Nazwy własne w komunikacji społecznej na przykładzie podlaskich źródeł notarialnych z XIX wieku

Abstract

The article is devoted to the description and linguistic interpretation of some manifestations of the functioning of names and surnames in social communication conditioned by the type of communicative situation and linguistic contact. It draws attention to the grammatical problems of personal naming in chancellery communication in the context of normative settlements and the difficulties arising from the tendencies in the functioning of names in 19th-century notarial acts from Podlasie. As elements of extra-linguistic, social, and legal reality, names and surnames in official documents are obligatory and prioritized; they are the peculiar property of a person, delineate his/her personal, communicative, and public space, with reference to broader social communities, local and national communities. They show the clash of different ethnic, cultural, and religious elements, and prove the heredity of surnames as opposed to first names. They function as official, officially approved names in official communications, and even those considered non-obligatory (nicknames) prove indispensable in certain official activities.