To the Study of Individual Nicknames with Situational Motivation in Russian Folk Dialects
This article investigates a specific naming pattern found in traditional individual nicknames, where the internal form of the nickname references a particular episode in the individual’s life. This pattern is proposed to be termed nicknames with situational motivation. The study is based on field re...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Russian |
| Published: |
Izdatelstvo Uralskogo Universiteta
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Вопросы ономастики |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://onomastics.ru/en/content/2024-volume-21-issue-3-7 |
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| Summary: | This article investigates a specific naming pattern found in traditional individual nicknames, where the internal form of the nickname references a particular episode in the individual’s life. This pattern is proposed to be termed nicknames with situational motivation. The study is based on field recordings from the Toponymic Expedition of Ural University, conducted in the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Kirov, Kostroma, Chelyabinsk, and Sverdlovsk regions, as well as in the Perm Krai. Many of the nicknames discussed are being introduced into academic discourse for the first time. The first part of the article examines how specific situations are encoded in the internal form of nickname anthroponyms, as recounted in informants’ stories. The most frequent patterns involve references to notable details of an event or to remarks made by participants, such as humorous or uncharacteristic phrases, slips of the tongue, speech errors, or self-referential remarks. The second part of the article attempts to establish criteria for evaluating the reliability of situational explanations provided by informants. The analysis shows that the stories behind nicknames are generally well-preserved in collective memory and are easily reproduced, albeit with occasional variations in detail. A nickname’s deviation from productive formal or semantic patterns can serve as indirect evidence of situational motivation. Additionally, it is suggested that situational motivation may sometimes be secondary, with another characteristic forming the nickname’s primary basis. However, the clarity of the situational naming pattern often encourages informants to construct or adapt explanatory contexts to fit the pattern. |
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| ISSN: | 1994-2400 1994-2451 |