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EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE PSYCHOLOGICALLY REAL MEANING OF
ANTHROPONYMS – SLANGISMS
Nazarova Nigora Djohongirovna
Teacher, Department of English language teaching methodology
Uzbekistan State University of World Languages
Abstract:
Determining and clarifying the lexical bases (appellatives) of the anthroponymy
system of the Uzbek language is a complex task, which is a consistent feature in many studies. It
should be said that determining which lexeme is based on this or that name does not determine
the meaning and motive the name, because when lexemes are transferred to the name,
completely new tasks arise in the meaning and nomination of the appellative.
Key words:
Anthroponyms, anthroponym-stimulus, non-slangism, slang units, actual meaning.
Introduction.
"Experimental study of the psychologically real (actual) meaning of
anthroponyms - slangisms" presents the results of an experimental study of anthroponyms, the
slang meaning of which is reflected in dictionaries, and anthroponyms that tend to turn them into
slang units, and also proposes the principle of classifying associates-reactions depending on the
actualized meaning of the anthroponym-stimulus. The method of obtaining data on the
psychologically real (actual) meaning of these groups of anthroponyms was chosen as a free
associative experiment. The experiment involved 117 people from 16 to 30 years old. A
mandatory criterion for selecting questionnaires for processing was the native language subjects
– English.
The list of stimuli was made up of 40 anthroponyms of two types: anthroponymy-slangisms (22
anthroponyms), and non-slangism anthroponyms that have the potential to become CE (18
anthroponyms). The first run included: Peter, Sam, Adam, Joe, Andrew, Lizzie, Abraham, Jessie,
Mary, Tom, Charlie, Ann, Dick, Bill, George, Murphy, Jane, John, Jim, William, Jack, Jerry.
The second group included: Naomi, Kutcher, Tarantino, Banderas, Monica, Pamella, Manson,
Elvis, Brad, Jolie, Elton, Lopez, Jackson, Schumacher, Beckham, Bond, Arnold, Hilton. As a
result, 3977 word-reactions were received.
Analysis of reactions of both types made it possible to divide them into four groups:
1. Reactions that indicate general knowledge about the carrier of the anthroponym and do not
have slang features.
2. Reactions that name the characteristic features of a person or situations, including: a) national-
ethnic status; b) external signs and internal qualities; c) phenomena associated with the name.
3. Reactions reflecting the Colloquial English values recorded in dictionaries.
4. Individual reactions related to personal experience.
Note that not all anthroponyms have the same fullness. If we are talking about slang
anthroponyms, then the reactions most often fill all 4 groups, but the third group is absent for
non-slang anthroponyms. The exceptions are anthroponyms (Elvis, Brad Pitt, Michael
Schumacher, and Elton John), who were included in our study in the group of non-slang
anthroponyms, but were recorded as Colloquial English a year after the experiment ("The
Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English", 2008).
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For example, although the name Арслон is reminiscent of the name of an animal, as a name it
means "courage, bravery". The fund of Uzbek names contains lexemes - appellatives that meet
this requirement. Understanding that the names in use in the current Uzbek language only reflect
the wishes and motives of the Uzbek population. Motifs characteristic of most of the Tajik and
Arabic names originated in the Tajik and Arabic languages where those names were created and
remained in that language. For example, the motif of the names Мусо, Исо, Исҳоқ are ancient
Yiddish, the motif of the names Abdusamad, Abduvahid, Abdullah are Arabic ones, the motif of
the names Гавҳаршод, Хуснора, Шоҳруз, Бехруз are Persian-Tajik names.
Uzbeks adopted them in different periods and gave them as a name to the child because these
names correspond to the taste, motive and aesthetic ideas of naming. So, in addition to Uzbeks,
Arabs, Tajiks and other peoples also have a share in creating the names that are now popular in
the Uzbek language.
If the appellation underlying the name belongs genetically to the language of the people, then it
is not correct to say that the name is the creation of that people. Because such names may have
been created by the Uzbeks themselves on the basis of simple, related lexemes borrowed from
the Arabic or Persian-Tajik languages. For example, names such as Мурод, Анвар, Асал,
Котиба, Маданият, which are derived from Arabic lexemes, were obviously created by the
Uzbeks on the basis of Arabic lexemes.
So, just as it is wrong to consider all names based on Arabic or Persian-Tajik lexemes as
creations of Arabs or Persian-Tajiks, all names in the Uzbek language cannot be considered
creations of the Uzbek language. But it is worth noting that any name used in the native language,
which is the name of an Uzbek person, is a vocabulary of Uzbek anthroponymy. Because the
names borrowed from other languages have become the names of the Uzbek population for
centuries. Parents give these names as a name to the child if it suits their purposes and taste
without thinking about the language from which it came. Therefore, these names are called
"Uzbek names" in the existing literature.
Group I (28%): bush (8); Clooney (7); actor(2); president(1); Beatles (1); Clooney, vampires (1);
Michael (1); Michael, Washington (1); not so great actor yet good looking (1); oceans 12(1); of
the Jungle(1); the beatles(1); Washington (1).
The first group consists of associations associated mainly with George W.Bush, the 43
rd
President of the United States, as well as George Clooney, a famous Hollywood actor.
Group II (52%): monkey (7); war(3); dolt(2); Iraq (2); dumb-ass president (1); any man, esp.
stupid one, like bush(1); asshole(1); bad politics (1); Bush, blockhead (1); Bush, idiot (1); bush,
low IQ (1); Clooney, handsome (1); Clooney, old bachelor (1); dumb ass(1); dumb ass (Bush)
(1); dumb-ass Bush (1); funny(1); George W., thinks he's cool, but he's not (1); hair(1);
honorable(1); hot old guy(1); ignorant man(1); Jungle(1); logy(1); lowest IQ (1); curiosity(1);
Michael, gay(1); monkey looking(1); monkey-looking(1); old(1); older man(1); overrated
actor(1); stupid politics (1); stupid, stupid pres-t(1); the lowest IQ (1); underrate(1); W.,dumb-ass
(1); Washington, dickbrain (1); Washington, smug (1); What an idiot! (1); white, fine, mature.
The second group consists of the largest number of associations, which are mostly pejorative
epithets for former President George W.Bush and his political activities. Only a small part of the
associations is associated with the characteristics of George Clooney, an American actor, and
George Michael, a popular singer in the USA and Great Britain.
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Such a large number of emotionally colored reactions indicate that this anthroponym-slangism is
acquiring new connotations, since the reactions of the second group not only call the denotation,
but also indicate its characteristic features and distinctive features. For example, the name
George is associated not just with actor George Clooney, but with Clooney - an elderly bachelor
who does not want to marry (Clooney, old bachelor). Most often in the linguistic consciousness
of British, George is associated with President Bush, or rather with his distinctive external
features and character traits.
Associations of the second group can be divided into the following thematic groups:
- thematic group 1 (associations, outwardly, partially related to D. Bush, as well as to D.
Clooney): monkey (7); funny(1); monkey looking(1); monkey-looking(1); old(1); older man(1);
Clooney, handsome (1); Clooney, old bachelor (1); hair(1); hot old guy(1); Jungle(1); white, fine,
mature (i);
- thematic group 2 (internal qualities of a person, partially related to D. Bush, as well as to D.
Clooney): dolt (2); dumb-ass president (1); any man, esp. stupid one, like bush(1); asshole(1);
Bush, blockhead (1); Bush, idiot (1); bush, low IQ (1); dumb ass(1); dumb ass (Bush) (1); dumb-
ass Bush (1); George W.,thinks he's cool, but he's not (1); ignorant man(1); logy(1); lowest IQ
(1); stupid, stupid pres-t(1); the lowest IQ (1); W., dumb-ass (1); Washington, dickbrain (1);
Washington, smug (1); What an idiot! (1); curiosity(1); honorable(1);
-thematic group 3 (sphere of professional activity, professional characteristics): overrated actor
(1); war(3); Iraq (2); bad politics (1); stupid politics (1); underratcn(1);
- thematic group 4 (sexual orientation): Michael, gay (1). Group III (14%): a dollar bill (2);
casino (2); smack(2); a dollar(1); dollar bill(1); Michael, cycle(1); gambler(1); George
Washington, dollar (1); heroin(1); jackpot(1); lucky gambler (1).
In slang dictionaries, more than 20 slangs with this anthroponym are recorded. The third group
has a small number of associations that indicate slang meaning. Most of the reactions relate to
the following topics:
1. Money: a dollar bill (2); a dollar(1); dollar bill(1); George Washington
2. Gambling: (casino (2); gambler (1); jackpot (1); lucky gambler (1).
3. Drugs: Smack (2); heroin (1).
Group IV (6%): creepy (1); Foreman (1); Adrianna (1); Foster (1); manager(1); Martha (1).
The fourth group is made up of a small number of individual reactions; in terms of the number of
associations, it is in last place. This result once again confirms the fact that the George stimulus
more often causes emotional reactions associated with the personality of President D. Bush and
his political activities.
Considering all anthroponyms-slangisms simultaneously within one of the associative groups,
one can see how the anthroponyms are located relative to each other. For example, Graph 1
shows the first group of associations of 22 slang anthroponyms.
Group I (15%): Jennifer (5); Mario (3); a Spanish name(1); common Spanish name, Jennifer (1);
Jen(1); Jennie on the block (1); Jennifer Lopez (1); singer (1); twins! (1).
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Most of the reactions of this group are associated with the name of the singer and actress of
Hispanic origin Jennifer Lopes.
Group II (80%): fat ass (5); ass(4); big butt(3); Jenifer Lopass (3); Jennifer LopAss(3); nice
butt(3); Spanish (3); a million dollar butt(2); bigass(2); Bronx (2); butt(2); latino (2); 20million
dollar butt! (1); back(1); beautiful girl with really big butt (1); beautiful girl, nice hips, sexy back
(1); big assed girl(1); big thighs (1); bitch(1); butt shaking singer (1); curly hair (1); dance(1);
dancer, can't sing (1); fleshy butt(1); funny butt(1); good-looking, nice butt (1); gorgeous, hips
and butt (1); nice butt(1); hot woman (1); huge butt(1); Jen Ass(1); Jen, shapely hips, butt (1);
Jennie Ass(1); Jennie's got perfect back! (1); Jennifer Lop Ass(1); jennifer big ass(1); Jennifer,
curving hips(1); Jennifer, good thighs (1); Jennifer, nice ass, rare in Hollywood (1); jennifer,
shake your butt (1); Jlo, fat ass (1); Latin(1); Latin bombshell (1); latino girl with a big ass (I);
Lopass(1); mcxican(1); mexico(1); million-dollar butt, hot (1); my friends call me Jlo, because of
my ass (1); nice ass (1); puertorico(1); sexy back(1); shakybutt(1); shapely thighs (1); stacked(1);
stacked girl(1); thighs (1); thighs and butt (1).
The group consists of the largest number of associations, which indicates that the Lopez stimulus
clearly gravitates towards the formation of Colloquial English. Reactions are divided into the
following thematic groups:
- thematic group 1 (external signs of a person): fat ass (5); ass(4); big butt(3); Jenifer Lopass (3);
Jennifer LopAss(3); nice butt(3); a million dollar butt(2); bigass(2); butt(2); 20million dollar butt!
(1); back(1); beautiful girl with really big butt (1); beautiful girl, nice hips, sexy back (1); big
assed girl(1); big thighs (1); butt shaking singer (1); curly hair (1); fleshy butt(1); funny butt(1);
goodlooking, nice butt (1): gorgeous, hips and butt (1); nice butt(1); hot woman(1); huge butt(1);
Jen Ass(1); Jen, shapely hips, butt (1); Jennie Ass(1); Jennie's got perfect back! (1); Jennifer Lop
Ass(1); Jennifer big ass(1); Jennifer, curving hips(1); Jennifer, good thighs (1); Jennifer, nice ass,
rare in Hollywood (1); jennifer, shake your butt (1); Jlo, fat ass (1); Lopass(1); Latin bombshell
(1); latino girl with a big ass (1); million-dollar butt, hot (1); my friends call me Jlo, because of
my ass (1); nice ass(1); sexy back(1); shakybutt(1); shapely thighs (1); stacked(1); stacked girl(1);
thighs (1) thematic group 2 (national and territorial affiliation): Latin bombshell (1); latino girl
with a big ass (1); Spanish (3); Bronx (2); latino (2); Latin(1); mexican(1); mexico(1); puertorico
(I);
- thematic group 3 (professional qualities): dance (1); dancer, can't sing (1);
- thematic group 4 (character trait): bitch (1).
Since puns, contamination, rhyming substitution are frequently used ways of word formation of
slangisms, it is quite possible that these reactions to Lopez will be recorded in the slang
dictionary as Colloquial English.
III group: absent.
Group IV (5%): baseball, New York (1); friend(1); George (1); plunging necklines(1); sweaty
teacher (1). The group consists of a small number of individual reactions.
Conclusion.
Having considered the associations of respondents to incentives that are
anthroponyms -slangisms, it can be stated that not all incentives have the potential to become SE.
Thus, the Hilton incentive is more than others associated simply with the name and well-known
facts from the biography of a well-known person in the United States, Paris Hilton.
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