Toponymic polyonymy through the prism of identity problems: hexagone in the French naming system

Abstract

The article examines the processes associated with the formation of the French designation system using the example of the name L’Hexagone and its interrelationships with other names: la France, la Gaule, la V-me République, etc. Taking into account the works of A.V. Superanskaya, R.A. Ageeva, G.S. Dorzhieva, G. Bashlyar, A. Dose, A. Dorion and others, the examination of linguistic and sociolinguistic data found in dictionaries, artistic, journalistic and scientific writings, as well as on Internet sites, is conducted. The purpose of the article is to establish the place of the Hexagone name in the French polyonym system and to qualify the associations underlying this name. It is shown that among them is the image of a regular geometric figure (circle, square, six- and octagon) with geopolitical, ideological and aesthetic connotations. A number of connotations bring this image closer to the “lived space” in the understanding of G. Bachelard and the metaphor of the container space of J. Lakoff and M. Johnson. The variability of the designations of France, forming a system of polyonyms and reflecting the development of a sense of identity of the French, is emphasized. A manifestation of this feeling is the sensory perception of the space of collective identity as harmonious and protected, which is manifested, in particular, in the name L’Hexagone.

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