Auf der Suche nach der Motivation von Eponymen – Am Beispiel der kulinarischen Fachsprache im Polnischen

Abstract

Eponyms are used every day all over the world, but mostly unconsciously. They are underestimated not only by language users, but also by linguists, as they receive little attention in scientific texts. This is also evidenced by the fact that “SŁOWNIK EPONIMÓW, czyli wyrazów odimiennych” by Władysław Kopaliński (1996) is still one such great resource trove of knowledge about Polish eponyms, which, despite its not very recent publication date, has still not seen competition. This article is intended to draw attention to these words, behind which are hidden not only people, but also remarkable stories. An eponym is a word derived from a proper name, not necessarily from a first or last name (as in the case of an anthroponym), which is a common noun. Eponyms can be derived from proper names such as place names, regions, countries, bodies of water, mountains, rivers, real and fictitious persons, companies, goods, animals, plants, etc. They occur in all linguistic styles and in various fields. The largest number of eponyms is found in medical language, where their occurrence is a characteristic feature of this specialized language. However, they are also found in other specialized languages and, moreover, often occur in similar form in different languages. Not all eponyms are internationalisms, some are language-specific. Röntgenstrahlen in German are used every day all over the world, but not every language commemorates their inventor in its name. An appropriate example is the English name X-ray. The focus of the paper is on Polish culinary eponyms, especially on their motivation. After all, eponyms are associated with stories in addition to their etymological justification.

Keywords

• eponym
• semantic motivation
• culinary terms
• anthroponym