PROPER NAMES IN UKRAINIAN SONG FOLKLORE: AN ISSUE OF SEMANTICS

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the issue of semantics of proper names, in particular, peculiarities of lexical meaning of onyms of folk songs. Despite the fact that the studies of semantic status of a name go back to ancient world, linguists cannot reach an agreement on the issue. Difficulties to solve the issue are stipulated by the many objective and subjective factors. We attribute to objective ones, apart from the onyms proper peculiarities of signification, such features as dependence of character of onym semantics on specifics of reference within different onym types and classes; different realization of sense potentials of a proper name on the level of language and speech; perfect conditions of ontological existence of a proper name on different stages of the development of the Ukrainian naming system, etc. We attribute the selection of different approaches to treatment of the specific features of lexical meaning of onyms to subjective factors. A special interest for a scholar of the issue have folklore proper names, semantics of which is formed in accordance with semantic specific features of a proper name in general, and, on the other hand, undergoes transformations in folklore sublanguages. The performed analysis indicated that semantic potential of folklore proper names in song text is quite different. On the one hand, they are changeable, contextually specific onyms. The scope of their intension vary from minimal – the information on semantic class to which the referent belongs (if we speak about the existence of these names in printed texts), to maximal during reading/presenting the text – when the scope of their informational intensity may surpass the intension of common names. Other folklore onyms are onyms constants, unique specific names with powerful connotative potential whose rich semantic structure is formed by language, speech and extra linguistic components. We believe that the study of peculiarities of folklore onyms will broaden the understanding of semantic status of proper names, mechanisms and principles of onym nomination in general and will have positive influence on the understanding of the nature of onym as an entity.