Abstract:
The specifics of proper names are indicated by their semantics and structural features, namely, the absence of a plural number existence, the derivation of conjugation forms. On the one hand, the proposition that proper name is a permanent kind of linguistic fact and onomasticians often base their assumptions on the fact that these names do not substantially reflect the internal structure and semantics, on the other hand, they are different. Estimating the amplitude of this similarity-difference requires moderation, as their names do not always reflect all the structural and semantic features that common names manifest, and conversely, common names do not always reflect the natural structure and semantic properties of their names.
The history of proper names goes far. Most of them come from nicknames. The use of nicknames, as we have seen from the material we have obtained over the past decade, is still common: sometimes people are known not by real names, but by nicknames, many of which are of late formation, formed by the virtues or disadvantages being characteristic feature of a particular person. Today, it is used simultaneously in parallel with proper names and appears to be the kind of epithet – glorified or blessed. From the material we have gathered and analyzed, it appears that when mixing nicknames, they target individuals’ personal traits, activities, physical appearance etc. However, there are many cases where the same person has several nicknames, for example, Gia – Easter Gia and Redhead Gia etc.
The analysis of the material also showed that after the nickname was changed to a person’s real name, it was almost forgotten. These are: Bakian (Firuza), Butkhuza (Revazi) etc. However, there are many cases where descendants are referred to by ancestors’ nicknames (in plural form). For example, Bakiyans, Butkhuzians etc.
We believe that it is possible to generalize the results of the research and to conduct comparative-typological investigation on the example of two particular villages.
