Representative Function of Proper Names

Abstract

Proper names serve different linguistic functions, ranging from basic – cognitive and communicative to affective, identifying, evaluative, password, pragmatic, characterizing, expressive, appellative, iconic, implicative, index, individualizing functions, in which they display their full potential. The functional repertoire of onomastic units is aimed at distinguishing a subject or object from similar ones, to give it a direct or indirect characteristic, to convey some information and evaluate. Proper names, once created by the author of a particular work, are often used in other texts, acting as allusions, thereby expanding the interpretive potential of onyms. The anthroponym represents a hero already created by another author, and for the perception of the novel it is necessary to know the prehistory. In modern culture, we often see a personal name going “beyond its borders” when it “jumps” from the pages of books onto movie screens, store windows, product labels, advertising billboards, etc. The name expands its information potential and the possibility of interpreting its culturally marked and semantic component. Now we see not only the continuation of the storylines or the usage of the name outside the original context, but also the mixing of spaces of different texts in one, within which all characters are allusive and to understand the storyline of such “patchwork” works requires a certain background knowledge of the recipient. In such works, the proper name not only realizes the individualizing, cognitive, communicative and other functions listed above, but also appears in a new representative function. This function is analyzed in the article in the series “Once Upon A Time”.

References

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