Yasmine and Yasmina, a letter of differences

IThere are letters that change almost everything. Because in our civilization of the written word, graphic variations say things. Born Jackie, the philosopher Derrida preferred to call himself Jacques. So Adele is not Adel. Alix is ​​not Ali. Here, one letter less, and the first name changes gender and the bearers of parents.

There are letters which apparently do not change much, but which are nevertheless significant. To the ear, a Matthew is a Matthew, but not in writing. Matteo and Mathéo are a bit different. They are names of the same gender, but not quite from the same background.

Two more striking examples: take Priscilla and Priscilla. The first obtains between three and four times more frequently the mention “very good” in the bac than the second: the endings in “a” tend to be avoided by the upper classes. Take Lison and Alison and you will get the same differences: the first names are graphically very close, but one is probably not the sister of the other.

Invisible to the eyes of others

These small graphic differences which hide great social differences, the daily attendance of first names is enough for us to make us aware of them. They are also played out within social groups, and it is immediately less obvious. So Priscillia is not Priscilla. And there is as much difference between the first and the second as between Dounia and Aicha.

But now, whoever manages to intuitively feel the differences between Augustine and Como will be unable to grasp everything that separates Aicha from Dounia (and vice versa). Yasmine has twice as many “very good” grades as Yasmina (or Amina), but less than Jasmine. Yamina half as much as Yasmina. Similar first names, but often different social origins, which translate into unequal academic results.

The tragedy of the small differences, so important between relatives, is that they are invisible to the eyes of others, unable to appreciate, at its true value, all the investment put in these few letters.