Kazakh Compound Anthroponyms with a Verbal Element: Propositional Structure

Abstract

The article deals with the semantics of Kazakh compound anthroponyms with the Subst + Verb structure. Such names retain syntactic relations of the original motivating sentence. Thus, the full name inherits propositional features of the verb component and the syntactic meaning of the actant: subject or object. Dmitry Yermolovich suggests that each personal name implies an introductory proposition of the situation ‘a child was born’. The paper distinguishes several groups of Kazakh names with a verbal component, based on the specificity of propositional structure and the cultural background of name’s motivation: (1) male names with a temporal meaning, (2) male names with a verbal component beru ‘give,’ (3) wish-names, and (4) male amulet names. In the first group of names, two “event-related” propositions are linked by temporal logical relations. In the second group, the subject is represented by names of the sacred forces which, according to the pagan beliefs of the Kazakhs, bestow the parents with the birth of a male baby — the continuer of the lineage, the protector of the family and clan. The wishnames with the verb bolu ‘be, become’ also convey the idea of the preference and blessing of the birth of boys. Moreover, the same idea often lies behind naming girls, in which case the wish can be laden with the idea of prohibition. The protective function of names is particularly important for male anthroponyms, since it is traditionally believed that boys are more susceptible to the influence of evil forces. Therefore, the amulet-names tend to carry a negative sense intended to avert evil spirits. An implicit introductory proposition varies depending on the gender: the birth of a boy is approved by socio-cultural norms; the birth of a girl is less welcomed. The study of the semantics of Kazakh two-part names with a verbal component reveals its propositional character reflected in internal syntactic relations of the verbal predicate and nominal actants and explicates the cultural traditions of Kazakh naming.

Keywords

• kazakh language
• personal name
• two-part compounds with a verbal component
• proposition
• propositional structure
• names-wishes
• names-amulets