2014 №1 (16)

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Elena V. Dushechkina
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Onomastic Space, or What, How and Why We Name [Review of: Shmeleva, T. V. (2013). Onomastics. A Handbook. Slavyansk-na-Kubani: KubGU Press]

Voprosy onomastiki (Problems of Onomastics), 2014, Issue 1 (16), pp. 170–174 (in Russian)

Received 2 March 2014

Abstract: Giving a high appraisal to the handbook by T. V. Shmeleva, the reviewer considers it a fullfledged monograph covering almost all the branches of onomastics including those which have not attracted much attention from scholars until recently. The book is based upon rich linguistic, cultural and historical materials which help the author explain the regularities of the emergence of proper names. T. V. Shmeleva provides a deep analysis of the three elements of the Russian anthroponymic formula: given name, patronymic and family name. The chapter devoted to zoonyms shows, in an accessible and convincing form, the origin of animal names, the ways of their formation including morphemic techniques, transposition, and substantivation of adjectives, etc. The reviewer points to the accuracy of the research of different types of proper names (hydronyms, chrononyms, oronyms) and the innovative character of the last part of the book which focuses on the onomastic space of a modern city (notably, on urbanonyms), with this branch of onomastics having undergone important transfomations in recent years. The author’s sincere interest in proper names encourages readers to do deeper research of the issues of onomastics.

Key words: Russian language, onomastics, place names, toponymy, personal names, anthroponymy, zoonymy, urbanonymy, city proper names, teaching onomastics