Problems of the Lexicography of Modern Regional Nicknames. Review of the book: Bobrova, M. V. (2020). Materialy dlia slovaria sovremennykh prozvishch zhitelei Permskogo kraia [Materials for the Dictionary of Modern Nicknames of the Residents of the Perm Region]. St Petersburg: RHGA. 195 p.

Abstract

The book under review examines the case of compiling a regional dictionary of modern nicknames. The dictionary contains more than 2,000 unofficial appellations from respondents of different social background, age, and socio-cultural groups, collected over the years by the author-compiler (Maria Bobrova) and her team on the territory of the Perm region. The book opens with a preface and a three-part introduction in which the author substantiates the principles of material selection, collection, and presentation, specifies the timeframe and the geographical scope of the dictionary. Apart from the practical aspects regarding the macrostructure of the book, it also touches upon some important theoretical problems related to terminology and classification of the material. The latter is a primary and undisputed advantage of the dictionary, showcased in previous publications and conference contributions. It is quite certain that this material will be of interest to a wide circle of researchers in the field of humanities besides onomatologists. Some critical remarks made in the review do not diminish the importance and relevance of the work, and therefore the prospects of Maria Bobrova’s research are obvious.

Keywords

• lexicography
• regional anthroponymy
• nicknames
• methods for collecting nicknames
• structure of a dictionary entry
• perm region