Nicknames of the residents of the environs of Veliuona: onomasiological motivation

Straipsnyje analizuojamos vykdant Lietuvių kalbos instituto projektą „Šiuolaikiniai geolingvistikos tyrimai Lietuvoje: punktų tinklo optimizacija ir interaktyvioji tarminės informacijos sklaida” Veliuonos apylinkėse užrašytos 386 gyventojų pravardės. Tyrimu siekiama nustatyti pravardžių onomastinę motyvaciją, t. y. parinkimo priežastis, nulemiančias struktūrą ir apeliatyvinę reikšmę. Pravardės tiriamos onomasiologiškai. Aptariamos tik tos, kurių motyvai respondentų yra nurodyti. Pasirinkta metodologija leis atskleisti dažniausius pravardžių kūrimo motyvus, būdingas konotacijas, vietinius gyventojus individualizuojančius tipiškus bruožus, kurie koduojami pravardėse.While participating in the Institute of the Lithuanian Language project "Modern Research of Geolinguistics in Lithuania: Optimization of Network of Points and Interactive Spread of Dialectal Information" during the summer of 2011 the nicknames of one of the dialectal points, i.e. the region of Veliuona were analysed. The paper aims at identifying the onomastic motivation of Veliuona region nicknames, i.e. the reasons for nickname choice determining its structure and appellative meaning, whereof revealing the prototypical characteristics of the locals that are implicated in nicknames. The nicknames are analysed onomastically - determining the assigning motives of the nicknames. The paper excludes semasiological analysis in which the motives for the given nickname are not known and appellatives are semiologically associated with a dictionary definition. For this reason only the nicknames for which the respondents provided the motives were analysed. For the objective purposes the real nicknamed people names are not mentioned except the cases when nickname was derived from the surname or the personal name. The object of study consists of 386 nicknames. Summarising the research it is possible to denote the most frequent motives for Veliuona region nicknames. The largest group consists of nicknames that are given according to the physical properties. 140 nicknames were found (36,27 % from all the nicknames that were analysed). Nicknames that stemmed from phonetic or semantic associations are also frequent. 94 of them were recorded (24,35 % from all the nicknames that were analysed). The nicknames denoting temper or occupation divide almost evenly: 57 (14,77 %) and 49 (12,69 %). The nicknames that are created according to kindred are less frequent - 21 (5,44 %). Far more uncommon are the nicknames denoting language content (9; 2,33 %), living place (7; 1,81 %) and background (4; 1,04 %). The paper also distinguishes the nicknames with double motivation, i.e. when the nickname for individual is created according to two motives. 5 (1,3 %) of such nicknames were analysed. In attempt to individualise a person the nicknames are created according to the features that are characteristic of him. It is interesting to notice that in the region that was analysed the nicknames are as if inherited. They are given not only according to parents' but also grandparents' occupation, nicknames and surnames. As it was expected, the nicknames with negative connotation are dominant. Negative physical properties (such as unattractive face features, head, eye, ear, nose, teeth, leg form, stoutness or small height), certain traits of temper (as stupidity, harshness, malice or untidiness) are exposed. Nevertheless, people living in Veliuona region are described as studious, strong personalities and no nicknames describing lazy people were found