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I translate a lot of philosophical articles from Spanish to English. One of the quirks of Spanish academic writing is its use of sobriquets (i.e. nicknames) for philosophers and other thinkers, in order to avoid constantly repeating [Name-of-philosopher] over and over again.

In the case at hand, the article is about Hannah Arendt, and uses the phrase "la filósofa alemana" (the German philosopher) or simply "la alemana" (the German).

Any thoughts on whether this kind of "nicknaming" is appropriate in English academic writing?

RegDwigнt
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Innanzitutto
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    Assuming you're referring to the same technique that occurs in English texts (academic or not), I don't think sobriquet/nickname are really the right words. A writer may often use such substitutions simply as a device for reminding the reader of certain attributes relevant to his subjects (the crippled scientist, the embittered writer, the highly-strung musician, etc.). – FumbleFingers Dec 15 '12 at 22:15
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    @FumbleFingers: thanks for your feedback. I think this case is a little different. For instance, in Spanish Aristotle is often called "el Filósofo" (the Philosopher) and Thomas Aquinas "el Doctor angélico" (the Angelic Doctor), without these uses having anything to do with reminding the reader of attributes. They're just fancy nicknames. – Innanzitutto Dec 15 '12 at 22:26
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    There may be two questions here: is it appropriate in original academic writing in English, and is it appropriate in translations from the Spanish? To the second, I would be inclined to answer "yes", assuming that it doesn't make the article unclear in English (e.g., la filósofa alemana identifies her as female in Spanish but wouldn't in English translation). – Peter Shor Dec 15 '12 at 22:29
  • ...although as it happens, Hannah Arendt has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label* on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular."* – FumbleFingers Dec 15 '12 at 22:32
  • @Peter Shor: I'd agree with you if it were a case of literary translating (or even journalistic writing). However, in the case of the philosophers I work with, their primary interest is making sure their own writing "blends in" properly with current style in academic journals. As a result, I think the question comes down to whether the use of these "nicknames" is considered good style in English-language philosophy texts. – Innanzitutto Dec 15 '12 at 22:57
  • @FumbleFingers: Arendt certainly rejected the label of philosopher earlier in her career, but in the writings dating from closer to the time of her death she was clearly engaged in (political) philosophy. – Innanzitutto Dec 15 '12 at 22:58
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    English has several of these, too—The Angelic Doctor, The Bard or Swan of Avon, right down to The Sage of Ayot—but as the last suggests, use of these sobriquets is largely jocular today. It's regarded as old-fashioned and a form of that “elegant variation” which Fowler decried as the hallmark of “second-rate writers” – StoneyB on hiatus Dec 15 '12 at 23:05
  • @Innanzitutto: I don't do "academic writing", so perhaps I'm not qualified to comment. But FWIW I think it smacks of a "chatty" style which probably isn't particularly appropriate in formal contexts. It's more what I'd expect in popular books aimed at the mass market and "layman" reader. – FumbleFingers Dec 15 '12 at 23:05
  • I don't know about philosophy in particular. But from my experience of academic writing, I'd say that you should use the name (probably her last name: "Arendt") for the first mention of her in each paragraph, and "she" thereafter. If you have a paragraph discussing two women (or two men), you may have to use the names more often, but avoid using them too much. In Spanish, would you use "la filósofa" more often than you'd use her name, or would it just be occasional uses, to (say) avoid using "Arendt" in paragraphs where you have two women, only one of whom is a philosopher? – Peter Shor Dec 15 '12 at 23:08
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    I am still not sure what is being asked here. The one example doesn't cut it for me. The comments actually muddle the waters further. I find it hard to believe that whenever a native speaker of Spanish hears "la alemana", he immediately thinks of Hannah Arendt. Certainly you first have to establish who the heck "the German" is you are talking about. In which case the very first comment of FumbleFingers applies and we are back to square one. – RegDwigнt Dec 15 '12 at 23:08
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    @StoneyB, thanks for your answer. The reference to Fowler is key... I'll be reading up further on him. This resolves my question, as far as I'm concerned. Thanks to all who responded. – Innanzitutto Dec 15 '12 at 23:28
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    @RegDwighт OP's concern isn't with all native speakers of Spanish but only readers of Spanish studies in philosophy; and what he describes was very common in English in the 19th century, when a writer on classics or philosophy or theology assumed his readers would know who was meant by an offhand reference to "the Stagirite" or "the Doctor Mirabilis" or "the Laughing Philosopher". – StoneyB on hiatus Dec 16 '12 at 00:06
  • @StoneyB: FWIW, I think such use of "sobriquets" has probably fallen into disfavour because it's effectively elitist/hermetic when used in the context of a broader readership. I know it would irritate the hell out of me if I had to learn 2-3 different names for each person I was reading about. – FumbleFingers Dec 16 '12 at 00:41
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    @FumbleFingers Absolutely. A 19th-century author (at least one who had occasion to allude to Aristotle) could be reasonably confident that all of his readers had had pretty much the same education as he, and would know who the Stagirite is. That's no longer the case. But I think we've also lost the taste for elegant variation, and I for one don't miss it at all. – StoneyB on hiatus Dec 16 '12 at 00:56
  • @FumbleFingers "I know it would irritate the hell out of me if I had to learn 2-3 different names for each person I was reading about": You've hit upon the crux of my argument with Tolkien. – Marthaª Dec 17 '12 at 22:47
  • There are works at the National Gallery by Doménikos Theotokópoulos. Perhaps not many people know that. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 17 '12 at 22:52
  • @Martha: I started reading LOTR in Entish fifteen years ago. I'll soon have finished chapter 1! – Edwin Ashworth Dec 17 '12 at 22:58
  • @Martha: Reading Tolkien was a long time ago for me, and perhaps I had more brain cells to spare for such tasks back then. I can remember thinking that many of his names seemed well-chosen (they often seemed to "fit" the characters), but I don't recall being irritated or confused by things like Gandalf is called Mithrandir by the elves. That just gives the account a sense of "realism" to me, since you'd expect such things to actually happen. – FumbleFingers Dec 17 '12 at 23:02
  • And it's rather important that Gollum has two names. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 18 '12 at 15:28

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Using a sobriquet instead of a name is unusual in formal writing, especially as the first instance of a reference. It is not used, for instance, as a pronoun would be used.

Richard Haven
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