My son is in high school and is going to be an exchange student in Sweden next year.
Our family background is Swedish. His first name is a typical American name, but his middle name is Swedish, and our last name is Swedish.
For example, John Sture Andersson.
Nobody calls him Sture in the US; people can’t pronounce it. But he has been asking Swedish people who he’s met (so far, as part of the exchange program process) to call him Sture.
Is that weird; if he asks people in Sweden to call him Sture, will Swedes make fun of him or think that his request is bizarre, since he is called John in the US? And is the name “Sture” a nice name?
Thanks.
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The original was posted on /r/sweden by /u/CraftAccomplished784 at 2024-03-27 13:08:14+00:00.
PM_EyeContactNudes at 2024-03-27 14:45:03+00:00 ID:
kwszlenMy interpretation is that he may be playing a bit with identities. Maybe he wants to start anew, as you can do when going on an exchange year, and switching name to a more Swedish one is a way to perhaps assimilate and take on this experience fully.
When I went away for military service I did something similar and voluntarily switched my dialect. Mostly in an effort to fit in i guess. It lasted 2-3 weeks, then I was back to being myself again.
No one else will mind, so let him do as he wants.