# Diminutive of Csilla



## lambruska

How do you write the diminutive of the name "Csilla"?

Thank you!

Lambruska


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## Ateesh6800

Hi!

The name Csilla is not one of the traditional names of European origin (like István, János, Pál, Sándor, etc.). It was created by poet Mihály Vörösmarty (1800-1855) from the noun "csillag" ("star"), which is related to the verb "csillog" ("shine", "glimmer", "twinkle").

A website lists the following "becenév" (diminutive) forms:

Csillu, Csilluka, Csillácska, Csillus, Csilluska, Csilli, Csillike

Source: http://www.nevenapja.hu/nevnapok/csilla_nevnap.html

Insight (but this is my personal opinion so check it with others): because the name Csilla is sweet in itself, I have the feeling that its diminutives are used less frequently than the standard diminutives of the traditional names of European origin. In other words, when these diminutives ARE used, they may be more intimate/familiar (to the degree of being sentimental) than a standard Sanyi for Sándor or a standard Zoli for Zoltán.

Hope this helps. 

*A.*


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## Zsanna

Ateesh6800 said:


> ...because the name Csilla is sweet in itself, I have the feeling that its diminutives are used less frequently...


I agree. 
To the extent that at first reading I couldn't even think of a diminutive.


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## Vaskez

I would go with Csillus or Csillácska, at least that is how we call my cousin's girlfriend, who is called Csilla  The Csillácska form is the one that follows the "standard", "usual" rules for diminutisation of names in Hungarian. The usual rule is to end "ka" or "ke" depending on the vowel harmony, and, for names ending in a vowel, add an accent and "cska" or "cske". E.g. Csilla -> Csillácska, Anna -> Annácska


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## francisgranada

When we distinguish the proper diminutives from nicknames, we can perhaps understand better the difference in their usage:

Csillácska, Ferencke, Istvánka, Péterke .... are diminutives (like Robertino, Franceschino, Pierino ... in Italian)

Feri, Zoli, Pali, Sanyi ... are rather nicknames (like Franco, Francè, Vivi, Roby, Sandro, Ale, Beppo ... in Italian)

(in Hungarian we can create diminutives also from nicknames: Palika, Ferike, Sanyika ....)


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## Ateesh6800

francisgranada said:


> When we distinguish the proper diminutives from nicknames, we can perhaps understand better the difference in their usage: ...



How true!


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## lambruska

Thanks a lot to everyone for the clarifications. Especially to Ateesh6800 for the long and clear explanation.

One more question: if I say: «Csillukám», which connotation does it takes? Friendly? Lovely?


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## Ateesh6800

Thanks! 



lambruska said:


> if I say: «Csillukám», which connotation does it takes? Friendly? Lovely?



To my subjective individual ears, it is _very _intimate, way beyond friendly; it is what Grandma might say to her when coaxing her into doing a favor.

A real time example: I know someone *Éva* who is sometimes called *Vicuskám*; this is roughly the equivalent of *Csillukám*. She hates it. She says: "nagyon idős, kedves rokontól elfogadtam, amíg élt, azóta senkitől". _"I accepted it from a very old, very__ kind relative untils (s)he died, and I have not accepted it from anyone else ever since"_.

Now, that said, I call my younger daughter Cricket and she loves it; "Csillukám" could be totally OK if your friend/relative receives it well. It depends on the relationship more than on any general rule. I wouldn't use it to address someone called Csilla without being really intimate relatives.

* A.*


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## Zsanna

I agree with Ateesh but my first reaction was that it would be somebody much older who could say it. 
But it could even be a neighbour or a colleague if she was on particularly friendly terms with them - not exclusively a member of a family or a close friend (this latter could happen especially in the countryside where people use these "very friendly" ways of addressing other people, it is less usual in a town).


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## francisgranada

lambruska said:


> ... if I say: «Csillukám», which connotation does it takes? Friendly? Lovely?


 
I should say friendly and lovely and intimate at the same time ...

Essentialy, I agree with Zsanna and Ateesh, but I think it's not so complicated ... Forms like _Csillu(s)kám_, _Vicu(s)kám_, _Bélu(s)kám_ etc. are _diminutives_ (or _double diminutives_ with the "s" inside) and _possessives_ at the same time (because of the ending _-m_). So we are speaking about something like "_Franceschino mio_" or "_mio caro Franceschino_" in Italian. 

I don't agree with the idea that it has to be somebody "much older" who could use this kind of addressing somebody. As Zsanna said, it can be a good friend, colleague, husband, etc... depending on the mutual relation and on the concrete situation. Of course, "older" people may tend to use such expressions more frequently towards "younger" people ... 

The phenomenon, that these forms are used more frequently in the countryside, is simply due to the fact that generally in villages (or smaller comunities) there is a much more "confidential" or "private" relationship among people, as they typically know each other ...


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## Zsanna

francisgranada said:


> ...I don't agree with the idea that it has to be somebody "much older" who could use this kind of addressing somebody.


I didn't say it "had to be"...
But I can certainly imagine a woman (less a man) above 50 to have a special inclination to address a child of 10 (or more if she knows her for a long time) like this.


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## francisgranada

Zsanna said:


> I didn't say it "had to be"... ...


 
Persze ... nem mondtam hogy mondtad ...  (nem úgy gondoltam, sorry ha úgy tűnt).

Lényeg az, hogy bár az olyan szavaknak mint a _Vicuska_, _Csilluka_ stb. megvan a saját "érzelmi töltésük", nem kimondottan magyar specifikumról van szó. Az olasz példát azért említettem, mert a kérdező olasz anyanyelvű és az olaszban is vannak hasonló "nüanszok" (pl. _Franciolino_ ami szintén kettős kicsinyítés és becenév is egyaránt), viszont az angolban nincsenek kicsinyitőképzők, tehát angol példán nehezebb megmagyarázni.



> But I can certainly imagine a woman (less a man) above 50 to have a special inclination to address a child of 10 (or more if she knows her for a long time) like this.


I agree, and as far as I know, it's true also in some other languages, including the Italian (e.g. in case of _Franceschino_, _Robertino ..._ etc.)


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