Libmonster ID: EE-1009
Author(s) of the publication: I. A. Koroleva

From the history of the term nickname *

Currently, the term nickname is unambiguous and is used by all researchers to convey the concept that defines an additional, unofficial naming of a person: "Nicknames are words given to people in different periods of their life according to one or another property or quality of these people and by which they are usually known in a certain, often rather closed circle of society" (Chichagov V.K. History of Russian names, patronymics and surnames. Moscow, 1959). "A nickname is a name acquired by an individual, a family, a whole team, by which they are known in a certain social environment" (Tropin G. V. Russian names, patronymics and surnames. Irkutsk, 1961).

The lexeme nickname, naturally, not yet terminologized, was first attested in the written monuments of the XII century in the meaning of "name": "C(e)rk(o)v ... in the name of s (vya)t (o)go Saviour of the Transfiguration Novegorod on the mountain, and the nickname Nereditsa" (Sreznevsky I. I. Materials for the dictionary of the Old Russian language. SPb., 1893-1903). The word was not widely used until the XVI century, but since that time its activity has increased dramatically. Judging by the materials of sources of the XVI-XVII centuries, the period of the highest frequency of the word's existence, its semantic structure is also expanding.

In addition to the old meaning of "name", a number of new ones appear in monuments of business writing (in book Slavonic texts, the nickname has isolated fixations): 1. "Name of a person": "Maiden Maryitsa nickname Lyuba" (1611). Gauthier Yu. V. Monuments of the defense of Smolensk 1609-1611. Moscow, 1912); 2. "Naming in the Russian language". overall". So, in the Novgorod regions

* This work was supported by the Russian Humanitarian Science Foundation, project 01-04-5 8001 a / C.

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Istomka Moroz is recorded in the bonded books under the year 1603, which is further referred to as "the nickname Istomka the Scoundrel's son" (Novgorod Bonded Books, Moscow-L., 1938). The general context and position of the word nickname under consideration allow us to determine exactly this interpretation of it, although it is not attested by historical dictionaries.

3. "Patronymic": "Zhilets Druzhina nickname Maksimov son "(Acts of socio-economic history of North-eastern Russia of the late XIV-early XVII centuries. Moscow, 1964. Vol. III). In our opinion, even in such cases, the positions of components in the structural formula for naming a person and the presence of the word son in it play a role. It can be compared with the following construction: "Ivan, the nickname of the First, Ondreev's son "(Novgorod bonded books).

The meaning of" patronymic " in the nickname token is also not recorded in historical dictionaries. There are contexts in which the meaning of the word nickname is implemented quite clearly and unambiguously: "The great Princess passed away, her nickname was Lithuanian Augusta, and in the Holy Baptism of Anastasia" (Nikon chronicle. 1345). Historical dictionaries often do not strictly define the meaning of lexemes: nickname "name, name; name, nickname "(Dictionary of the Old Russian language of the XI-XVII centuries. Moscow, 1995. Issue 20). Nevertheless, we try to give the specific meaning of the analyzed term as much as possible. 4. "Additional naming of a person, often expressive, evaluative in nature, close to the modern interpretation of the term nickname": "Old Woman Olena nickname Goat Head" (1609 Gauthier. Edict op.); "Cook Grishka nickname Bubble" (1591 Prikhodno-raskhodnye knigi Boldin Dorogobuzhskogo monastyra 1585-1607 gg. / / Russkaya istoricheskaya biblioteka. Pg., 1923. Vol. 37. Ch. 2). 5. "Surniya": "I cherkas vse perepisat imyany so ottsy i s prozvizhi i chto u im detey..." (Materials for the history of colonization and everyday life of the steppe outskirts Moscow state in the XVI-XVIII centuries. Kharkiv, 1886. Vol. XXI).

As you can see, the word nickname was spontaneously used in monuments of business writing, and contextual and structural analysis is needed to correctly determine how the ancient Rusichi interpreted it, what content they put into it, and what concept they implemented.

For example, in interrogative speeches under 1609, we find mention of the peasant Petrushka Mikhailov, nicknamed Oladya, and his son Ov-dyck, suspected of escaping from Smolensk besieged by the Poles. From the document we learn that Ovdeika Oladyin's grandfather is Mikhail Oladyin, and his brother is Nikita Petrov's son Oladyin. Most likely, the family nickname Fritters and the Fritters formed on its basis is already the surname of the whole family (Gauthier. Edict. op.). Or, for example, in the case of extortion in the service, the accused of bribery is called Ondryushka

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nickname of Shepoval. His brother, Grishka Shepoval, who is recorded for the second time as Grishka Shepovalov, and his father, Fedka Shepoval, are mentioned. Perhaps, in this case, there is a popular surname (1611 Gauthier. In the same place).

So, the word nickname in the XVI-XVII centuries had a very extensive semantic structure and therefore quite widely entered into synonymous relations: nickname-name (nickname - name), nickname-name (nickname - name), nickname-nickname, etc. It was in the process of such an active existence that the word crystallized its modern terminological meaning: by the end of the XVII - beginning of the XVIII centuries, the circle of synonyms is reduced, the circle of meanings is narrowed, and the clear separation of names and nicknames is completed.

Why did the word nickname have the meaning of "additional expressive naming of a person"fixed and terminologized?

Let us immediately say that, judging by the materials of written monuments, the most active in the XVII-XVIII centuries were two meanings of the lexeme nickname: 1-the modern meaning, 2-the meaning of "last name". As you know, Peter I introduced the word surname itself, which gradually (at the beginning of the XVIII century was borrowed with the meaning "family, genus") was fixed as "the nickname of the whole family, transmitted from the ancestor to his descendants" (Balov A. Great Russian surnames and their origin / / Living Antiquity. SPb., 1896 Issue 2). By the end of the XVIII century, the word nickname in the role of hereditary official naming of a person was replaced. Thus, in the second half of the XVIII century, we find the lexeme under consideration mainly only in contexts such as the following: "To the groom... give an offensive and funny nickname" (Pocket book (guide) for old men and women coming to Moscow for the winter, brides and grooms by K. Strakhov, Moscow, 1791, Part II). As you can see, the meaning of the word nickname strictly corresponds to the modern one, which is fixed in anthroponymy.

All these processes are reflected in the materials of the first lexicons and dictionaries.

So, already in the Lexicon of E. Weismann (1731), in the Russian Cellarius (1771), attempts were made to distinguish the words name and nickname by selecting various synonyms: the name is interpreted as a name, a name, a nickname as a nickname, an additional naming.

The first Dictionary of the Academy of Russian definitely defines the nickname, but through synonyms: "Name, a name given from any quality of the soul or body, or by any act." The explanatory dictionary attested to the modern meaning, which became terminological, and this happened at the end of the XVIII century. Although it should be noted that in lexicographic works as early as the XIX century

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sometimes the words nickname and nickname are "confused" in the presented meaning, which is most likely due to the common generating basis of the verb nickname "name, give a name, nickname".

In the future, all lexicographic works note only the modern meaning of the word nickname: "A nickname is a name given to a person in jest, mockery, etc. (usually containing an indication of a particular situation). a noticeable feature of his character, appearance, activity, etc.) "(Dictionary of the Russian language. In 4 volumes, Moscow, 1984. Vol. III; further-MAS-2). The same meaning is also presented in the Dictionary of Onomastic Terminology: "Nickname-a type of anthroponym, an additional, unofficial name given to a person by surrounding people" (Podolskaya N. V. Dictionary of Russian onomastic Terminology, Moscow, 1978).

The nickname and naming tokens become passive. The latter is currently not noted by lexicographic sources; the word nickname is given as obsolete and regional (Ushakov, vol. III), or as obsolete and colloquial (MAC-2, Vol. III).

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