Фамилии Подляшья: когнитивный аспект

Abstract

The primary function of a proper name is the nomination of an object. Anything that exists in the surrounding reality is given a name only by virtue of being the focus of human interest. The bearer of language names objects based on their own perception of the world. It is the cognitive approach in the study of onymics that allows us to look at the existence of proper names in the human mental lexicon. Until the beginning of the 21st century, the cognitive aspect was not popular among scholars of onomastics, as proper names were mainly the domain of etymologists and structuralists. This paper focuses on the cognitive aspect in the description of appellative-derived names in Podlasie (based on material from Bielsk Podlaski), whose multiculturalism is conditioned by historical, confessional-ethnic, and linguistic factors. The starting point in the analysis is the property on the basis of which the original anthroponym was created. The human traits underlying the anthroponyms may have referred to external appearance (Baniewicz, Choroszkiewicz, Gładysz, Gorbacewicz, Korzun), character traits (Baran, Bołdak, Cilulko, Wojszkowicz, Zoch), manner of behaviour (Ciamaga, Haraburda, Sidun), peculiarities of speech (Harkawy, Treszczotka), family relations (Bliźniuk, Poskrobka, Prystupa), age (Gil, Grzyb), etc. Attention is also drawn to the onyms created on the basis of symbolic and stereotypical meanings (e.g. Bieroza, Dąb, Wąż, Sikora). The names are used in modern times but were created in the past on the basis of nicknames, in which the mechanisms of human thinking, categorization of the world, and evaluation of another person are specifically manifested.