Onomastics is a science that studies the proper names

Onomastics is a word that is of Greek origin. Translated from this language, it means "name". It is not difficult to guess that onomastics as a science studies the names of its own people. However, not only them. It is also interested in the names of peoples, animals, geographic objects. Besides, a part of onomastics is allocated to a separate science, studying the names of mountains, rivers, settlements and other things. It is called toponymy.

Onomastics in different senses

Names of their own are studied today by representatives of various sciences (geographers, historians, ethnographers, linguists, literary critics, psychologists). However, first of all they are investigated by linguists. Onomastics is a division of linguistics. She studies the history of the emergence and transformation of names as a result of using them for a long time in the source language or by borrowing them from other languages. However, onomastics is a concept that can be viewed not only as a science. In a narrower sense, these are just different types of proper names. Otherwise they are called onomastic vocabulary.

Features of the study of proper names

A significant part of human life covers such a thing as proper names. Examples of them are numerous. They are given to everything that people create, as well as to geographical objects, including those located outside of our planet. The origin of names can be viewed in a complex way - from the point of view of logic and etymology.

Studying the proper names, you can see the specific features of their transfer and preservation. Thanks to this their research is of scientific interest. The origin of these or other names can be forgotten, and they themselves can not have any connection with other words of the given language. Nevertheless, the proper name even in this case preserves social significance, that is, it is a clear indication of a particular subject.

Often the proper names are very stable. They are often not affected by the revolutionary changes taking place in the language, and even the disappearance of the language and its replacement by another does not lead to a cessation of their use. For example, today in Russian there are still names, such as Don or Volga, which do not matter in it. However, after carrying out the etymological analysis, one can see that they have Scythian origin. Such studies provide an opportunity to restore the character of the language that prevailed during the creation of a particular name, to clarify many aspects associated with it.

Onomastics and history

Onomastics is a science that provides a great service to history. After all, she collects the most important material for her, thanks to which it is possible to trace the ways in which the migration of peoples took place. In addition, onomastics is a science that studies the contribution made by peoples, both existing today and disappeared, to building a world or national culture. As an example, we note that by analyzing the origin of some of the names of Russian cities (for example, Vyshny Volochok), we can conclude that there were transport routes in the past.

In addition, research on the names of geographical objects located on the East European Plain allows one to trace the influence that the Scythian culture has had on the Russian language. Historic onomastics is engaged in all this. Thus, its research is aimed more at revealing the places of settlement of different peoples and the ways of their migration in the past.

Historical onomastics also deals with the definition of contacts between cultures that existed at one time or another, and the study of ancient languages. It often happens that only by research within the framework of this science can we judge the disappeared peoples and languages. However, onomastics is a science that studies not only all these issues. Its sections are numerous, and now we will tell you about some others.

Poetic onomastics

In literary works today, a wealth of material has been accumulated for the study of proper names, reflecting various creative methods and styles. Suffice it to mention a set of "talking" names and names, such as Chichikov, Sobakevich, Skotinin. All of them are designed to reflect the genre used in the work, characterizing in a certain way a particular hero. Moreover, we can talk about the existence of a whole methodology, which forms the proper names with different social colors and in different styles. However, it should be noted that at present material that could become the basis for research in the field of poetic onomastics has not been developed and is not compiled. This concerns even numerous statements by writers and poets about their own names, which characterize the methods of their work in this area. In this respect, much is ahead of science such as onomastics. The names of literary characters are very many, therefore it is possible to engage in research in this field for a very long time. Everything depends only on the enthusiasm of the researchers.

Toponymy

Science onomastics has many directions. One of them is toponymy. In this direction, the names of geographical objects (Red Sea, Russia, Nevsky Prospekt, Kiev, Kulikovo Field, Lake Baikal, Iset River) are studied.

Anthroponymics

Anthroponymy is engaged in the study of directly the proper names of people (Ivan Kalita, Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin). In this direction, canonical and popular personal names are delimited, as well as forms of the same name: dialectal and literary, informal and official. In a particular era, each ethnos has its anthroponomy. This concept means a register of personal names.

Cosmonics and Zoonimics

Another interesting area is cosmonyms. In its framework, the names of various cosmic objects, as well as individual celestial bodies (Mercury, Moon, Sun, Sirius star, Ceres pygmy planet, Halley's comet) are analyzed .

Zoonimika, as you probably guessed, is engaged in nicknames and animal names (Buckingham, Arnold, Besia, Britney, Murka, Sharik).

Chrematonymy

Chrematonomy is also interested in the proper name. Examples of what is relevant to the field of its study are numerous. Chrematonymymi are interested in those names that belong to the objects of material culture (gun "Gamayun", sword Durandal, diamond "Orlov"). We know that proper names are often used to refer to sports societies, stadiums, individual parties ("Immortal Party", "Evergreen Party"), holidays (Geologist Day, May Day), military units, and individual battles (Kulikovo Battle, Borodinskaya battle). Enterprises designate their services or goods using trademarks, which are also their own names. In addition, the names of books, works of art, and separate poems are of interest to the reader.

This section of onomastics has not only academic interest. In Western countries, for example, lawsuits often arise that involve the use of a trademark name similar to the name of another that belongs to a firm that produces a competing product. The decision as to whether such names can be considered similar can only be accepted with the use of scientific analysis.

Carabonomika

Karabanimika is studying the names of boats, ships and ships (Varyag, Aurora, Mercury Memory, Borodino). Note that this term was proposed by the Russian scientist Aleksusushin instead of the terms "Karonimika" and "Nautonimika", used earlier.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is engaged in research of names of various business associations of people. For example, firmonyms are names of firms, and emporonyms are words that denote the names of stores. Ergonomics are interested in names of cafes, bars, trade unions, billiard clubs, hairdressers, etc.

Pragmonomy

Pragmonomy is the direction within which the names of the types of goods are examined. Particons, for example, are the names of fragrances, fragrances (Lauren, Chanel), choconims designate the names of chocolate products ("Metelitsa", "Kara-Kum").

Theonymy

The theonymy deals with the names of gods, spirits, demons, legends and myths. It shows how the nouns in their proper names were transformed into names of fire, wind, thunder, thunderstorms and other phenomena of nature.

The questions of onomastics are very interesting, are not they? It should be noted that the sections of this science are directly related to practice. Therefore, onomastics can not be considered only as an occupation of scientists, "eccentrics." The name of our own (some examples we have resulted) are studied by science, which is closely related to our life.