ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИОННЫЙ ПОТЕНЦИАЛ ПРЕЦЕДЕНТНЫХ ИМЕН В ЗАГОЛОВКАХ АНГЛОЯЗЫЧНЫХ НОВОСТНЫХ СТАТЕЙ

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the interpretive potential of precedent names derived from personal names in the English language. Previous studies in the theory of precedence have proved a precedent name to convey a complex of cultural and background information that allows it to be used as a common name occasionally in a specific context. We describe this complex of information as an anthroponymic matrix which includes several suggested cognitive contexts. In the process of our work, we have used the modern methods of cognitive linguistics to outline the multifaceted knowledge structure represented by a precedent name and discovered that it is nothing but a concept with its cognitive characteristics. The paper focuses on the crucial role of cognitive mechanisms in the process of a precedent name developing its occasional sense. This newly-formed sense has a certain effect on the perception of the text, in which the name performs its specific functions. The empirical data for this study has been gathered from online newspapers and Internet resources where a precedent name is used as a part of a headline. The authors of the paper have found out that in most cases a precedent name is able to convey both positive and negative evaluative meanings aimed at the formation of the reader’s opinion about the problem under discussion.