Nicknames as an anthroponymic category (based on the material of the village of Kopiivka of Gaisyn district of Vinnytsia region)

Abstract

Residents of Ukrainian villages, in addition to their surname, often have another name - a nickname. Anthroponomics as a science of proper personal names deserves a thorough study in both theoretical and practical aspects. Right now, there is rapid development and notable success in this field. Ukrainian anthroponymy is rich in various and interesting nicknames that have their own origin and meaning. The works of V. Horpynych "Anthroponymy of the Dnieper Pryporizia and adjacent regions of Ukraine"), L. Humetska ("Essays on the history of the Ukrainian language"), M. Demchuk ("Slavic autochthonous personal proper names in the daily life of Ukrainians of the 14th - 17th century"), I. Zheleznyak ("Onomastics of Ukraine and ethnogenesis of the Eastern Slavs", "Onomastics of Ukraine of the first millennium of our era", etc.), Y. Karpenko ("On literary onomastics and its functional load"), V. Luchyk ("On new directions of Ukrainian onomastics"), R. Ostash ("Turkic elements in Ukrainian anthroponymy"), S. Pants'o ("Anthroponymy of Lemkivshchyna"), M. Khudash ("From the history of Ukrainian anthroponymy"), P. Chuchka ("Modern motivated nicknames and the word-forming structure of surnames") and other researchers were important for anthroponymics. The purpose of this article is to study modern Ukrainian individual nicknames of the inhabitants of the village of Kopiivka, taking into account their motivational criteria. Methods: study and analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature for the selection and understanding of actual research material; systematization and generalization of theoretical issues to reveal this topic; diagnostic (interviews, conversations). Results. The motivational base of the nicknames of the residents of the village of Kopiivka was clarified; the researched nicknames were classified by thematic groups; their etymology is explained on the basis of scientific sources and justifications of local residents. About 300 nicknames were collected. They are divided into following thematic groups: 1) individual (neutral, expressively saturated and emotionally entertained, anthroponymic and appellative), 2) kinship (individual and kinship (genesonymic) – patronymics, matronymics, propatronymics, promatronymics), 3) family-kinky; 4) collective (by territorial attachment, by professional activity, occupation, school nicknames). Novelty consists in the fact that this article is the first study of the anthroponymy of the village of Kopiivka in Haysyn region. Conclusions. Nicknames are an important part of the culture and traditions of many peoples around the world. They can be used as a sign of identifying a person in a group, identifying certain characteristics, or simply as a form of witty or affectionate address. Nicknames can appear for various reasons, such as physical characteristics, professional characteristics, behavioral characteristics or even imitation of relatives. They can have a strong cultural and historical connection and reflect the values and customs of the society. The use of nicknames can have both positive and negative consequences, so it is important to be careful and respect each person's choice in this matter.