Broadening and narrowing of onym references in French texts about Russia of the 16th–18th centuries

Abstract

The evolution of proper names references of foreign culture plays an important role in the processes of intercultural communication. In the early stages of interlanguage and intercultural interaction, referents of different onomastic fields may be assigned the same name, which results in issues with the identification and localization of objects in space. The purpose of this article is to study the phenomena of multiple reference and its evolution using the example of the Russian onyms Saint-Nicolas (Saint Nicholas) and Saint-Michel-l’Archange (Saint Michael the Archangel) in the texts of French travelers of the XVI–XVIII centuries. Taking into account the works of A.V. Superanskaya, V.A. Nikonov, T.Ju. Zagrjazkina, M.-N. Gari-Prieur an analysis of the meanings of these Russian onyms in Francophone discourse is carried out. It was concluded that the most full-fledged multiple reference is presented in the text of the XVI century, when the French were just beginning to explore the Russian space: each name has four referents. There is a broadening and narrowing of the references of the synonyms Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Michel-l’Archange from text to text. The development of references shows the relationship between the distribution of the main and secondary meanings of the onym and the role that its referent played in the eyes of the author, for example, the role of the port-customs of St. Nicholas becomes less significant, and the frequency of use of Saint-Nicolas as a toponym decreases as it falls out of use. The meaning of the hagioanthroponym “Saint Nicholas” appears and becomes the most frequent.

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