Information on the thesis

The thesis is aimed at the contrastive research of English and Ukrainian eponyms
as elements of lexical-semantic fields as used in certain types of discourse. The view on
the eponym as a transitional stage between the proper and common names is considered
fundamental for the dissertation, which also discusses how the functioning of the
eponyms of the both languages in discourse determines their appellativization degree.
The topicality of the thesis is determined by the orientation of modern linguistics
methodology towards a systemic approach to the contrastive study of lexis, which in its
turn necessitates an analysis of nominative items as elements of language systems that
takes into account internal and external factors of the emergence of neologisms in
modern English and Ukrainian. The active and widespread use of eponyms in both
informal and institutional communication, and the tendency towards the
internationalization of lexical items requires a comprehensive and profound study of
semantic and cognitive nomination mechanisms, establishing their role in the processes
of conceptualization and categorization which mediate the designation of real world
entities by language units. The significance of the research is also related to the tendency
of modern contrastive linguistics towards the comparative study of data using the
structural and semantic analysis.
In the thesis, the theoretical and methodological framework for the contrastive
study of English and Ukrainian eponyms has been developed; the status and role of
eponyms in the discursive systems of English and Ukrainian have been examined; the
isomorphic and allomorphic structural features of English and Ukrainian eponyms have
been determined; semantic peculiarities of English and Ukrainian eponyms have been
elucidated; a complex lexical-semantic typological assessment of eponyms in these
languages has been carried out; the basic lexical-semantic fields of eponyms in English
and Ukrainian have been characterized and contrasted with each other.
The innovative nature of the thesis is due to the fact that it is the first complex
research of the eponyms of English and Ukrainian colloquial discourse viewed as a
transitional category between the onomastic and appellative lexis with the emphasis on
the parameter of appellativization as well as eponym discourse functioning features. The
term eponym is discussed, and the parameter of appellativization is distinguished as a
fundamental feature of the eponym.
The degree of the underlying onomastic item appellativization is an essential
parameter of the description of eponyms. It indicates the connection of the eponym as a
derived item to the underlying proper name, and, accordingly, its connotation which
correlates with the degree of appellativization of the eponym.
Deonomastic derivation is culturally determined and reflects mental and
ideological features as well as the historical experience of nations. The contrastive
research of eponymic systems of different languages resulting from processes of
deoonomastic derivation allows discovering cultural components of appellativization.
An asymmetry is found in the productivity of different types of proper names in
idiomatic eponyms both in English and Ukrainian: the use of of anthroponyms as
underlying items is higher in the idiomatic group of English eponyms; the fact that this
feature is not found in the group of non-idiomatic eponyms indicates that idiomatic
eponyms are more culturally bound.
In the whole corpus of eponyms, the difference in the quantitative and qualitative
realization of eponymic clusters is observed: in English, they are found throughout the
whole corpus, displaying a branching structure; in Ukrainian, eponymic clusters are
usually not branching and are found mainly among idiomatic eponyms. The greatest
similarity is observed in the group of biblical eponymic items of both languages, which
is conditioned by their common Christian cultural origin.
Key words: eponym (eponymic item), idiomatic eponym, contrastive analysis,
isomorphic and allomorphic features, structure, semantics, lexical-semantic field,
lexical-semantic group, eponymic cluster, national and cultural component of meaning,
appellativization.