whswhs (whswhs) wrote in linguaphiles,
whswhs
whswhs
linguaphiles

Tibetan names

I've been reading about this subject, growing out of a campaign I'm running, and I'm curious about a topic that falls within it. As I understand it, Tibetans often have multiple names that amount to short phrases, but with no element that exactly corresponds to the Western concept of a surname. But when they enter the US, and perhaps other Western countries, they get fitted into the Procrustean bed of given name/surname, usually by selecting two elements of the actual name.

I'm wondering if anyone here is knowledgeable enough to provide an example or two of how this might work: what's the original form and what does it turn into? Help would be much appreciated!
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