Question for Arab writers!

[Night Dream]

Hi!
My question is: is it okay if I give my Oc an Arabic name even if they're not Arab?
Her dad is not from Earth (my story is a fanasy one that takes place in Earth) and her mom is a phoenix (of course she has a human form) who is from Earth, but she as a individual has no human ethnicity, you can't say she's "white" or "black" as you can't say she's "Italian" or "English" for example. They do live in London, however.
So I would like to know if they can name her daughter with an Arabic name. The name is "Kamari" and Google says it means "moon" in Arab, is that true?
Please help me out and sorry for my bad English, but it's not my first language.
Also, please tell me if I said something offensive or else, I would like you to educate me

 

[pmmg]

Well, I am not Arab, so I am not sure I can answer this. But...I am not sure how many Arab people are on the site.

I work with some. If I can raise the topic, I might ask them. But I wont see them till next week.

My non-Arab opinion is no one owns the phonetics. I would rest on the likelihood of it occurring. Such that, in a non-integrated world, someone may form the same syllables, but it would be unlikely in a culture that does not have it. If its modern day, I am sure there are Arab communities in England, so more likely.

 

[Prince of Spires]

Why wouldn't it be? It's okay to give characters English names. And Viking names. And Asian names. Why not also Arab ones?

The only thing to be aware of is that you don't make a real-world culture the obviously evil antagonist of your story. That might get you some angry comments.

 

[Night Dream]

Well, I am not Arab, so I am not sure I can answer this. But...I am not sure how many Arab people are on the site.

I work with some. If I can raise the topic, I might ask them. But I wont see them till next week.

My non-Arab opinion is no one owns the phonetics. I would rest on the likelihood of it occurring. Such that, in a non-integrated world, someone may form the same syllables, but it would be unlikely in a culture that does not have it. If its modern day, I am sure there are Arab communities in England, so more likely.

It would be so cool, thank you! I'll wait patiently The story is indeed in modern day like our

 

[Night Dream]

Why wouldn't it be? It's okay to give characters English names. And Viking names. And Asian names. Why not also Arab ones?

The only thing to be aware of is that you don't make a real-world culture the obviously evil antagonist of your story. That might get you some angry comments.

I agree with you! I have no will to make real-world culture and their people the evil antagonist, that would be just racist and bad.
Thanks for your reply!
(Sorry again for my bad English )

 

[A. E. Lowan]

This is an excellent resource for writing characters of color. It's a treasure trove of answers for questions like yours and so many more. The moderators are usually pretty overwhelmed with questions, so make sure to explore the blog. Chances are very good they've already answered this for someone else. Good luck and have fun!

Writing With Color

Welcome to Writing With Color. We are dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial, ethnic and religious diversity. We share Q&A-style writing advice, guides, book recommendations and more. |The Askbox is CLOSED

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Also, your English is great. There is no need to apologize.

 

[pmmg]

My Middle-eastern friends say they dont care. Are they representative? I don't know.

 

[Night Dream]

This is an excellent resource for writing characters of color. It's a treasure trove of answers for questions like yours and so many more. The moderators are usually pretty overwhelmed with questions, so make sure to explore the blog. Chances are very good they've already answered this for someone else. Good luck and have fun!

Writing With Color

Welcome to Writing With Color. We are dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial, ethnic and religious diversity. We share Q&A-style writing advice, guides, book recommendations and more. |The Askbox is CLOSED

www.tumblr.com

Also, your English is great. There is no need to apologize.

Thank you very much! It would be so useful for me!

 

[Night Dream]

My Middle-eastern friends say they dont care. Are they representative? I don't know.

Thanks to you and your friends!

 

[Finchbearer]

This is interesting, I also have Arabic elements within one of my stories, Tunisia to be precise circa 1600 ish. No idea if my story has inaccuracies because I don’t have any fluent Tunisian Arabic speakers to ask lol.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

This is interesting, I also have Arabic elements within one of my stories, Tunisia to be precise circa 1600 ish. No idea if my story has inaccuracies because I don’t have any fluent Tunisian Arabic speakers to ask lol.

Not yet, but you can track down someone who can help you. Starting with your local universities, get into their websites and their department pages. You want to find a staff member who teaches Arabic Language and Literature. When you find someone who looks good, email them and explain that you are an author wanting to make sure that your facts are correct, and can you please steal a little of their time. As a former academic, I will tell you that most professors love this. It's amazing how many doors the phrase, "I'm an author in need of answers. May I steal a little of your time?" will open for you.