science

Praise name

Praise name is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Praise name rather than just read about it. In short: A praise name is a figurative or descriptive name that is given to either a person, animal, clan, deity, or inanimate object. They are usually laudatory and refer to a quality or action, though in the pursuit of essentialising something they can be derogatory.

Key takeaways

Praise name belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Praise name to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Praise name from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A praise name is a figurative or descriptive name that is given to either a person, animal, clan, deity, or inanimate object. They are usually laudatory and refer to a quality or action, though in the pursuit of essentialising something they can be derogatory. They often comprise the basis for praise poetry, serve as permanent titles, or as terms of formal address that reinforce status.

Description Praise names are most often given to people, and royal courts tended to have a professional poet or group of poets who composed and sung them for the ruler. They can be metaphorical and draw comparisons to animals and natural phenomena. Yoruba praise names (oríkì) serve as titles which can be given by friends, though are usually given by drummers. In Sotho culture, it is common for someone to compose a praise name for themselves. In Dogon culture, children receive a praise name (tige) which serves as a personal motto. In Southern Africa, praise names for someone's clan are used on formal occasions (eg. mokzvena (based on kwena which means "crocodile") can be used for anyone belonging to the Tswana Kwena clan). In Acholi culture, praise names are often given to long-horned cattle. Hausa praise names (kirari) can be given to inanimate objects, such as the molo (a three-stringed lute). Praise names can also be given to deities, such as the Somali names Bogsiiye ("the Curer") and Baahilaawe ("He who is without need or want") for Allah, the Igbo name Chukwuemeka ("God has done well") for Chukwu, or the Shona name Dzivaguru ("Great Pool", in reference to rainmaking) for Mwari. Among Fulani, praise names are known as jammoore.

List of praise names

"Dicko" or "Dikko": All members of the Jelgobe noble lineage, part of the Jelgooji Fulani, are granted this name. According to researcher Paul Riesman, Dicko as a praise name "suggests fierceness, resourcefulness, and self-sufficieny". "Siise": This praise name is associated with a few Jelgooji Fulani families which are traditionally deemed to be moodibbo, i.e. people esteemed for their learning. Usually, people become moodibbo only by studying, but the members of families with Siise praise names are always regarded as moodibbo, even when they do not follow a scholarly pursuit.

References

Works cited Riesman, Paul (1998). Freedom in Fulani Social Life: An Introspective Ethnography. Translated by Martha Fuller. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226717432.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Praise name

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Praise name claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Praise name before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Praise name ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Praise name

In research: Praise name appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Praise name in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Praise name is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Names, Panegyrics, Poetry, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Praise name outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Praise name in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Praise name means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Praise name out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Praise name in simple terms?

Why does Praise name matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Praise name?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Praise name.