Nicknames are unofficial, extra names given to objects,
animals and human beings. Usually, they are either short
forms of actual names or qualities characteristic of an
animal, a person or a thing. They are familiar or humorous
renditions which replace proper names.
This article considers the formation of nicknames in
Kermani dialect. ln many cases, a syllable with the cluster
cvc(c) is selected from the beginning of a word and, then,it is
is suffixed by the diminutive (-u) like:
[qasem]→ [qas]→ [qasu]
As is the case wIth almost all such renderings worldwide,
this article illustrates that Kermani nicknames may also be
pleasant or hypocoristic, such as "mašu", or unpleasant, such as "šašu".