Sibilant Sue

I've been noticing lately what people call me. I've had a load of nicknames in my life: Mouse Marie, Sybil, Sips, Arnold Ziffle (charming, huh?), Methuselah, Dorkus Coney Spout, Spout, Coney, Commie Sue, Bonnie, Sis, Sister, Dr. Seuss, Teach, Aunt Suey, Aunt Toilet. My younger sister hasn't called my by my given name in years, except when she calls me Aunt Sue in conversations with her kids. Lately, I've noticed how many people call me by my first and last name--and these are people I've known for ages: "Hey, Sue Sipple, how are you?" I know what it is: it's the curse of the alliterative name.

I don't dislike my name, but I've always hated the alliteration--that sibilance annoys me. When you say my name fast, the names blur into one word. Susable. Even I say it. I called a friend years ago and got her younger brother on the phone. She wasn't in, so I asked him to tell her that "Sue Sipple called." it took her days to call me back: the message told her to call Susabelle. I have several students who always call be by both names, colleagues who do it, and friends. It doesn't bother me: it kind of cracks me up. It feels like a nickname and a formality all at once. But it's not just my own name people do this with. I've also noticed that my hometown is nearly always referred to in this way: Erie, PA. In conversations with me, people often refer to my former home this way, as if they're trying to distinguish it from other, more well known Eries. More curiously, they speak the state abbreviation: P-A. Are there other states that people say that way? I don't think so. Is it the length of the word? Does it just take too long to say Pennsylvania? Who knows?

Nicknames are a curiosity. I'm not sure if they're terms of endearment or an effort to redefine a person or label them. The former, I think, but I'm not sure. Either way, I'm Susable from Erie, PA. I am what I am. I'm owning my sibilance.


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