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“One of my good friends is named Donovan. He and many of my other boys are all in the same frat, Kappa Sigma. Soon, after two of the brothers saw Donovan or when he did something funny they would say “Damn Dirty.” Us brothers found it catchy and comical so we would say it in the same context. “Damn Dirty” evolved to “Damn D” over time and went from only being said in context related to Donovan to being used as a substitute for ‘what’s up’ or ‘wow.’ Now, many of us say it by habit throughout the day.

Context

While we were still new members awaiting initiation into the Delta Eta chapter at USC, one of our fellow new members coined the nickname “Dirty Don.” When he called Donovan this for the first time, we all thought it was hilarious and took the nickname into our own hands and used it on the daily. Sometime later someone who liked Spongebob started calling Donovan “Dirty Bubble” because he reminded him of the tv character. This name was a little harsh off the tongue so we all shortened the nickname to “Dirty.” Once we all became brothers of the fraternity, it was a consensus among all the brothers that “Dirty” was the most funny nickname for Donovan, who also thought it was funny.”

Analysis

Nicknames carry folkloric value all over the world and prominently in young American culture. It serves as a heavy form of identity, personal to individuals and those close to that person. This name is a form of folk speech because it is a made up name used in informal contexts within this particular folk group, the frt brothers. Although these nicknames would sound crazy and meaningless to most people, the shared knowledge of this nicknames origin and meaning create a shared identity within the Kappa Sigma brothers. In this particular story, the nickname gives Donovan identity within his frat along with a unified folk group that stems from all of the brothers who know and understand the phrase “Damn D.” The evolution of the nickname shows how folklore can change and be manipulated over time. There is no factual reason why the name evolved, but instead it changed simply because of humorous interactions among these folk.