[ANSTHRLD] Conflict Check for a name?

[tmcd at panix.com]

"Joseph Percer" <jpercer at stx.rr.com> wrote:
> Caitriona inghean Mhic Lochlainn
versus
> Catriona Heather MacLochlainn

The name conflict rules are in RfS V.  RfS V.1 covers personal names.

"Name phrase" is defined in the CoA Glossary, and implicitly in the
examples of RfS V.1.a, the section that describes what "significantly
different" means.

    Name Phrase. A name phrase can be a single word, such as a given
    name or surname, or a collection of words that are grammatically
    linked, like an article and its noun such as the Smith, a
    preposition and its object such as of York, an adjective and the
    noun it modifies such as Golden Mists, or some combination of
    these such as of the Red Rose. The required designator in
    household and Society order names is a name phrase.

RfS V.1.b defines difference between personal names.

b.  Conflict of Personal Names - Two personal names conflict *unless*
   at least one of the following conditions is met:

   i.  Given Names - Two personal names do not conflict if the given
       names are significantly different.

   ii.  Number of Name Phrases - A personal name containing at most
        two name phrases does not conflict with any personal name
        containing a different number of name phrases.

   iii.  Order of Name Phrases - Two personal names that contain
         equivalent name phrases arranged in different orders do not
         conflict if the change in order significantly changes the
         meaning of the name as a whole.

   iv.  Change of Name Phrases - Two personal names do not conflict if
        *each* contains a name phrase that is significantly different
        from *every* name phrase in the other.

"inghean Mhic Lochlainn" is a name phrase: see the examples under RfS
V.1.a.ii.a, Bynames of Relationship, where "Mac Thorcuill" is compared
to "Nic Thorcuill".  Therefore, the name you want, Caitriona inghean
Mhic Lochlainn, is two name phrases, "Caitriona" and "inghean
Mhic Lochlainn", so #ii applies.

In particular, it has a clear example of exactly the situation you
have here, addition/deletion of a middle name:

    "Thora Arnthorudottir" does not conflict with "Thora in spaka
    Arnthorudottir"; "Pedro Fernandez" does not conflict with "Pedro
    Fernandez Perez".

> Caitriona inghean Mhic Lochlainn
versus
> Caitrìona inghean mhic Leod na Iae

"na Iae" is "of Iona".  (I wouldn't know that except that the
registration in the July 200O LoAR says so.)  I believe that's a third
name phrase.  So same reasoning as the previous name: Number of Name
Phrases, clause ii quoted above, clear.

Suppose that "inghean mhic Leod na Iae" be a single name phrase (Leod
na Iae would then have to be the genitive of a person's given name,
which it is not).  Then #ii would not apply, and indeed none of i..iii
would.  You'd have to clear them by #iv or not at all.  That requires
knowing whether the two name phrases are "significantly different".
But I mentioned about that 

    RfS V.1.a [is] the section that describes what "significantly
    different" means.

In particular, RfS V.1.a.ii is "Bynames", and V.1.a.ii.a is "Bynames
of Relationship", which these would be (daughter of the male
descendent of someone).  The overall "Bynames" section first says that
they have to "look and sound significantly different", and I'd say yes
to both unless I'm greviously misunderstanding Gaelic pronunciation.
"Bynames of Relationship" adds that "the natures of the relationships
*or* the objects of the relationships are significantly different".
Not the nature (inghean mhic).  Objects?  Look and sound: by the same
reasoning, I'd call them significantly different.  So even if "mhic
Leod na Iae" were one name phrase (a byname of relationship) instead
of what it really is, two name phrases (a byname of relationship
followed by a locative byname), they would be clear, albeit with more
work.

Though I could be wrong, I think I would have to be gravely mistaken
to be wrong here.

Daniel de Lincolia
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com; tmcd at us.ibm.com is my work address