Мянушкi жыхароў Камароўшчызны (на падставе палявых даследаванняў у Паўночна-Заходняй Беларусi)
Nicknames of the inhabitants of Komarovschizna (based on field study in the North-West Belarus)

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is an attempt to describe the nicknames functioning actively among the inhabitants of Komarovschizna (Myadzyel district, Minsk region), where my field study has been conducted since 2010. The analysis of collected material showed that the nicknames can be divided into nine major groups: nicknames created from surnames; nicknames created from names; nicknames motivated by people’s profession; nicknames motivated by the similarity with known people; nicknames motivated by an external appearance; nicknames motivated by specific habits, customs and behaviors; nicknames motivated by characteristic pronunciation; nicknames created on the basis of metaphorisation of animal names and also situational nicknames. In addition, it is necessary to distinguish such nicknames, which motivation is unknown to the inhabitants of Komarovschizna. The study of nicknames in rural environments gives the opportunity to obtain material which is valuable for linguistic as well as historical and cultural reasons. It also allows to understand the mechanisms of functioning of this type of anthroponyms, determines the state of behavior of the dialect and shows the directions of its possible development.

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