Dzīvnieku sugu nosaukumi kaķu vārdos

Abstract

The article provides an analysis of cat names or felinonyms, where these cat names are derived from a name of an animal species. From the data set of 19,592 felinonyms, these are approximately 5.4%. 92 names of animal species appear within cat names. In the majority of cases, these felinonyms are derived from the lexeme ‘kaķis’ (cat), but the other 26 names of animal species are given once in each case. The article aims to find out the motivations behind the will to derive the cat’s name from a name of an animal species. Respondents have answered the question: Why have you chosen this particular name for your cat? Even though the motivations for the choice could be various, there is no doubt that it is the closeness of Latvians to nature that counts. The dominant motivation to choose the name of an animal species for a cat is its physical resemblance to the species in question. The second most popular motivation for this group of felinonyms is linked to the behaviour of the cat; moreover, in some cases, both the physical appearance and the behavior are said to motivate the choice of the name. Other factors that have influenced the choice of the felinonyms are the compliance of the name, euphony, owner’s hobbies, interests, and dreams, the will to have a specific felinonym, etc. The owners of cats have chosen existing names from the language or created occasionalisms. The majority of these names have been derived and created from simple names, but there are also suffix derivatives, ending derivatives, compounds, and subordinate word-groups. The research in socio-onomastics in zoonyms allows us to conclude that cat names are not simply derived from fauna semantics since the names of animal species within felinonyms can also appear indirectly or, in other cases, the linkage to the fauna could also be only presumed.