Diziet Sma
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Diziet Sma is a fictional character. She is a citizen of The Culture in the novel Use of Weapons and the novella The State of the Art by Iain M. Banks.
Her full name is Rasd-Codurersa Diziet Embless Sma da'Marenhide. This is a good example of how names work in the Culture:
- Rasd-Codurersa is the solar system of her birth, and the specific object (planet, orbital, Dyson sphere, etc.). The "-sa" suffix is roughly equivalent to "-er" in English. By this convention, human beings would all be named Sol-Earther.
- Diziet is her given name. This is chosen by a parent, usually the mother
- Embless is her chosen name. Most Culture citizens choose this when they reach adulthood. As with all conventions in the Culture, it may be broken or ignored: some change their chosen name during their lives, some never take one.
- Sma is her surname, usually taken from one's mother
- da'Marenhide gives the specific location of her birth. the "da" or "dam" is similar to "von" in German.