Acta onomastica

Datum publikování: 2024

Autor: Kołodziej, Agnieszka

Abstrakt: The article endeavours to explore the names of spiders and reptiles; these exotic animals are often considered atypical and may evoke various (and sometimes strong) responses and emotions in people. The research material was gathered through a survey. The corpus of zoonyms comprises 341 names of spiders and reptiles, of which 177 are Czech and 164 are Polish. The aim of the article is to pinpoint the core trends in naming of these species, present the sources of motivation thereof, and discuss the word formation mechanisms involved. Emphasis is placed on the so-called “second, supplementary names” and the most common names of spiders and reptiles. The text does also highlight the core factors that, according to the survey, made the study participants commit to owning an exotic pet instead of, for instance, a cat or a dog. The analysis has shown that the most common naming motivations amongst the surveyed were: the colour of the body or its part (16,4%) and the generic/specific name of the animal (10%). The majority of the spider and reptile names (ca. 87%) were created through metaphorical transfer; most of the remaining cases (ca. 13%) involve word-forming modification. Naming of spiders and reptiles uses the sources analogous to the processes involved in the naming of other animals, and predominantly those involved in the naming of cats and dogs. Notably, the corpus does also contain a high quantity of personal names, both masculine and feminine.

Rozsah stran: s. 316–342

Status recenzování: recenzovaný článek

Licence: CC BY 4.0