How is this even readable?
The Internet suddenly exploded with news about Elon Musk's son. It's not about the child himself – Musk already has five children from his first marriage – but about his name. Elon wrote on his Twitter that he and his girlfriend Claire Boucher (better known by her pseudonym Grimes) chose X Æ A-12.
Contents
- What does this mean?
- How is this read?
- How they reacted to this on the Internet
What does this mean?
As explained on her Twitter Grimes, this is a compound name:
- X is an unknown variable.
- Æ is the Elvish spelling of AI (translates to “love” and/or “artificial intelligence”).
- The A-12 is Musk and Grimes' favorite aircraft, also called the Archangel, and the predecessor to another famous reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-71. It has no weapons or armor – it's just a very fast plane. And no violence.
- Also, A is a reference to Archangel, Grimes' favorite song (performed by Burial).
- X is also a reference to the metal rat, the symbol of 2020.
- X is also a reference to the metal rat, the symbol of 2020.
- X is also a reference to the metal rat, the symbol of 2020.
•X, the unknown variable ⚔️•Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)•A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent 🤍+ (A=Archangel, my favorite song) (⚔️🐁 metal rat)
— ꧁ ༒ Gℜiꪔ⃕es ༒꧂ 🍓🐉🎀 小仙女 (@Grimezsz) May 6, 2020
There is also a theory that X is literally an unknown variable: part of the name that has not yet been officially announced.< /p>
How is this read?
How to read this name correctly? Both parents ignore this question, and the Internet is already building whole theories. Let's try to figure it out in parts:
- X – everything is more or less clear here: it is read as “ex”, but some suggest that the sound is shortened to “s” for ease of pronunciation.
- A-12 – can be read literally (“hey-twelve”), or as Archangel. In addition, the whole name can merge into a simple “Sasha 12”, if you shorten the X: you get 'S-ash-a-12.
< li>Æ – this is more complicated, given that we are talking about a fictitious Elvish language. In Latin, this ligature is used in some languages (including French), indicating the sound “e” in transcriptions of words. On Reddit they claim that it is read as “ash”.
The most readable options are:
- Ex Ash Archangel Mask
- Ex E Archangel Mask
- Ex Ash Hey Twelve Mask
- Sasha Twelve Mask
< p>Which one is correct? We won't know until Musk or Grimes finally reveal the secret – or call their son by name in one of the interviews.
How they reacted to this on the Internet
the whole class is watching through the window: GOD!!!! WHAT IS THIS???? teacher: children, don't worry, this is your new classmate X AE A-12 pic.twitter.com/xzCMTzCLfY
— Elder Ilyich (@nastyakoalah) May 6, 2020
roll call teacher: I won't even try to say it
< p>X Æ A-12: pic.twitter.com/eU0GMYcMgr
— caravan 🔪 (@chillsash) May 6, 2020
-what will you name your son?-X Æ A-unfortunately this name is taken, choose another-X Æ A- 12
—zhanarys is there🧔🏾 (@zhvnvrysestje) May 6, 2020
And yet, what would you name your son X Æ A-12, Oleg, Ilya or Nikita? Which of these is worse pic.twitter.com/z7RTFTr0md
— Yellow Sonata (@yellowsonate) May 6, 2020
since Elon Musk's child's name is X Æ A-12 – maybe we are beginning a new era? pic.twitter.com/PjEycZh1aD
— Ingeborga (@dapkunaite_) May 6, 2020
🇷🇺: who studied in what class? I am in a🇺🇦: o and I am in a🇧🇾: and I am in b🇰🇿: and I am in both a and b🇺🇸: a X Æ A-12 and c a and c b and c x
— Ivan Starzev (@starzev) May 6, 2020
Finally chose a name for the puppy. I'll call it X Æ A-12. mask in honor of my son pic.twitter.com/AdbSh8IpTF
— Mitya Dostoevsky (@D0CT0EBCKNN) May 6, 2020
Singer Grimes and Tesla CEO Elon Musk named their son X Æ A-12.
I don’t even know how they can tease him at school.
— Ivan Radziankou (@Veterrr) May 6, 2020
X Æ A-12 has just been born, and the world is already making memes about him
— ΔMNNA ♡ (@amiprazol) May 6, 2020
How do you feel about unusual names? Share your opinion in the comments.
Update May 25: the child’s name still had to be changed, but this did not make it any easier to pronounce. Now it is not X Æ A-12, but X Æ A-Xii. Grimes spoke about this while interacting with fans on Instagram*. The changes had to be made in accordance with the laws of the state of California, where when registering a name you can only use letters of the English alphabet, apostrophes and hyphens.
*Activities of Meta Platforms Inc. and its social networks Facebook and Instagram are prohibited in the Russian Federation.
