neat thing about modern names.
Dominique: Yeah, I like a traditional name… you know, a name that can get you a job. I mean, if you’re not a celebrity, what are you really going to do with that name?
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Discussion
Brian is telling Dominque about his new nephew. Brian’s brother and sister-in-law decided to use an usual name for their baby. They were thinking about using a trendy celebrity name. For a while, they also thought about using a gender-neutral name, like Fox. However, they ended up naming their child Atlas, after the Greek mythological figure. Brian likes the name. He thinks it is quirky and modern but also classical.
Dominique does not like unusual, modern names. She is tired of the celebrity trend of giving babies weird names. She does think Fox would be a pretty name for a girl, but in general, she thinks that babies should have normal names. She thinks that people who are not famous will have trouble living with an unusual name. They will have trouble applying for jobs when they are older. No one will take them seriously if they are named something like Blue Ivy or Moon Unit.
What is your favorite celebrity baby name? Do you want to give your child an unusual name?
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