The proper name meaning structure: information variations

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of the structure of the extralinguistic meaning of a proper name, the layers of information that it includes and the circumstances for their actualization. Onym possesses both linguistic and non-linguistic aspects of meaning, which makes possible the development and dynamics of information represented by the non-linguistic component of meaning. In its structure, archetypal, mythological, religious, scientific, historical, geographical, sociocultural, literary and aesthetic types of information are distinguished, the actualization of which depends both on the context of the use of a proper name and on the background knowledge of the recipient. The existence of several information layers in the structure of the meaning of the onym is analyzed from the standpoint of the theory of spiral development of the meaning of the proper name. The cumulative function of onomastic units and their ability to act as components of cultural memory, representative of the cultural and historical heritage is emphasized. The analysis of the functioning of proper names in a popular science text is illustrated with the examples from the work of Lynne Truss “Eats, Shoots & Leaves”. The interpretive potential of onyms is analyzed, the specifics of dynamics of certain information is singled out in the structure of the meaning of a name in order to achieve the goal of communication both from the point of view of transmitting a certain message, and from the point of view of the expressiveness of the use of linguistic material, which is underlined with the help of the ironic function as realized in it.

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