Hypocoristics (was: Gemination in Celtic)

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...> wrote:

> Actually, I was Totte, quite on my own initiative, if I'm to believe
> my mother; Danish, Norwegian and German do not like English Dutch and
> Swedish have a fixed system of proper vs. hypochoristic name; in
> Swedish the hypochoristic name for Torsten is indeed Totte. However,
> the Scandinavian languages have þ- > t-, English doesn't.

Theodore > Teddy
Elizabeth > Betty
Nathaniel > Nat
Nathan > Nate
Catherine > Kate, Katy, Kitty
Cynthia > Cindy (irregular)

Richard.